BB speed increase & STB

[c1rcle]

This will probably sound like a really daft question but......

When the speed increase on BB comes in will it have any effect on the signal for the TV channels?

call me a thicko if you like but I'm confused as I thought the BB & TV used the same line to arrive at my STB so by giving the BB more speed doesn't that take away from the TV part?

[Rob]

hmm, just had an engineer round to look at my STB as the broadband and then the TV signal was playing up.

First the router kept loosing it's connection ( when I said I was rebooting the STB once a day, I was told that's normal ) so faults told me to take off the router and see if that solved it. Yes it did, the connection stopped dropping at odd times and the download speed leapt up from only a max 100kb/s to a more reasonable 400kb/s or more (I've got a failry heavy P2P load going at the mo). UNfortunately the Pace 1000 STB couldn't cope with that and the TV piccy kept freezing, the EPG kept jamming and so on. Engineer has tweaked the signal strength which is shared by broadbadn and Digi TV and seems OK for now. However he was not confident that the STB was goinng to handle the faster speed when it comes.

Apparently though in 9 days time, according to the engineer (may just be my area though) the Samsung boxes will become available (not ready yet). Any new boxes issued, even for repairs after that time, will be Samsung and the older Pace boxes withdrawn. Engineer also suggested the Samsung boxes could cope with broadband speeds of 2Mb/s wheras the current Pace boxes as we know can't handle 1Mb/s, and often less than that.

Ultimately although it's one cable to your house, theres probably a range of signal frequencies being used to separate digi TV and broadband. It seems to be the STB that's the limiting factor in being able to decode and handles more than one signal at a time.

[scrotnig]

Originally Posted by MovedGoalPosts

hmm, just had an engineer round to look at my STB as the broadband and then the TV signal was playing up.

First the router kept loosing it's connection ( when I said I was rebooting the STB once a day, I was told that's normal ) so faults told me to take off the router and see if that solved it. Yes it did, the connection stopped dropping at odd times and the download speed leapt up from only a max 100kb/s to a more reasonable 400kb/s or more (I've got a failry heavy P2P load going at the mo). UNfortunately the Pace 1000 STB couldn't cope with that and the TV piccy kept freezing, the EPG kept jamming and so on. Engineer has tweaked the signal strength which is shared by broadbadn and Digi TV and seems OK for now. However he was not confident that the STB was goinng to handle the faster speed when it comes.

Apparently though in 9 days time, according to the engineer (may just be my area though) the Samsung boxes will become available (not ready yet). Any new boxes issued, even for repairs after that time, will be Samsung and the older Pace boxes withdrawn. Engineer also suggested the Samsung boxes could cope with broadband speeds of 2Mb/s wheras the current Pace boxes as we know can't handle 1Mb/s, and often less than that.

Ultimately although it's one cable to your house, theres probably a range of signal frequencies being used to separate digi TV and broadband. It seems to be the STB that's the limiting factor in being able to decode and handles more than one signal at a time.

Firstly, rebooting the set box EVERY day is not good enough and you should not accept that.

Secondly, consider getting a cable modem put in for the broadband. It might help.

You MIGHT be able to get a Samsung, but unless you're on 1meg they are not easy to come by right now. Cable modems are much easier to get hold of.

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Mark B

Firstly, rebooting the set box EVERY day is not good enough and you should not accept that.

Yep that's what I told the CS. As I say engineer has been round and STB seems OK for now. We'll have to see what happens when the speed increase comes as engineer wasn't confident that the STB would handle it, having boosted the signal as much as he could.

Secondly, consider getting a cable modem put in for the broadband. It might help.

Yep did ask about that. It's probably the next step if the existing STB system plays up again. I must say it was all quite good service really, once I'd got throught the press 1, 5, 7, 3 keys on your phone (or whatever) faults answered very promptly, and had the engineer round later the same day. Well done ntl. Just a shame faults are closed when I have most issues i.e. after 8:00 pm or at weekends.

[scrotnig]

Originally Posted by MovedGoalPosts

Yep that's what I told the CS. As I say engineer has been round and STB seems OK for now. We'll have to see what happens when the speed increase comes as engineer wasn't confident that the STB would handle it, having boosted the signal as much as he could.

