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View Full Version : Taken the plunge & gone for ntl DTV...


Tezcatlipoca
27-10-2005, 15:27
Having gotten fed up with analogue terrestrial, & not wanting to pay to get a decent aerial put up for Freeview, I've finally decided to go for ntl DTV.


Decided on the Base Pack (or "Intermediate Pack" as they're apparently going to call it now, after the introduction of the new bottom end "Select Pack").


Phoned up ntl Sales a couple of days ago, told them I already have broadband (2meg) & a phoneline with them, & that I wanted the TV.


Sales guy said he could put me on the equivalent of the 3 for £30 deal, & I could stay on 2meg & just pay the difference between 1meg & 2meg....So instead of paying £35.49 for the phone & 2meg BB, I'll be paying a grand total of...£3 7 for 2meg, phone,*and* the Base pack!

Extra £1.51 per month for the TV :shocked:


I'd assumed the 3 for £30 was for new customers only, & that it was a fixed thing where it had to be 1meg BB.

Glad I was wrong! Just wish I'd gone for it earlier!


Installation is due for Saturday next week....Hopefully all will go well... :erm:

Paul K
27-10-2005, 16:32
Installation is due for Saturday next week....Hopefully all will go well... :erm:
So your first rant is due Saturday some time then ;) Good luck with the install :D

SmileyMan
27-10-2005, 17:18
They keep saying the 3 for £30 pound deal of now to us but seams it aint

NTL seam determined to lose money, I have installed loads of DTV this week with 80% being FREE for a year and which customer are gonna cancel after 12 months.

Costs more to install DTV than anything else (Mostly cost of box) but this is what they seam to want to give away? or very low price just makes me go ????????????

Anyway hope you have a trouble free installation and tip from me, If they dont hook up a signal meter before booting box then ask that they do and adjust, DTV works great with correct signal but if it aint they they play up

What area you in anyway?

hayesey
27-10-2005, 18:23
I guess that monthly price isn't permanant though?

quadplay
28-10-2005, 00:33
What area you in anyway?

He's in Cambridge, judging by his profile. ;)

Matt, if you have any problems, let me know!

Tezcatlipoca
30-10-2005, 01:15
Installation is due for Saturday next week....Hopefully all will go well... :erm:
So your first rant is due Saturday some time then ;) Good luck with the install :D


Yep :erm:

Hopefully there won't be any problems....


They keep saying the 3 for £30 pound deal of now to us but seams it aint

NTL seam determined to lose money, I have installed loads of DTV this week with 80% being FREE for a year and which customer are gonna cancel after 12 months.

Costs more to install DTV than anything else (Mostly cost of box) but this is what they seam to want to give away? or very low price just makes me go ????????????

I know...did seem pretty insane to me when the sales rep mentioned the offer. I even asked him how ntl made any money from giving deals like that & he said that it must all be worked out & they can presumably afford it...still seems like madness to me, free installation & the base pack for £1.51 per month...Still, I'm not complaining :) (unless it goes wrong ;) )


Anyway hope you have a trouble free installation and tip from me, If they dont hook up a signal meter before booting box then ask that they do and adjust, DTV works great with correct signal but if it aint they they play up

Cheers, I will do.

What area you in anyway?

Cambridge



I guess that monthly price isn't permanant though?


I asked the sales rep if the offer expired after the initial 12 month contract, & he claimed it was lifetime...




Matt, if you have any problems, let me know!


Cheers, jimbo. Hopefully all will be fine, but I'll definitely let you know if I do need help :)

Tezcatlipoca
30-10-2005, 20:14
Quick question......

I want the STB in my room. As I've got my SACM in my room, there's already a cable point on the wall, with coax running from that to the SACM next to the PC.


Would the engineer be likely to simply split the existing cable, & run one cable from the splitter to the STB & one to the SACM?

Or would the engineer still have to drill a hole & do a new & separate cable point?

quadplay
30-10-2005, 20:16
If the power level is strong enough (or can be made strong enough by changing the tap you're connected to in the cab), he's likely just to fit a splitter.

Make sure the modem's locked on (SYNC/RDY lights solid) before the installer leaves after fitting the STB though!

Tezcatlipoca
01-11-2005, 01:18
If the power level is strong enough (or can be made strong enough by changing the tap you're connected to in the cab), he's likely just to fit a splitter.

Make sure the modem's locked on (SYNC/RDY lights solid) before the installer leaves after fitting the STB though!


Cheers, will do :)

SmileyMan
02-11-2005, 18:26
Quick question......

I want the STB in my room. As I've got my SACM in my room, there's already a cable point on the wall, with coax running from that to the SACM next to the PC.


Would the engineer be likely to simply split the existing cable, & run one cable from the splitter to the STB & one to the SACM?

Or would the engineer still have to drill a hole & do a new & separate cable point?

Its goto be split somewhere whatever the power levels be it at Omni, Housing or mid cable

But they should check signal level first, The right way is to open the housing on the wall and insert a 2 way isolated splitter givein two feeds BUT these like gold dust.

