NTL should switch to a digital only service! - Page 5

rdhw · 21-12-2004, 16:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pob!

I do not agree that analogue should be switched off, as digital is inferior in many ways compared with good analogue reception. The main problem is the compression used - all the channels on digital are heavily compressed, and quality is lost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Womble

I have to agree with Pob, if you compare a decent analogue picture along side a digital one the Ano one is far better.

Perhaps we should remember that the colour TV system we use on analogue TV (whether it be NTSC, PAL, or SECAM), employs a primitive 3-into-1 compression, which is not only lossy, reducing definition, but also introduces artefacts, such as dot-crawl and strobing, and is very sensitive to noise. The analogue colour TV technology is 50 years old, and about as technologically satisfactory as recording stereo sound by means of a wavy groove physically cut into a rotating disc.

Now, with a digital TV source connected to a display with digital, RGB or Component leads (not composite or S-video), we are at last free of the relics of the old 3:1 compression, and can enjoy noise-free colour.

The quality of the digital TV signal will vary according to the bandwidth given to it by the carrier, which is a commercial decision, and affected by what customers are in practice willing to pay for: quality or quantity?

ntl customer · 25-12-2004, 02:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiderplant

ntl don't re-encode anything. A few premium channels (Sky One, Sky Movies, Disney and a few others) are encoded by ntl from uncompressed video. This is done to give a higher bitrate than is available off satellite.
The rest of the channels are taken directly from DTT or satellite.

What do you mean by "taken" directly from DTT or satellite?

I was under the impression by the word "taking" that they got the compressed satellite stream or DTT stream, fed it through their encoders and then re-broadcast it onto their platform?

How do they do it then? Is it fed "directly" onto the platform then, without any tinkering about or re-encoding?

Derek · 25-12-2004, 11:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by ntl customer

How do they do it then? Is it fed "directly" onto the platform then, without any tinkering about or re-encoding?

Yes.

spiderplant · 25-12-2004, 13:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by ntl customer

How do they do it then? Is it fed "directly" onto the platform then, without any tinkering about or re-encoding?

No point in re-encoding when it is already encoded as MPEG-2. (It is re-encrypted though, as different encryption is used, but this doesn't alter the bitrate or quality)

O2 X1 · 28-12-2004, 17:47

ntl has 3 million TV subscribers; 1.5 million of these are Digital TV, which leaves 1.4 million homes on Analogue - do you expect ntl just to ditch all of these?

paulyoung666 · 28-12-2004, 17:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by O2 X1

ntl has 3 million TV subscribers; 1.5 million of these are Digital TV, which leaves 1.4 million homes on Analogue - do you expect ntl just to ditch all of these?

sorry to be pedantic , but i am curious as to where 100,000 ppl have gone

bigitup_j · 28-12-2004, 18:55

ntl don't have 3 million tv customers!!
2 million.
1.4million dtv
the other 600,000 are analogue - that's still a big chuck of the total tv subscribers! around 80% of customers are dtv.
ntl's network is around 90% digital.
there are plenty of analogue customers in digital areas.

Jamie · 29-12-2004, 00:47

I am on analogue, and have no intention of bothering with digital until ntl offer a PVR hard disc recorder cable box. My Ntl box is now rarely used since I got a Freeview hard disc recorder, and is now only switched on for a channel that I cant get with Freeview. When you are used to a PVR machine, you cant go back to a TV receiver without these facilities - I havent seen any ads for months!

As soon as the ntl PVR arrives, then yes I will change to digital.

Escapee · 29-12-2004, 10:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by O2 X1

ntl has 3 million TV subscribers; 1.5 million of these are Digital TV, which leaves 1.4 million homes on Analogue - do you expect ntl just to ditch all of these?

Do these figures count customers with two set-tops twice, or count them as one customer?

ian@huth · 29-12-2004, 10:44

The timing is all wrong to switch off analogue on NTL, either by area or nationwide.

What NTL want is to make customers want to move from analogue to digital without them having to force the issue. When NTL get VOD and Personal Video Recorders up and running during 2005 they will be in a much better position to tempt customers to change and to attract new cusomers. With the increased broadband speeds there will be another avenue for getting the rewards from a big advertising push and hopefully getting more customers to take multiple services.

There is no point in trying to persuade customers to move from analogue until there is something substantial that makes them really want to change.

Juan · 29-12-2004, 16:53

With a digital only service how are u supposed to watch one channel and record another without having to subscribe to a service like Sky+. Channels 1-5 on analogue can viewed on more than one TV via a splitter, how can this be done with a digital only service?

paulyoung666 · 29-12-2004, 16:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juan

With a digital only service how are u supposed to watch one channel and record another without having to subscribe to a service like Sky+. Channels 1-5 on analogue can viewed on more than one TV via a splitter, how can this be done with a digital only service?

roof top aerial , well you did ask

Juan · 29-12-2004, 17:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

roof top aerial , well you did ask

Ur missing the obvious, alot of people, including myself, went on cable in the first place because the aerial signal was weak and they couldn't receive all the terrestrial channels. All I can receive is 1-3 and S4C.

paulyoung666 · 29-12-2004, 17:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juan

Ur missing the obvious, alot of people, including myself, went on cable in the first place because the aerial signal was weak and they couldn't receive all the terrestrial channels. All I can receive is 1-3 and S4C.

no i am not i was winding you up

someone else who dont want dtv

Tristan · 29-12-2004, 17:20

Indeed, there are many parts of the country -- Milton Keynes and Nottingham are two I can remember -- where NTL are legally required to carry the terrestrial channels unencrypted. So I don't think they'll ever be switched off.

Of course, there is the possibility that NTL would be required to carry the Freeview muxes down the cables instread... now that would be an interesting thing...