Yep did ask about that. It's probably the next step if the existing STB system plays up again. I must say it was all quite good service really, once I'd got throught the press 1, 5, 7, 3 keys on your phone (or whatever) faults answered very promptly, and had the engineer round later the same day. Well done ntl. Just a shame faults are closed when I have most issues i.e. after 8:00 pm or at weekends.

If you have any trouble getting anyone to arrange a cable modem, let me know.

[BIGZIPZ]

I'm still waiting on the letter from NTL to tell me my box needs changing. It's a black pace box, and I am on 1Mb. No replies to emails

[Ignition]

Originally Posted by MovedGoalPosts

Ultimately although it's one cable to your house, theres probably a range of signal frequencies being used to separate digi TV and broadband. It seems to be the STB that's the limiting factor in being able to decode and handles more than one signal at a time.

Very rapid primer and to answer the OPs question your STB receives all the data that is being sent to your local area on the cable internet frequency (can't remember exactly what it is on CoCo networks). Your STB will receive the same amount of RF but will have to complete decoding of more of it at 1.5Mbit than 1Mbit.

The Pace boxes have only the 1 CPU shared for both cable modem and internet, the Samsungs have 1 for each.

Shouldn't affect your TV but if the Paces are pushed too hard may affect Internet. TV again unlikely to see disruption as it gets a constant data stream on all TV channels.

[Rob]

Thanks for that. The CPU thing goes a long way to explaining just why the Samsungs are much better boxes, demonstrating in simple terms where the better specification lies rather than just be a nice silver casing

*edit I'd rep you but apparently I've not doled out enough reps to others recently.

[scrotnig]

Originally Posted by JustAnotherN00b

Very rapid primer and to answer the OPs question your STB receives all the data that is being sent to your local area on the cable internet frequency (can't remember exactly what it is on CoCo networks). Your STB will receive the same amount of RF but will have to complete decoding of more of it at 1.5Mbit than 1Mbit.

The Pace boxes have only the 1 CPU shared for both cable modem and internet, the Samsungs have 1 for each.

Shouldn't affect your TV but if the Paces are pushed too hard may affect Internet. TV again unlikely to see disruption as it gets a constant data stream on all TV channels.

I am quite a rarity in the world of PACE boxes it seems....

I did have three....two 1000's and a 2000. The 1000 did TV and my 1mb broadband for the best part of three years. Despite my often deliberate attempts to crash it, it never did. I could even hit the interactive services, such as Wimbledon, while downloading stuff off the net and it still didn't even breathe heavily.

I've now had a Samsung fitted due to the 1mb upgrade, but that Pace was so good I didn't part with it, I moved it to the bedroom and swapped the other 1000 out instead, the Samsung is now doing the broadband and though it is clearly very good, it is honestly NO better than the PACE I had before.

So I now have a Pace 1000, a Pace 2000, and a Samsung. None of them ever go wrong and I'm delighted with them.

I realise this is not always the case, and I've never had a 4000 so don't know about those, but I thought I'd share my experience. Having a Pace is not necessarily bad news.

[Ramrod]

Originally Posted by MovedGoalPosts

Apparently though in 9 days time, according to the engineer (may just be my area though) the Samsung boxes will become available (not ready yet).

We got our new samsung on Sunday (Bromley--I think)

I live in Rochdale got our new Samsung digital box on Thursday due to NTL refusing to even switch on

I dont route through digital box though i use a seperate cable modem box ( ambit ) and wondering if they will handle the 1.5mb upgrade.

[kronas]

Originally Posted by peacedude2k4

I dont route through digital box though i use a seperate cable modem box ( ambit ) and wondering if they will handle the 1.5mb upgrade.

all cable modems to my knowledge are compatible with the upgrade, its only some STB (set top box) that need replacing.

so as your recieving your broadband through a seperate modem dont worry.

Nice one put my mind at rest over that one

[c1rcle]

thanks for the answers guys cleared up my confusion no end

[johnwileqs1]

i believe the terayon's are good for 38mbps and 3com, motorola and ambit for upto 45mbps. but thats from memory after a few lagers.