After being exposed to IKS for some time now and reading the many posts of success stories and failures it seemed like a good time to write a thread about the many pluses and the many pitfalls.

First, IKs is not for everyone. If you think that "joining the ranks" is going to get the kind of TV that you were accustomed to with N2 then you will have a rude awakening. Everything is not wide open. There are limited locals and only an occasional PPV movie or sports event. But all the premium movie channels are open, as well as all the other premium channels like History and Halmark. The complete list can be found on the forums for each receiver. There are only a couple servers handling the load, so usually one group of receiver will be down at one time. And it rarely lasts more than a few hours.
Second, the files you load on your receiver will not need to be replaced as often as N2. What causes programming to go south is usually when work to upgrade the server happens. This can be once a week, or every couple days...I've noticed that MOST of the time it's during the wee hours of morning, exception being when something goes awry...then it's when ever the need arises. We are all glad to see this happen, as it usually means an improvement in service when all is said and done.
It's still the best deal going for (relatively) free tv. The programming you get for the price of a receiver and support fees still only amounts to a month or two of subscription to the provider. Try to remember this when the server goes out of commission during your favorite movie.
There is the occasional freezing, resulting in the "scramble' message on the screen, but even this usually resolves itself shortly. Every receiver has it pluses and minuses...if you're interested I highly recommend doing your homework and read, read, read the forums for what ever receiver you might be interested in...ask plenty of questions and be sure this is a boat you want to sail on. A decision based on plenty of research will result in less frustration.
Be sure to understand the processes involved to the best of your ability before venturing into set up. Be sure you have all the necessary hardware ahead of time, and that you understand what to do to set it all up. Nothing clogs up the bandwidth more than tons of questions by newbies in a panic because they don't have a clue how things work. I'm sure I speak for all by saying we are here for you 100% to help you figure out a problem...just make sure when you post a problem it's not something you could of figured out just by reading.
'Nuff said. Hopes this is of some help if you're trying to decide...or if you already are setup and were just curious, I hope you got a chuckle out of this.

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Please don't PM me with fta related questions, ask them in open forums so others can benefit from them too.