[] <br /><br />Apsattv; I appreciate full well the volume of junk decoders - some will activate a card, some won't but most play Select after activation, except say a MySat box (more pottage) - these report Error 05 'invalid card' (ABS-CBN like). But the main stayers like Topfield, Humax are not a problem.<br /><br />One of the complaints about Select; "I keep activating, but my card just doesn't work", I've put down to people not inserting the card UPRIGHT when using CAMS. All in all - the open market works and helps keeps the importers on their toes.<br /><br />Why providers feel some odd need to spend a hundred and fifty thousand dollars on STB's has me buggered. The dedicated satellite shop supply market should, and increasingly does well for the consumer, not quite the case just yet with big chain retailers, but that will change. [/]<br /><br />Pay TV operators have always supplied the box as part of the service. The average viewer pay tv is targetted at has little to NO interest whatsoever in purchasing their own satellite equipment unless you can tempt them with lower subcription fees.<br /><br />The reason they give you decoder from brand x model y as part of the service is to with levels of quality and standards. A service based around "buy your own decoder from anywhere you want" would be a nightmare.<br /><br />Imagine a scenario where Selectv does a minor encoder software upgrade which causes 500 boxes to start having lip sync problems...<br /><br />One little glitch and they lose 500 customers in a blink<br /><br />I think Selectv should have a list of approved boxes and publish it on their website. If dealers want their receiver to be on it they should meet certain standards of performance and compatibilty and SOFTWARE support.<br /><br />RE: your last comment about AMC23, you need to reread the prospectus and see the reasons why they are on Pas8. Has to do with amount of existing dishes and possible partnerships with other operators as in suppliing English channels to other pay operators.