What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

JB

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Mar 25, 2001
Messages
45,907
Wanted to check the weather, so I turn on my huge screen HDTV and select VIPR radar channel.

There, blocking about 80% of the screen is a POP-UP SCREEN from Norton telling me my subscription has expired!! Dang right it has expired; I quit using Norton a couple of months ago, but I was using it on my 'puter, not my TV, for crying out loud!:mad: :mad:

FORGALUMIC PECALUMER and ROWRBAZZLE!!!:mad:

How did they do that? How do I get rid of it? Is it legal for them to disable my cotton picking TV like that??:%
 

Boomyal

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Aug 16, 2003
Messages
12,072
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

Beats me JB but I'll be interested to hear the outcome. Are you getting your internet and tv signal from the same source? Maybe there was some kind of crossover when Norton sent the message down your cable.
 

Bob_VT

Moderator & Unofficial iBoats Historian
Staff member
Joined
May 19, 2001
Messages
26,065
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

Wow..... the companies must be linked! Your tv box does not upload anything so why would norton care!

When you quit norton did you remove all traces from the computer? Can you still access VIPR radar on your computer? I use the http://www.erh.noaa.gov/ on my computer..... isn't that the same feed?
 

JB

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Mar 25, 2001
Messages
45,907
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

The HDTV channels, including VIPR Radar, (Channel 4.2 from DFW) are on an antenna. I also have DirecTV that uses my landline to communicate with the satellite box.

The 'puter is on wireless broadband. No dialup is active. All of Norton was erased when I reformatted the hard drive.

Norton must have my landline number from the days when I was on dialup, but the pop-up screen was not on a DTV channel.

I took a pic of it for evidence, turned everything off, then back on. It is gone now.

I still want to know how they did it and if it was legal.
 

i386

Captain
Joined
Aug 24, 2004
Messages
3,548
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

There's got to be an explanation for that. Is any of your TV hardware a "computer"?
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

I took a pic of it for evidence, turned everything off, then back on. It is gone now.

See: "Ctrl", "Alt", "Delete" fixes everything.d:)8)
 
Joined
Jun 1, 2005
Messages
4,666
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

Go Get 'em JB. I guess they don't know who they are fooling with. ??? ;)
 

rwise

Captain
Joined
Jul 5, 2001
Messages
3,205
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

Don't know about legal or not, but it sure makes another good point why NOT to use norton!
 

Xcusme

Commander
Joined
Apr 21, 2003
Messages
2,888
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

JB, What you describe is interesting...one question comes to mind. What make/model TV do you have? Does it have a wireless interface? Is it possible it's responding to your computer wirelessly in an Adhoc mode (computer to computer mode)?
 

JB

Honorary Moderator Emeritus
Joined
Mar 25, 2001
Messages
45,907
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

The TV is a Sony Grand Wega55 or something like that. No wireless functions that I know of.

It is not connected to the 'puter in any way except that they are on the same power (the 'puter is on a big Sola Transformer to isolate it from the power lines).

The satellite receiver uses the landline to report ordered PPV stuff and to recieve channel authorizations, but the satellite receiver was turned off and there is no land line connected to the 'puter.

The Norton screen appeared only on channel 4.2, the local HDTV channel that carries the VIPIR radar.

Mysterious and very annoying.
 

tommays

Admiral
Joined
Jul 4, 2004
Messages
6,768
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

The tv channels norton expired :) REALLY so much is computer at the tv station i could see that happen


Tommays
 

KRS

Banned
Joined
May 15, 2004
Messages
2,383
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

I got rid of norton, and it haunted me and reappeared for months saying things like "definitions out of date" etc.
 

stevieray

Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joined
Jul 18, 2006
Messages
1,135
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

I'd say tommays is right - the message was on the source's computer & had absolutely nothing to do with your system.
 

Xcusme

Commander
Joined
Apr 21, 2003
Messages
2,888
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

JB said:
The TV is a Sony Grand Wega55 or something like that. No wireless functions that I know of.

It is not connected to the 'puter in any way except that they are on the same power (the 'puter is on a big Sola Transformer to isolate it from the power lines).

The satellite receiver uses the landline to report ordered PPV stuff and to recieve channel authorizations, but the satellite receiver was turned off and there is no land line connected to the 'puter.

The Norton screen appeared only on channel 4.2, the local HDTV channel that carries the VIPIR radar.

Mysterious and very annoying.


Ok, I didn't find any network interface in the specs for the TV. I'll go with the explaination/guess that the TV stations Norton had expired and sent this error message down the feed. Not too mysterious but annoying to say the least.
 

i386

Captain
Joined
Aug 24, 2004
Messages
3,548
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

That sounds plausable (and laughable). Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone can target YOUR tv during a live broadcast like that.
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

JB,

Gee Whiz, you have all the gee whiz.

Your TV sounds like the component to a Saturn V rocket. I can't say about all the other stuff.

Think about it, " The Hideout" is where? Out in the middle of Texas. The aliens (space, not Mexican) are all over TX because there are too many whackjobs circling Area 51 in New Mexico.

I think that "splains" it. 8)

Kidding aside, obviously Norton has a link-somehow. I'm not sure how you would re-trace it. But a phone call to Norton might reveal some interesting bits.
 

rwise

Captain
Joined
Jul 5, 2001
Messages
3,205
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

"The satellite receiver uses the landline to report ordered PPV stuff and to recieve channel authorizations, but the satellite receiver was turned off and there is no land line connected to the 'puter."

Well kinda, the PPV part is correct but, the authorizations are on the data stream. And what the phone line is really for is collecting info on what and when you watch!
 

BRG25

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 13, 2001
Messages
528
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

tommays said:
The tv channels norton expired :) REALLY so much is computer at the tv station i could see that happen


Tommays

Bingo! Funny how we invent complicated conspiracy theories for stuff like this. I have to admit when I first read this thread I was racking my brain to figure out the connection between the computer and television. Duh!!:^
 

flashback

Captain
Joined
Jun 28, 2002
Messages
3,987
Re: What the RATZAKRATZ is this??

Tommays is probably right, I had a similar experience one time on the home shopping network. was surfing thru the channels and got to the shopping channel and the screen showed an open window with a bunch of file icons and a flashing cursor.. pretty wild...
 
Top