Would this work?....

[Shimmer]

I currently have a NTL 600k broadband subscription (but not a NTL phone or Digital TV subscribtion) and I wondered whether, if I bought a secondhand NTL Cable reciever, I could get NTL's freeview digital channels through my existing NTL wall box without subscribing.

Anyone know if it's possible?

[SMHarman]

Not likely, for a start the boxes are the property of NTL, so buying one you are effectivly handling stolen goods, second it needs to be "provisioned" with the service you are allocated.

However if you plug the coax into the back of your telly you will get about 10 channels. Make sure you terminate it properly or your BB (and the rest of the street) will stop working.

[Scrubbs]

You would be better of buying a freeview box

[Shimmer]

Originally Posted by SMHarman

Not likely, for a start the boxes are the property of NTL, so buying one you are effectivly handling stolen goods, second it needs to be "provisioned" with the service you are allocated.

OK so that won't work. But what about if I purchased an old analogue NTL reciever?

Originally Posted by Scrubbs

You would be better of buying a freeview box

But don't you get more freeview channels through NTL than through a standard freeview box?

[poolking]

Freeview offers upto 30 channels.

[browneggsandham]

There is no free to view service on ntl. I second what others have suggsted - just get yourself a freeview box.

Browneggsandham

[Tezcatlipoca]

Originally Posted by Shimmer

OK so that won't work. But what about if I purchased an old analogue NTL reciever?

I would have thought they would also still be the property of ntl, just like the newer DTV STBs.

Originally Posted by Shimmer

But don't you get more freeview channels through NTL than through a standard freeview box?

If you do what SMHarman mentioned, & connect the ntl coax to your TV, you will get the main 5 analogue terrestrial channels, plus perhaps Sky News & a couple of other unencrypted ones.

[although this is technically against the ntl Terms & Conditions, & there's also a chance of screwing things up for you & your neighbours if you use badly fitted connectors etc]

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Shimmer

OK so that won't work. But what about if I purchased an old analogue NTL reciever?

Same problem I think, obviously analogue you subscribed to movies etc, so there must be some form of network provisioning. Now you could try and find one of these 'chipped' boxes from a car boot, but as well as handling stolen goods you would then be recieving services you have not paid for. Two counts m'lud.

Originally Posted by Shimmer

But don't you get more freeview channels through NTL than through a standard freeview box?

'nowt for free on NTL Shimmer (sorry just watched Brassed Off). The basic pack http://www.home.ntl.com/icat/basepack gives more channels than freeview, but costs £9.50 plus phone line rental (Price is exclusive of £9.50 telephone line rental which must be purchased with your TV package ), so thats £19 in total, but you can ditch your BT line to save some £ÃÆ ’‚£Ãà¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã…¡Ãƒâ€šÃ‚£ and port the number so you don't need to worry about telling your friends you use an NTL phone line.

[Shimmer]

Cheers for the info guys.