10 O'Clock News Extra

rince · 22-11-2004, 22:33

The silence about this on DS has been deafening, so I thought I'd ask over here.

Are we ever going to get this on NTL? It was launched a few weeks ago now in a big fanfare about it being available on all digital platforms, but all we get is a message on the bridge cheefully informing that it to not availalable to NTL viewers.

Come on BBC/NTL sort this out! I'm getting fed up with Huw Edwards informing me that as a digital viewer I can press red to get more information. NO I CAN'T

23-11-2004, 01:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by rince

Come on BBC/NTL sort this out! I'm getting fed up with Huw Edwards informing me that as a digital viewer I can press red to get more information. NO I CAN'T

I gave up on the possibility of any even semi-useful interactive content on NTL a long time ago...!

**Chris** · 23-11-2004, 10:04

Well, aren't I glad that I never succumbed to curiosity and pressed the red button. My patience with so-called interactive services ran out months ago. I got fed up having to get up and unplug the darned box every time it crashed. And now I've moved house I don't get NTL any more, so I'm about to sign up with $ky. Hopefully interactive on satellite will be a little more useable.

andygrif · 23-11-2004, 11:01

It's very embarrasing for ntl, although they don't appear to have noticed yet!

The 'Press Red' button is usually on with BBC 1 & 2 now, but the system just cannot cope with me pressing it!

Something like five years after the interactive 'services' launched it is still virtually unusable.

McYorkie · 23-11-2004, 13:57

More likely its a case of left hand and right arm not communicating again - as usual ntl seem to be unable to deliver what looks like a useful e-tv application, and from posts over on DS, the full mulltiscreen news active from BBCi is running on Telewest, and yet we're still waiting for services we pay for with the licence fee after five years of "coming soon" from our company.

Very deafening isn't it - the silence? Either that or the ntl staff haven't actually been told about this faulty service.

Paul K · 23-11-2004, 14:57

We can only hope that when the two companies finally merge that NTL gains from some of Telewests more positive points (working interactive etc ) and that Telewest gains some of NTLs positives (can't think of many of those apart from the CS/TS people that post here

). The ongoing interactive farce is getting sillier by the minute, another coming soon from NTL moment I expect

chaney · 26-11-2004, 20:34

Does anybody from ntl still read this (such as Sam) and not give some sort of answer to these problems?
I had an engineer out last week because of the interactive freezing and he said that the equipment was working fine! He told me that he found that lots of people don't use interactive because of the poor service.

rince · 29-11-2004, 14:16

I contacted the BBC via their website and asked why news extra was still not available on NTL and when/if it would be and received the following reply

Quote:

Dear John

Thank you for your e-mail.

I would like to explain that the BBC (as with all broadcasters) currently only has very limited capacity to broadcast interactive television services (especially on Freeview and cable). This means that some nights, we may be forced to suspend the 10 O?clock News Extra service on certain of these digital platforms, in order to offer viewers another high value interactive television service. This will only happen when there is another interactive service available between 10 and 10.30pm weeknights. We apologise for this and hope that technical advances in the coming months and years will ease this problem.

At least they replied, although I am wondering what "High Value" interacive service can run on Telewest at the same time as news extra, but not on NTL?

rince · 30-11-2004, 22:22

Hmm, News Extra is not an option on the bridge tonight. Someone realised they shouldn't be advertising a service which doesn't exist?

rince · 02-12-2004, 15:51

Just got a response back from the BBC:

Quote:

Dear John,
Thanks for making contact.

In this instance, with the introduction of a new development, the BBC and NTL are working together to produce workable conditions (software) for rolling this out.

I note that there is usually a delay of this type before newly introduced services become available from the Cable TV operators.

In the case of Cable TV data rate is not normally a constraint. Of all the platforms, Cable has the greatest capacity.

A little patience and I am sure NTL will manage to deliver the service.

Regards

Dan Smith

BBC Reception Advice.

So it appears that NTL are the problem, although it is nice to see the BBC saying that Cable has the greatest capacity of the methods of delivery. If only NTL could get things together so that it can reach its full potential.

Just the usual case of "Coming Soon".

browneggsandham · 02-12-2004, 16:20

Why don't you email ntl and see what they say?

rince · 02-12-2004, 16:38

That is what I'm going to do next, I thought I would find out what Aunty Beeb had to say first.

Time to get draughting the e-mail....

bob_builder · 02-12-2004, 16:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by browneggsandham

Why don't you email ntl and see what they say?

Coming Soon?

browneggsandham · 02-12-2004, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by rince

That is what I'm going to do next, I thought I would find out what Aunty Beeb had to say first.

Time to get draughting the e-mail....

Nice one. You don't fancy mentioning something about the Sky Active situation to help with our enquires do you??

See here for more info (though you've probably seen it before!)

Cheers,
Browneggsandham

Tristan · 02-12-2004, 17:41

Interestingly, despite 10 O'Clock News Extra being on the Bridge, it hasn't been selectable recently on Telewest. A message appears on the Bridge saying that it can't be put on due to a lack of capacity on Freeview :S

It was working perfectly well when the service started though.