The design criteria for off-premises converters have been increased signal security and lower in-home costs. Products currently available in this market are clear channel systems selling at a premium price.
This paper questions the security of a clear channel system versus currently available scrambling techniques. It also presents an economic review of savings achieved by reducing in-home costs versus the premium price of off-premises converters. Finally, the ramifications of dedicated plant designs required by off-premises converter are discussed.
These issues must be addressed before making the decision to remove the subscriber's converter from the home and place it on the line.