plastic is a good alternative but you will need some equipment.theres a little bit of change involved........you can get all the info you need to operate with plastic at one of the fine sites central testers evolution 7tk ect.just do a little research.,good luck
FTA will always be here with FREE channels "in the clear" on various satellites...and some FTA's like the coo*lsat can also use the plastic cards..BUT plastic cannot always be guaranteed to be of ANY use..and plastic is another additional $350 investment above FTA..so what makes sense to U..I suggest FTA with an optional card reader..
1. You will need some equipment and extra skills. You will need an ISO programmer, possibly a card glitcher (it's a good idea to have one), and a JTAG cable (optional if you're ird and cam are married).
2. You will have to reprogram your card at least once a month (because of tier expiry dates).
3. Risk of having your card stream-locked at a newer revision. You will have to know when the new rev is in the stream, pull your card, and put a new blocker on the card to protect it.
Plastic on a C00lsat with card reader:
1. You will need to optionally buy a card glitcher to unlock your card, unless you buy it unlocked.
2. Because the card is slaved, the card, in theory, is immune to new revisions in the stream.
3. With each ECM, there is a possibility of having to load a new bin. But your card, once again in theory, should be safe.
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I use a C00lsat with card for my primary, and I have a DP301 for a backup.
can someone tell me if i get the yellow card rom3 then what softwre i will need to program my card thru card reader when ever my card will be down also whish card reader i need to buy and where do you get the file from the internet and lastly if there is a site for newbies to guide step by step to program these cards. I just dont want to pay every month or two when the card is down to ouside people and want to program it myself thanks a million