Analogue TV

[ghengiskhan]

Will NTL ever add any more channels to the analogue cable, seems unfair on customers who live in non-digital areas.

[opelfruitcase]

Originally Posted by ghengiskhan

Will NTL ever add any more channels to the analogue cable, seems unfair on customers who live in non-digital areas.

Very, very, unlikely. Although for these area's I've heard that the network will be upgraded for broadband and dtv services in time for the ntl analogue switch off in 2008.

Can another staff member or someone else confirm this? I know London is being upgraded as we speak, but isn't there small parts of Leeds and maybe other places as well where investment is required in the network?

[ghengiskhan]

Originally Posted by opelfruitcase

Very, very, unlikely. Although for these area's I've heard that the network will be upgraded for broadband and dtv services in time for the ntl analogue switch off in 2008.

Can another staff member or someone else confirm this? I know London is being upgraded as we speak, but isn't there small parts of Leeds and maybe other places as well where investment is required in the network?

So NTL Analogue will be switched off in 2008, what happens to Analogue customers when that time comes.

Originally Posted by ghengiskhan

So NTL Analogue will be switched off in 2008, what happens to Analogue customers when that time comes.

If you are in an area that allows it, upgrade to NTL digital

If you are in an area that doesn't allow it, hope that you can get either a sky or freeview package, and that the NTL billing system doesn't treat you as an permanent member , when you want to leave

[thelem]

Where have you got that 2008 figure from? Remember ntl analogue switch-off is not at all related to terrestrial analogue switch-off.

ntl will continue to provide an analogue service to existing customer until they can be migrated to digital. Its possible that they will say that it is not economical to migrate some areas to digital, in which case they would probably stop offering services in those areas.

Originally Posted by thelem

Where have you got that 2008 figure from? Remember ntl analogue switch-off is not at all related to terrestrial analogue switch-off.

ntl will continue to provide an analogue service to existing customer until they can be migrated to digital. Its possible that they will say that it is not economical to migrate some areas to digital, in which case they would probably stop offering services in those areas.

all true, which is what some people in some areas are worried about?

Leicester seems to be divided, for example??

[opelfruitcase]

Originally Posted by thelem

Where have you got that 2008 figure from? Remember ntl analogue switch-off is not at all related to terrestrial analogue switch-off.

ntl will continue to provide an analogue service to existing customer until they can be migrated to digital. Its possible that they will say that it is not economical to migrate some areas to digital, in which case they would probably stop offering services in those areas.

Thats the date thats floating around in work, Q1 2008. Although no doubt they will carry on analogue until such areas are upgraded to sufficient capacity - I'm guessing network upgrades are really going to be pressed on with since the merger, as they try to align more and more former ntl systems/processes/services with telewest systems/processes/services (which AFAIK the TW side of the network is fully broadband/dtv enabled already).

Oh, and no doubt they will advise those analogue customers before a good while before anything actually happens...

---------- Post added at 23:33 ---------- Previous post was at 23:28 ----------

Originally Posted by homealone

all true, which is what some people in some areas are worried about?

Leicester seems to be divided, for example??

Sorry In my previous post please change Leeds to Leicester as just getting the post codes in my head mixed up - Leicester is what I meant. As far as I'm aware apart from the few pcokets in London which are being sorted out there are parts of Leicester which no doubt will be done all in good time, as per my post above.

Originally Posted by opelfruitcase

Thats the date thats floating around in work, Q1 2008. Although no doubt they will carry on analogue until such areas are upgraded to sufficient capacity - I'm guessing network upgrades are really going to be pressed on with since the merger, as they try to align more and more former ntl systems/processes/services with telewest systems/processes/services (which AFAIK the TW side of the network is fully broadband/dtv enabled already).

Oh, and no doubt they will advise those analogue customers before a good while before anything actually happens...

---------- Post added at 23:33 ---------- Previous post was at 23:28 ----------

is the harrogate laser link still in place?