Note: The SACM should be isolated from the STB so

Housing -> ISU -> Cable -> Splitter -> STB & SACM = WRONG

Housing -> ISU Splitter -> STB & SACM = Right

Hosung -> ISU -> Cable -> Splitter -> SACM -> ISU -> STB = Also right if no ISU splitter

hjf288
04-11-2005, 01:48
Having gotten fed up with analogue terrestrial, & not wanting to pay to get a decent aerial put up for Freeview, I've finally decided to go for ntl DTV.


Decided on the Base Pack (or "Intermediate Pack" as they're apparently going to call it now, after the introduction of the new bottom end "Select Pack").


Phoned up ntl Sales a couple of days ago, told them I already have broadband (2meg) & a phoneline with them, & that I wanted the TV.


Sales guy said he could put me on the equivalent of the 3 for £30 deal, & I could stay on 2meg & just pay the difference between 1meg & 2meg....So instead of paying £35.49 for the phone & 2meg BB, I'll be paying a grand total of...£3 7 for 2meg, phone,*and* the Base pack!

Extra £1.51 per month for the TV :shocked:


I'd assumed the 3 for £30 was for new customers only, & that it was a fixed thing where it had to be 1meg BB.

Glad I was wrong! Just wish I'd gone for it earlier!


Installation is due for Saturday next week....Hopefully all will go well... :erm:

Im in the same situation.. so if i give good ol NTL a call tomorrow and say I alreadyh have 2mbit/Phone and I would like TV would they dish out the aforementioned bundle or would i have to ask?

Tezcatlipoca
05-11-2005, 17:24
I phoned ntl this morning, just to check the installation was still booked & so on. They said yes.

Engineer turned up at 11:45am (slightly early, the "window" was 12noon 'till 6pm).

And then there was a snag...

Me - "Hi. I'd like it installed in my room upstairs please. There's already a cable point there, feeding my cable modem, so I don't know if you can just split that, or if you need to run a new cable in."

Engineer - "Hang on...You already have a cable modem? On this account?"

Me - "Yes."

Engineer - "Oh. I've got you down for a broadband installation. What's it supposed to be, TV then?"

Me - "Yeah, TV."

Engineer - "Ah. OK. I should have a box in the van."

<goes to check his van, gets an STB>

Engineer - "They told me broadband not TV. I can still do it though."

And so he installs the STB (split the cable, see below).

Nice quick job, checked the modem still connected afterwards, checked the STB worked, jotted down the smartcard no. etc.

He told me it'd take at least an hour for the box to get the rest of the channels, maybe a little longer seeing as something had gone wrong as they'd told him I was getting broadband not TV.

And now, four hours after the STB was installed, I'm still waiting for the base pack channels to come through.


Its goto be split somewhere whatever the power levels be it at Omni, Housing or mid cable

But they should check signal level first, The right way is to open the housing on the wall and insert a 2 way isolated splitter givein two feeds BUT these like gold dust.

Note: The SACM should be isolated from the STB so

Housing -> ISU -> Cable -> Splitter -> STB & SACM = WRONG

Housing -> ISU Splitter -> STB & SACM = Right

Hosung -> ISU -> Cable -> Splitter -> SACM -> ISU -> STB = Also right if no ISU splitter


He split the cable coming from the wall point in the room to the SACM, stuck a splitter on, & ran another cable from that to the STB.

No idea if he used any sort of isolated splitter. Looks like a normal F splitter to me. Says "QAMTEX VQ1002" on it.


Im in the same situation.. so if i give good ol NTL a call tomorrow and say I alreadyh have 2mbit/Phone and I would like TV would they dish out the aforementioned bundle or would i have to ask?


No idea, tbh. Don't know if the offer is still running or not. I didn't ask for it when I phoned, the sales rep mentioned it straight away as soon as I'd simply said I wanted TV.

quadplay
05-11-2005, 18:34
All sorted, fingers crossed! ;)

Tezcatlipoca
05-11-2005, 19:57
All sorted, fingers crossed! ;)


Yep, all fine now thanks to Jimbo :tu: :D

Tezcatlipoca
10-11-2005, 23:05
As well as sorting out my missing channels, Jimbo has also fixed various "issues" with my order & billing (ntl decided to add 1meg BB to my account...yet I already have 2meg*. Also probs with the offer that Sales gave me). All sorted thanks to Jimbo :tu: :)



* Although I did laugh when I got an ntl Broadband welcome letter earlier this week, after my weekend install of ntl TV.

Chrysalis
11-11-2005, 21:55
jimbo can you comment here please?

Noone has the answer

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/showthread.php?t=37943

Tezcatlipoca
17-11-2005, 02:14
Well, I've had ntl TV for a week & a half now.


Not great, but not too bad.

Picture & sound are very good. As good as my parents' Sky Digital IMO.

Interactive isn't as bad as I'd expected. Not as fully featured as on Sky (no video multiscreens on BBC it seems), but still pretty good (although slow).

Got a Pace box, unfortunately. Seems quite slow compared to my g/f's Samsung box, & it can be unresponsive at times. Does the job though, & hasn't died yet.

Hoping VOD will be reaching Cambridge soon. And definitely looking forward to the ntl PVR.