Will NTL swap Pace 4001 for newer box?

[DaBoz]

I've got a Pace STB (4001?) and its really slow to respond and locks up lots. I've put up with it for a year, and I would have continued to put up with it until an NTL engineer I spoke to (during diagnosis of VOB problem) said call NTL customer services and ask for a Samsung replacement. I called them, but they said I'd have to pay for a replacement unless there was a fault with my existing STB.

So my question is what constitutes a faulty box? Mine works, but to my mind its always worked badly, i.e. frequent lock ups for several seconds, infrequent lock ups for up to a minute, occasional total freezes and infrequent screen freak outs (acid greens and purples!). But I've lived with it for a year, so I could understand NTL telling me its not a new fault.

Any advice? What STB would NTL replace mine with and is it any better?

Boz

[Druchii]

That does sound very faulty to me, if you wrote everything down and it did when an engineer was there i doubt they would charge for a replacement. You just have to prove it's faulty i guess.

[Aragorn]

I used to have a Pace until it died last year, and yes it frequently locked up if you tried to do anything other than just watch TV!

I don't think you can 'ask' for a Samsung, just depends what the engineer has in the van when arrives.

Unfortunately, afaik, this is probably classed as 'known behaviour' and not a faulty box, so they can get away with charging for an upgrade.

You could always threaten to cancel and go for Sky unless they give you an acceptable solution. However, they may call your bluff!

[Pinkypants]

You can try requesting one but it is not guarenteed. My Samsung box regularly locks up so it is not just a purely PACE problem.

I would advise you to call up faults and advise them that your box is regularly not responding. Check your cables and connections and reboot etc and just advise the agent that this solves the problem for a while but comes back.

The agent should then book you an engineer to come out and hopefully he will bring you a nice new shiny samsung box.

Hope that helps.

[deathtrap3000]

Yeh wether or not you are 'given' a new samsung box really does depend on who comes knocking at your door.

[SLM]

locking box's and box's not responding are more often down to signal levels coming in, before you start ringing up CS up asking for a new box, ask for an engineer visit as he will be able to sort it out.

Out of interest what are your level readings, if you (on your remote) press page up, page down then the blue button (of the red green yellow) post the

post and pre RS errors
return power
AGC

[GreenBars]

I had my old Pace stb changed to a Samsung yesterday. I had rung CS to tell them about the box having problems booting (it would get stuck displaying 'TUNE'), the picture always freezing and VOD never working. The engineer arrived with a new box under his arm, did a few checks, said the Pace boxes didn't have a long lifetime and switched it to the Samsung. Perfect - I have finally got the level of service I believed I was signing up for in 2001!

[Scope]

The engineer swapped my old Pace for a new Samsung, no problems.. He originally came for a bad signal problem, but when I asked him to swap for a samsung he went out to his car and got one. He even threw in a new remote to replace my old one. Really nice chap.

[DaBoz]

Ok, I got the status up, and some of the numbers vary:
Pre = anywhere between 0.0 to 3.0 (E-08)
Post = always 0.0 (E-08)
AGC = 60, 62 or 16777200 for BBC1 and BBC2 (wtf?!)
Ret power = 55dbmv (always)

To get these values I tried BBC1, BBC2, SkyOne, More4+1 and VH1.

Is this good or bad?

I picked More4+1 because that quite often has total signal dropouts (black screen & no sound for a second).

I often power off my STB when things go wrong, but it never sorts out the slow response.

Boz

[Shaved Wookie]

DaBoz: Those readings are looking fine, unfortunatley Pace set top boxes are inherintely poor when it comes to anything to do with return path/ETV applications etc. As mentioned in this thread Samsung boxes can be just as frustrating at times, however the problem with the lockups will probably be solved so I would push for a replacement Samsung STB. I wouldn't count on every niggle disapearring but you will definatley get quicker browsing and less lock-ups.

[tucker61]

Make sure when you ring them you say it is a intemitent fault. Tell them any error messages you get up, and how often the box resets itself. Then when the enigineer comes offer him tea and buscuits, then questioin about the reliability of the pace boxes compared to other brands. I have phad a pace 4010 for 12 months with no problems, I must be lucky.

[Begize]

I had similar issues with an old Pace box which they put down to my broadband so gave me a cable modem as well.

However, as luck would have it, the Pace continued to play up and also started losing channels so they changed it.... for another Pace. That lasted a week before it developed another fault so out they came again.

This time I was out but I told my girlfriend to play dumb and ask nicely for a silver box. Low and behold we got a new Samsung and it's much much much better.

It does still freeze for a few seconds when changing channels a couple of times a day though.

Like your style !!!

[bomberbrown]

Originally Posted by DaBoz

I've got a Pace STB (4001?) and its really slow to respond and locks up lots.

I have exactly the same problem, its bloody infuriating, particularly when you have the DVD recorder set up for regular recording. I missed the whole of Eastenders last week because I came home to a 'black screen'. Also, the Pace box when its not giving me the 'black screen', it will often just drop the audio.

Does this happen much with anyone else and would a new Samsung box be any better?

The other question I have is whether the Samsung uses regular IR for the remote control or still uses the IRDA protocol like the Pace? The IRDA protocol is such a pain if you use a Universal Remote Control and Digisender.

Cheers, Bomber

[tucker61]

Probably temperamental because you were trying to tape eastenders. If I was that box, I too would refuse to tape it for you.