UK TV GOLD lost from Analogue service

David Archer · 15-02-2009, 14:42

Anyone know why G.O.L.D has suddenly dissapeared from the analogue service?

BenMcr · 15-02-2009, 14:44

What package do you have?

OLD BOY · 15-02-2009, 15:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Archer

Anyone know why G.O.L.D has suddenly dissapeared from the analogue service?

I don't think VM are renewing any of their contracts for the analogue service, which will be pulled altogether soon. Sorry.

kesterwww · 20-02-2009, 12:05

What exactly is meant by analogue service? Is it received through a roof top ariel? Would appreciate somone explaining this.

Horizon · 20-02-2009, 12:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Archer

Anyone know why G.O.L.D has suddenly dissapeared from the analogue service?

It's been axed. More will follow soon.

VM hope to shut down the analogue service in its entirety within 18 months. For now, channels will be gradually axed and VM hope this will nudge people to move onto their digital service.

EBD3000 · 20-02-2009, 12:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by kesterwww

What exactly is meant by analogue service? Is it received through a roof top ariel? Would appreciate somone explaining this.

VM still transmits an analogue signal down its cables in most areas as well as a digital signal. VM is turning this off in 2010 following the lead of Sky who did this in 2001. This will give VM a lot more bandwidth hopefully for some HD channels (space for up to 60 has been mooted before).

Now in some areas such as Milton Keynes, West Southampton, Westminster and a few others this is all thats available due to a complicated arrangement to rent cables off BT.

demented · 20-02-2009, 13:10

Cheers David Archer, this news is going to potentially make a lot of people happy

. Nice one for letting us know.

kesterwww · 20-02-2009, 13:35

Thanks EBD3000,

nialli · 20-02-2009, 18:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBD3000

VM still transmits an analogue signal down its cables in most areas as well as a digital signal. VM is turning this off in 2010 following the lead of Sky who did this in 2001. This will give VM a lot more bandwidth hopefully for some HD channels (space for up to 60 has been mooted before).
.

I've often wondered how Sky managed to do this so quickly. Did Sky analogue customers get free digital boxes?
If NTL and Telewest had taken the same draconian (but technically astute) measures, cable TV could have been a genuine force rather than a bandwidth-constrained service struggling to accommodate new channels.

Rillington · 20-02-2009, 21:50

Sky effectively gave away digital bxoes, partly to see off the challenge from On Digital. They charged Ã‚Â£40 to go digital, with the Ã‚Â£40 being the installation charge. It worked and On Digital was gone within three years and Sky closed down its analogue service, as said, in 2001.

Cable launched its first digital product in 2000 - cable & Wireless - but the cost of the mergers nearly put cable out of business. If cable had have had the money then it probably would have launched on demand services several years before it did and by now cable analogue would have been long gone. This gave Sky the opportunity to get well ahead way ebfore cable was able to and in truth cable has only competed with Sky since VM was created two years ago.

Thinking about it, I would never have ahd cable until recently becasue it was an ifnerior product. Now I'd have cable over Sky anyday as I think VM is far better value for money than Sky.

OLD BOY · 23-02-2009, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by nialli

I've often wondered how Sky managed to do this so quickly. Did Sky analogue customers get free digital boxes?
If NTL and Telewest had taken the same draconian (but technically astute) measures, cable TV could have been a genuine force rather than a bandwidth-constrained service struggling to accommodate new channels.

Virgin Media is in a different position in relation to its options to switch off analogue. Unfortunately, VM inherited some franchises that had not been laying the necessary fibre optic cabling to enable the switchover to digital. Accordingly, if they just pulled the plug, those with the analogue only option would have no service.

The alternative of upgrading these areas is very expensive, but I am curious to know why VM now seem to have delayed the analogue switchoff. Maybe they are going to upgrade these remaining areas after all. Good news for those subscribers, but bad for those already receiving digital and waiting for HD. Unless of course the new V+ box permits more HD services.

sammyjayuk · 24-02-2009, 02:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

Virgin Media is in a different position in relation to its options to switch off analogue. Unfortunately, VM inherited some franchises that had not been laying the necessary fibre optic cabling to enable the switchover to digital. Accordingly, if they just pulled the plug, those with the analogue only option would have no service.

I don't understand why analogue wasn't switched off in the digital areas, though. The only people it would have affected would have been the analogue hangers-on - those with the option to go digital but refusing too - and why should anyone care about them?

Areas not capable of digital would have just carried on as normal until they could be upgraded, if ever.

But no, for some reason the cablecos decided that a tiny, tiny number of people had the right to choose to severely cripple and hinder the development of the services of over 3 million people!

Sam

bonzoe · 26-02-2009, 18:51

We seem to favour underdogs in this country and so minorities seem to rule the roost, no one, particularly minorities, must be offended!

OLD BOY · 26-02-2009, 19:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammyjayuk

I don't understand why analogue wasn't switched off in the digital areas, though. The only people it would have affected would have been the analogue hangers-on - those with the option to go digital but refusing too - and why should anyone care about them?

Areas not capable of digital would have just carried on as normal until they could be upgraded, if ever.

But no, for some reason the cablecos decided that a tiny, tiny number of people had the right to choose to severely cripple and hinder the development of the services of over 3 million people!

Sam

It may be that they can only enhance the digital services when all the analogue network is switched off.

The techies on here may prove me wrong on that point, however.

Alternatively, the reason may be that a partial switchoff would not make new channels on the digital service viable. I shouldn't think VM would want a fragmented digital service anyway. They are trying to harmonise so that every region gets the same service.

demented · 26-02-2009, 19:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by OLD BOY

It may be that they can only enhance the digital services when all the analogue network is switched off.

The techies on here may prove me wrong on that point, however.

Alternatively, the reason may be that a partial switchoff would not make new channels on the digital service viable. I shouldn't think VM would want a fragmented digital service anyway. They are trying to harmonise so that every region gets the same service.

Upstream and downstream broadband sits either side of the analogue frequencies. Strictly speaking you could sort of blame broadband limits on analogue tv too as the broadband until recently used a very small amount of the bandwidth. But as downstream broadband has/is receiving a generous dollop of redeployed bandwidth (from somewhere, maybe that was pinched from analogue) it's about time DTV pinched some off analogue. GOLD will be used for something either (a) broadband (b) ITV HD or some other HD channel (c) VOD content (d) some kind of bandwidth shuffle amounting to either (a),(b) or (c).