[Resolved]  Tata Sky — Flashing codes and other irritants

The 8 digit code with blue background is flashed every 5-10 minutes or so on my TV screen for at least 30 seconds. Sometimes, there are multiple such codes at the same time. This is really irritating from the point of view of viewer experience, as the codes are right there in the middle of the screen in most instances.

I was lead to believe that this is a security measure, but flashing it every 5 minutes is just ridiculous. I am sure that there are other technical ways in which security can be enforced, without bothering the average viewer. At the very least, one can broadcast it every 2 hours or so for a few seconds, and that's it. A quick search on the Internet reveals that numerous such complaints are being voiced by consumers on several online forums.

In addition, the helpline staff insinuated that the channel broadcaster (e.g. HBO) are itself broadcasting this code. When I mentioned that this code is visible on all channels, they rescinded, and admitted the above reason for this code. This is just plain wrong on 2 fronts:
-Misguiding the customer
-Libel against your channel service partners

Not to say that the Tata Sky logo too is visible on several channels as well. I know I am subscribing to Tata Sky and don't need this advertisement.

On a separate issue, I understand that on some particular channels, one can select the language option. Of late, most movies on HBO, Star, etc have English subtitles.There should be an option to switch off the subtitles if the viewer doesn't desire them.

So just imagine, watching a movie with all these logos on top:
-Tata Sky logo
-8 digit codes right in the middle of the screen
-Subtitles
-The logo of the channel itself

Just plain ridiculous.