your average mobile phones have far more RAM,CPU and GFX power than any of the NTL:tw STB's and thats a fact.
if infact the policy makers within NTL:tw were to stop messing about and just commission a 400mhz+ PPC SOC (system-on-chip) with a reasonable GFX card/chip (upgradable miniPCi slot) a working USB2/Firewire interface that the end user can use and perhaps even an 11g+ chip that can then use tcp/IP for generic wireless (HD)IPTV and such, then that would go a very long way to clear up the totally under speced STB problems we have seen time and again, and dont be silly with ram, just stick a 256meg+ stick in there....
it would also be wise to incude as standard in all future stb's and PC add-in cards to put a reprogramable PFGA chip that can be programed on the fly to take any and all codecs that might be used for the DVB feeds in the future, dont try and be clever and put a feature fixed codec chip in there to save short term money, its false economy as now, DONT DO IT.
http://www.pegasosppc.com/gallery.php?id=128