dailygeek,
Install can vary.
If house has never had cable, they will have to run a line from street junction, up garden to house. They'll then fit a brown box to outside wall. They'll then fit a box inside house and install your kit. Then they phone activations and get it all swithched on
Previous house had never had cable, so they had to do the run from street to house.
As it was only lawn etc, they dug down about half a spade deep, then ran the cable in conduit to house. Took about 1 hour. They don't bury it deep enough, cut through it a few times.
Current home had previously been connected, so was simply a case of bringing in kit and calling activations, total time 20 mins
All the install teams we've had have been good and tidied up after themselves