Cable Forum - 10 O'Clock News Extra

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rince

22-11-2004 22:33

10 O'Clock News Extra

The silence about this on DS has been deafening, so I thought I'd ask over here.

Are we ever going to get this on NTL? It was launched a few weeks ago now in a big fanfare about it being available on all digital platforms, but all we get is a message on the bridge cheefully informing that it to not availalable to NTL viewers.

Come on BBC/NTL sort this out! I'm getting fed up with Huw Edwards informing me that as a digital viewer I can press red to get more information. NO I CAN'T
:(

Graham

23-11-2004 01:53

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Quote:

Originally Posted by rince

Come on BBC/NTL sort this out! I'm getting fed up with Huw Edwards informing me that as a digital viewer I can press red to get more information. NO I CAN'T
:(

I gave up on the possibility of any even semi-useful interactive content on NTL a long time ago...! :(

Chris

23-11-2004 10:04

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Well, aren't I glad that I never succumbed to curiosity and pressed the red button. My patience with so-called interactive services ran out months ago. I got fed up having to get up and unplug the darned box every time it crashed. And now I've moved house I don't get NTL any more, so I'm about to sign up with $ky. Hopefully interactive on satellite will be a little more useable.

andygrif

23-11-2004 11:01

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

It's very embarrasing for ntl, although they don't appear to have noticed yet!

The 'Press Red' button is usually on with BBC 1 & 2 now, but the system just cannot cope with me pressing it!

Something like five years after the interactive 'services' launched it is still virtually unusable.

McYorkie

23-11-2004 13:57

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

More likely its a case of left hand and right arm not communicating again - as usual ntl seem to be unable to deliver what looks like a useful e-tv application, and from posts over on DS, the full mulltiscreen news active from BBCi is running on Telewest, and yet we're still waiting for services we pay for with the licence fee after five years of "coming soon" from our company.

Very deafening isn't it - the silence? Either that or the ntl staff haven't actually been told about this faulty service. :(

Paul K

23-11-2004 14:57

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

We can only hope that when the two companies finally merge that NTL gains from some of Telewests more positive points (working interactive etc ) and that Telewest gains some of NTLs positives (can't think of many of those apart from the CS/TS people that post here ;) ). The ongoing interactive farce is getting sillier by the minute, another coming soon from NTL moment I expect :(

chaney

26-11-2004 20:34

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Does anybody from ntl still read this (such as Sam) and not give some sort of answer to these problems?
I had an engineer out last week because of the interactive freezing and he said that the equipment was working fine! He told me that he found that lots of people don't use interactive because of the poor service.

rince

29-11-2004 14:16

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

I contacted the BBC via their website and asked why news extra was still not available on NTL and when/if it would be and received the following reply

Quote:

Dear John

Thank you for your e-mail.

I would like to explain that the BBC (as with all broadcasters) currently only has very limited capacity to broadcast interactive television services (especially on Freeview and cable). This means that some nights, we may be forced to suspend the 10 O?clock News Extra service on certain of these digital platforms, in order to offer viewers another high value interactive television service. This will only happen when there is another interactive service available between 10 and 10.30pm weeknights. We apologise for this and hope that technical advances in the coming months and years will ease this problem.

At least they replied, although I am wondering what "High Value" interacive service can run on Telewest at the same time as news extra, but not on NTL?

rince

30-11-2004 22:22

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Hmm, News Extra is not an option on the bridge tonight. Someone realised they shouldn't be advertising a service which doesn't exist?

rince

02-12-2004 15:51

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Just got a response back from the BBC:

Quote:

Dear John,
Thanks for making contact.

In this instance, with the introduction of a new development, the BBC and NTL are working together to produce workable conditions (software) for rolling this out.

I note that there is usually a delay of this type before newly introduced services become available from the Cable TV operators.

In the case of Cable TV data rate is not normally a constraint. Of all the platforms, Cable has the greatest capacity.

A little patience and I am sure NTL will manage to deliver the service.

Regards

Dan Smith

BBC Reception Advice.

So it appears that NTL are the problem, although it is nice to see the BBC saying that Cable has the greatest capacity of the methods of delivery. If only NTL could get things together so that it can reach its full potential.

Just the usual case of "Coming Soon".

browneggsandham

02-12-2004 16:20

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Why don't you email ntl and see what they say?

rince

02-12-2004 16:38

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

That is what I'm going to do next, I thought I would find out what Aunty Beeb had to say first.

Time to get draughting the e-mail....

bob_builder

02-12-2004 16:44

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Quote:

Originally Posted by browneggsandham

Why don't you email ntl and see what they say?

