[Merged] A few questions

[Rillington]

Am having ntl installed tomorrow, for my sins, and have a few questions which I'd appreciate some help with please.

1. What interactive will I get - esp the BBC stuff such as Score Interactive (I live in Leeds)?

2. I understand that setting the video to record programmes isn't straight forward like it is with Freeview (ie by saying x channel between certain times). How is it done, assuming it actually is possible?

3. I understand I am able to reorder/renumber channels. Is this easy to do? Also, is there a Favourite Channels things, likle there is with FV and was with analogue cable?

4. I have heard rumours of set-top boxes freezing and crashing all the time. Is this true and, if this does happen, would I loose various settings etc?

5. Is there an EPG and how good is it?

6. Am I able to ensure that VOD stuff (and other pay stuff) can be locked out?

7. Is there anything else I should know?

Any help appreciated. Thank you.

[Rillington]

Am having ntl instaleld tomorrow and I have tp say I'm not looking forward to it for fear of what they might do to my flat and to my equipment I already have.

Clearly I will be sitting within a yard of where my TV is and watching them like a hawk but, in people's experience, are these people liekly to mess things about?

Also, I want it done a certain way. Will they listen to me and do it my way or are they likely to mess me about and cause problems?

Finally, will they conenct the cable box ect to the video I want and show me how to do various stuff?

Any thoughts/experiences/tips appreciated.

[Rillington]

I have been told that my first bill will be just over the usual monthly amount - ie about 5 weeks rather than 4. However, it says in the contract that my first bill will be last month and also this month (ie two months).

What actually will happen? Will I be expected to oay two months or will it actually be the one month and one week, like I have been told?

[Tristan]

I'm 90% sure Leeds is ex-CWC. If not, most of these answers will be wrong...

1) Most of the BBCi stuff is there -- Score interactive, football e-tv, that sort of thing. Only on BBC 1 and 2 though, no News 24 multiscreens (yet). Also, the Bridge isn't quite as good as on Sky or FV, but we do have lots more in interactive.

2) It works like this: find the programme in the EPG and set a reminder. The box will turn over at the due time.

3) You are able to reorder the channels, but not renumber. It's easy to do, but tedious and time-consuming. Don't forget you can use Page Up/Down! That's basically what the Favourites functions does: you can put the channels you like best at the top of the list, and send the rest to the bottom.

4) This is mixed, it seems. My STB rarely crashes or needs a reboot, but I have heard of people who say they get daily lock-ups.

5) There is an EPG, and it shows all programmes on for the next 3 days. It doesn't break any speed records, but it does the job.

6) Yes.

7) Lots, probably. First off, just don't be put off by the pink. It will be changing (back) to blue in a software upgrade in a few months...

[MovedGoalPosts]

Some ntl services are paid monthly in advance, so you are effectively paying your TV subscriptions, before rather than after you use it.

Your first bill is inevitably issued soon after installation. It must deal with the period between installation, and the bill date, and then also get the money to get you onto paying in advance.

The exact amount will depend on the billing monthly cycle date, and the difference between the installation data and the billing cycle date.

[Russ]

From experience I've always found the installers to be pretty professional, but bear in mind that just because one person has no complaints does not mean someone in another part of the country won't.

The installers I've dealt with in the past have always listened to me requirements and seem to accomodate and particular requests. Don't forget to keep the sheet they give you which outlines their name and contact details etc.

[Julian]

AFAIK you will pay for the services used up to your billing date together with one month's charges for your services.

So depending on your billing date and install date this could make your first bill between 32 days and 61 days worth of services.

The 2 amounts will be shown separately on your bill.

[Rillington]

Thank you, thus far, for the replies.

I had this horrendous feeling that the videoing was going to be a hassle. It seems very long winded and complicated plus what do I do if I go away for a week and want to record a show on, say, at the weekend if I go away early the previous week? Also, what about extra time for, say, a live event? Isn't there the option just to put x channel between x times? Surely that would make more sense.

If they do try to charge me 61 days then I'll be excersing my two-week cool-off cancellation right as I aint shelling out 60 quid when I was told I'd pay nearer to 30.

Thank you for the hint about lock-ups. My ITV Dig box used to lock up during the days of ITV Dig but never had a problem with FV. If it does go funny then I'll be asking for a new box. Guess this could be a problem.

Noted about the instal stuff Russ. have to say I'm not looking foreward to it cos when I once almost had cable before they were terrible to sya the leats and they left my flat in a real mess. It was one reason I told them where to go.

Further comments welcome.

[Rillington]

Juts to update people:

I am now installed - eventually! The guy who did the instal was a very friendly guy and didn't make too much mess (I'd have told him to clean up if he had have done) but the first STB he used didn't work and when he did get one operational the service had not been started at the headend so he was not able to show me how to operate things.

I have managed to work out how to reorder but when I tried to do PIN stuff (which took an age to find out how to) yes, you've guessed it, the STB froze after reporting an error message. Mercifully, when I pressed a button on the box itself it seemed to unfreeze it but I would have been fuming if the box had frozen.

Am NOT looking forward to trying to record something off the cable. The process seems like a complete nightmare!

BTW, how do I access the BBC text stuff? With FV it was one button away. Doesn't seem to be accessible with the cable. Also, how will I be able to access Score Interactive on Saturday? (with FV all I did was choose channel 701 and there it was!)

Originally Posted by Rillington

Juts to update people:

I am now installed - eventually! The guy who did the instal was a very friendly guy and didn't make too much mess (I'd have told him to clean up if he had have done) but the first STB he used didn't work and when he did get one operational the service had not been started at the headend so he was not able to show me how to operate things.

I have managed to work out how to reorder but when I tried to do PIN stuff (which took an age to find out how to) yes, you've guessed it, the STB froze after reporting an error message. Mercifully, when I pressed a button on the box itself it seemed to unfreeze it but I would have been fuming if the box had frozen.

Am NOT looking forward to trying to record something off the cable. The process seems like a complete nightmare!

BTW, how do I access the BBC text stuff? With FV it was one button away. Doesn't seem to be accessible with the cable. Also, how will I be able to access Score Interactive on Saturday? (with FV all I did was choose channel 701 and there it was!)

Its no different recording from cable than it was from Freeview.

As far as I know for the Interactive, you select BBC1 and then the red button.
Not sure if the Beeb offer the Score Interactive via satellite, and if not then it will not be available atm from cable.

[magpie]

Originally Posted by Proppinupthebar

Not sure if the Beeb offer the Score Interactive via satellite, and if not then it will not be available atm from cable.

It is available - or at least it was last December

[Tristan]

Originally Posted by Proppinupthebar

Not sure if the Beeb offer the Score Interactive via satellite, and if not then it will not be available atm from cable.

Score Interactive is there on Bromley

[garyparson]

Hope you've got surround sound setup, cos as an added bonus you'll recieve free popping and crackling with you're new service. Don't worry though cos a fix is 'coming soon'.

Well, that's what I've been hearing for the last six months or so since they fcuked it up.

[Rillington]

Am sure that Score Interactive will be on DSat.

[Tristan]

Score Interactive is there on DSat, usually. Probably not tomorrow though (or on NTL or DTT) because of the Grand National thing.