Firstly I'd like to thank ptv_employee for taking the time to contribute - I was one of the more vocal cynics on the previous thread but I'd always rather have a discussion to get a true picture of things. As foreverwar highlighted, I'm not into flaming people - I just want a clear picture. And as mentioned in the previous thread, if PlayTV proves itself then I will be considering it for my father-in-law.
That said, I'm hoping to can confirm my (cynics) understanding of your answers:
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Originally Posted by ptv_employee
A) We don't offer line rental. £30 p/m is the price for the subscription only. Broadband is £15 p/m
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That actually seems a reasonable price for 8MB ADSL, but what usage limits apply and do you have a link to the AUP/FUP?
Also, is this an LLU rate or still reliant on the BT wholesale service? I'm just wondering if paying PTV for broadband provides any better guarantee of quality for the TV service that you rely on broadband to carry.
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Originally Posted by ptv_employee
C) From what I have been told by the management is that you need 1/2meg per box installed. Our videos use a compression method (I don't know what it is) and the box apparently does amazing things when the data gets to the box. The end result is 720p or 1080i. This is all I know.
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As foreverwar has mentioned, some indication of HD channels/content would be good. Outputting in 720p/1080i doesn't mean much. DVD players upscale to 1080i but it's still an SD source. V+ and Sky+ HD upscale BBC1 to1080i but it's still SD. As I mentioned on the last thread, the 1/2meg doesn't give me any confidence in the picture quality once it's displayed on a 1080i TV. The references to 1meg or more being required (which I did see applied to PTV somewhere) sound more realistic for a more normal viewing quality. As foreverwar mentioned I think more detail needs to be provided on the broadband requirements for different services.
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Originally Posted by ptv_employee
D) You are tied into one package per box for 12 months. That means if you have multi room with one in the lounge and one in your bedroom you will have to pay £20 p/m. On a single box this would be £10 p/m. Unfortunately like most products you get a cooling off period on receiving your paperwork however once the products are installed you are committed.
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This one isn't disputing or questioning, but a suggestion for those in charge at PTV. This for me is a deal breaker. Whatever concerns I have with a service, if I know I can cancel it within the first 30 days I may be tempted (so long as I trust the company to accept that cancellation). Not being able to see the quality of the service before I pay my install fee, box charge and agree to a year contract really puts me off. That's just my opinion though.
One thing I think could really help is providing a method for people for watch sample streams from your website. Perhaps even going so far as to provide different examples for different broadband streams.
Again, thank you for taking the time (and thanks to teaboy2 who also took the time although I think I might have upset him
) to help answer questions on the service. I'm sure you're with us in wanting to know what we'd get for our money before shelling out the hard earned readies rather than after!