[lostandconfused]

In my own opinion i cant see all analogue areas being upgraded to digital in the near future, however they are in the progress of getting rid of analogue custeomers by natural attrition as to my knowledge analogue tv is no longer for sale to new customers.

but that is just my own opinion

[Chris Worthy]

Analogue services are still offered in the parts of Southampton (or analoguehampton) where they have not upgraded the service yet (ie the entire East part of the city). It is strange when they seem to be upgrading some areas already on digital so they can press the red button but cannot be bothered to upgrade people to digital, but thats my view on it.

[lostandconfused]

doubt its because they cant be bothered. probably due to cost

[m419]

They probably will do, but its really up to the owners of TV channels. The BBC ruled that it will not add any channels to Analogue except BBC1,2 and News 24 and I think Parliament.

I know that there are more channels on NTL analogue than there is on Telewest Analogue. Telewest is now able to get rid of Analogue completely since all areas are digital.

So all Telewest analogue customers should upgrade to Digital as analogue is limiting bandwith on the network.

[opelfruitcase]

Originally Posted by m419

They probably will do, but its really up to the owners of TV channels. The BBC ruled that it will not add any channels to Analogue except BBC1,2 and News 24 and I think Parliament.

I know that there are more channels on NTL analogue than there is on Telewest Analogue. Telewest is now able to get rid of Analogue completely since all areas are digital.

So all Telewest analogue customers should upgrade to Digital as analogue is limiting bandwith on the network.

I have heard from one of the network guys posting somewhere around here (or at least this is how I intepreted it) that once the migration of Bromley DTV customers to Langley is complete (which given the complaints on here, half hour queuing times for faults, etc is likely to be at least a few months yet) that the next major undertaking is to upgrade the remaining narrowband parts of the network up to a decent capacity (London is already nearing completion of their network upgrades, then there's parts of Hampshire and parts of Leicester and maybe one or two other areas) - and bingo, they'll be able to upgrade the network to qam256, ditch analogue tv altogether and give us all 100Mb broadband.

[m419]

NTL has two franchises that are still completely analogue and have no telephone network accompanying it. Those franchises are the ex-BT franchises covering Westminster and Milton keynes.

NTL is loosing so much custom in these two areas because people have to pay the 'TV only package' charge which includes telephone line rental without the phone service together with a poor outdated tv service. Customers then have to look elsewhere for telephone and internet services meaning they end up spending an extra £20 to £40.

In other words its a load of crap!

I think NTL would need to spend at least £15 to £20 Million on these two franchises to upgrade the network to digital and put a telephone network in. In Westminster they could just expand the ex-videotron telephone network which is also in parts of westminster.

[opelfruitcase]

Originally Posted by m419

NTL has two franchises that are still completely analogue and have no telephone network accompanying it. Those franchises are the ex-BT franchises covering Westminster and Milton keynes.

NTL is loosing so much custom in these two areas because people have to pay the 'TV only package' charge which includes telephone line rental without the phone service together with a poor outdated tv service. Customers then have to look elsewhere for telephone and internet services meaning they end up spending an extra £20 to £40.

In other words its a load of crap!

Point taken on board, but you can't blame ntl for being a load of crap, but Videotron instead (a Canadian company btw, who know how to build a fibre network - therefore we must conclude they knowingly done it on the cheap), as noted below...

Originally Posted by m419

I think NTL would need to spend at least £15 to £20 Million on these two franchises to upgrade the network to digital and put a telephone network in. In Westminster they could just expand the ex-videotron telephone network which is also in parts of westminster.

Well as far as I know (and please correct me if I'm wrong), but I thought MK was ok - Westminster I know is a crap network, all thanks to BT (makes a change from blaming Videotron, lol!) who built the network in this area. Westminster customers are extremely hard done by at present, but of course this is something that will eventually happen as well (only problem with Westminster is the local authority and street works).