Coming Soon?

browneggsandham

02-12-2004 16:48

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Quote:

Originally Posted by rince

That is what I'm going to do next, I thought I would find out what Aunty Beeb had to say first.

Time to get draughting the e-mail....

Nice one. You don't fancy mentioning something about the Sky Active situation to help with our enquires do you??

See here for more info (though you've probably seen it before!)

Cheers,
Browneggsandham :)

Tristan

02-12-2004 17:41

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Interestingly, despite 10 O'Clock News Extra being on the Bridge, it hasn't been selectable recently on Telewest. A message appears on the Bridge saying that it can't be put on due to a lack of capacity on Freeview :S

It was working perfectly well when the service started though.

Aragorn

22-02-2005 11:46

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Don't know if anyone else has actually tried, but I got News Extra working on NTL yesterday. Saw a nice extract of dubya's speech.

1701-e

22-02-2005 13:06

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Anyone else get this last night?

Looks like big news if it is on!!:) :)

tonyd

22-02-2005 13:39

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

;) Got in Romsey(Nr Southampton) last night. Pity there was not much to see though.

McYorkie

22-02-2005 14:22

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

:td: Sorry - around these parts in York, all we've been getting is the "red" prompt, but with no e-tv, just the normal walled garden links, and no mention of 10 Extra, and last night was just lots of MO44 or UN400 error boxes onscreen, on both our Pace and Samsung boxes - even when we rebooted to attempt to clear them.

The idea of extra content is good, just lacking in the execution is lousy - and don't even go down the road of expecting the multiscreen on N24. This despite bods on 10 O'clock and News 24 encouraging us digital viewers to "press red" for more on a particular story - and we pay for the apps with our licence fees!

Matth

22-02-2005 22:00

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Just reminded me - the Interactive Snooker went a little better than usual, and I discovered a new "half crash recovery" for the Pace DiTV1000

Where the remote won't control, try the "TV" button on the STB - if that doesnt work, then before whacking a full reboot in, try this...

POWER button (if it stays on, just go directly to reboot)
It's off, now quickly hit POWER again, and then TV on the STB - if it then offers to go back to TV, answer it with the colour button on the remote.

Amazingly, that worked quite a few times in clearing a hangup.

Of course, if that doesn't work, it's time for OK-LEFT-TV on the STB... think of it as CTRL-ALT-DEL

Jonathan David

22-02-2005 22:21

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Well i'm here on the Langley network and I have the 10 o'clock news active working!!!
Congrats folks.
Now some feedback.

* The application is not 16:9. This is especially a problem if your watching on a nice 16:9 tv.
* The boxes are slightly off kilter. e.g. you can see a fraction of the video 'hidden' behind the main menu.
* The photos are not instant but have to be loaded in, this takes time. Does the stb have to wait for the picture to arrival in the carousal?

Good work guys and gals on the E-TV team

Tristan

22-02-2005 22:37

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Interestingly, it's not available on Telewest tonight.

Although I notice that Telewest now have the newer Bridge on all the BBC channels.

dd2k	22-02-2005 22:42

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

bbc extra looks ok but needs some improvement. simple things like having to wait for images etc puts it to shame.

with the use of VoD, i can see it becoming more usefull, rather than having just the one video feed, it could have all the headlines plus more as streamable videos but i suppose we have to wait for VoD to become more available

Tristan

22-02-2005 22:57

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Quote:

Originally Posted by dd2k

bbc extra looks ok but needs some improvement. simple things like having to wait for images etc puts it to shame.

Because you don't have to wait for images on Freeview or Sky? Oh, wait...

Quote:

Originally Posted by dd2k

with the use of VoD, i can see it becoming more usefull, rather than having just the one video feed, it could have all the headlines plus more as streamable videos but i suppose we have to wait for VoD to become more available

By the nature of the news, this would actually be very difficult to do by VOD. Reports are often not finished until just before they're aired -- there simply isn't the time to upload them to all the VOD servers, at least as far as I can see. It would be easier to do something along the lines of the News 24 Interactive, with each story having its own broadcast video stream.

dd2k	22-02-2005 23:02

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tristan

Because you don't have to wait for images on Freeview or Sky? Oh, wait...

I didnt say you didnt, coz i honestly dont know, i was just saying it does seem odd having to wait for about 10 seconds for a picture

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tristan

True, i suppose im one of those people that get an inch and want a mile :D

1701-e

23-02-2005 10:04

Re: 10 O'Clock News Extra

Yes... got it last night.. the interactive i mean;) . Same as Freeview thought the picture upload was slightly slower.
Also has no regional news @ 10.25 if you stay in the i stream.
Excellent service though.
Well done.

Now bring on News 24 multiscreens!

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