Direct TV Hack

We've been covering this industry for a looonnnnngggg time, and no one around here can remember the DirecTV guys offering a deal like this.

The closest they came was back in 2004 (yeah, three years ago), but this one is better than that by a hair.

Here's the deal...

- You'll get a maxed out programming package (It's at 185 channels right now)

- You'll get a free DVR

- And on top of that they'll pay you $100 for taking them up on the offer (that's the kicker)

We've been trying to find out how long they're going to be offering it.

We're sure it's not long -- that's the best we've been able to come up with.

First, what is the idea behind a Direct TV hack?

As long as satellite and cable television have been around -- meaning for as long as people have been charged for receiving television programming -- some people have tried to game the system through all manner of technical trickery, otherwise known as "hacks."

Way back when, when the technology was relatively new and less sophisticated than it is now, "hacking" the system wasn't as involved, costly or dangerous as it is today.

But now, if you want to try and come up with a Direct TV hack -- or heck to steal any kind of television programming -- not only are you fighting one of the toughest technological uphill battles there is, you're also asking for "the man" to come down on you swift and hard.

But don't take our word for it. Here are a few recent cases to keep in mind...

- DirecTV was recently awarded $70,450.00 in damages against a Pennsylvania man who stole DirecTV programming for more than a year.

- A South Carolina man recently plead guilty to distributing illegal DirecTV cards (the classic Direct TV hack) and now faces $750,000.00 in fines and three years in prison.

- And lest you think it stops with private individuals, DirecTV recently won a case against a New York bar that was fined $50,000.00 for their Direct TV hack.

I'd be willing to bet any of these three wish now they would have just ponied up the $40 a month or so to get DirecTV programming legally, wouldn't you?

Is Trying to Find a Direct TV Hack Worth it?

There is some discussion among the propeller-head community that the search for a Direct TV hack is simply born out of their unquenchable thirst for knowledge -- they just want to get inside the system to "see how it works."

For some, that may be true. But that doesn't mean it's any more legal.

Like the early days of the computer hackers who broke into all manner of networks simply to poke around -- and simply because they could -- these hackers use the argument that they could care less about the programming they're stealing, but are only interested in the technology behind it.

But if that's true, there are a whole host of other legal "projects" out there for the insatiably curious. And none of them will get you fined $100,000 or put your in prison.

So, is going for the Direct TV hack worth it?

I know what I'd say. But I guess you have to decide for yourself.