Merged-Silver Samsung Box

[Tristan]

Originally Posted by Bugblatter

Why don't NTL give people a choice of replacing their black box with the new Samsung but charge for the privilege? I think quite a lot of people would pay a reasonable amount for the upgrade. It could help NTL speed up phasing in up to date equipment.

Except that a new Samsung box will likely cost a lot more than the callout fee, and NTL will be stuck with a load of perfectly good Pace boxes...

[Frank]

Here's the FAQ's which some people may find interesting:

Q: When will the Samsung set-top box be made available to customers?

A: From the 10th of February, some customers will start receiving the Samsung box. It will be used for some new DTV customer installs, and for some DTV in-service box swaps.



Q: Which customers will receive the Samsung set-top box?

A: it will be supplied to some new customer installs and to some customers receiving a replacement set-top box via a field service engineer. Please note that install engineers and field service engineers will continue to supply Pace set-top boxes as well as Samsung set-top boxes.



Q: Can new customers choose to have a Samsung box installed?

A: No. At the moment we are unable to offer customers the choice of box type they receive. If a customer becomes very vocal about receiving a silver set-top box, please escalate the call to a senior member of your team.



Q: Can existing customers choose to have their Pace box swapped for a Samsung box?

A: No. At the moment we are unable to arrange for a customer to have their box swapped because of the costs involved in doing this. If a customer becomes very vocal about receiving a silver set-top box, please escalate the call to a senior member of your team.



Q: If a customerââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s Pace box breaks down, will they get a Samsung box?

A: No. Generally, customers whose Pace boxes fail will receive a replacement Pace box.



Q: If a customerââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s Samsung box breaks down, will they get another silver box?

A: Yes. Wherever possible we will aim to replace that customerââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s box with another silver box.



Q: What are the main differences between the Pace and Samsung set-top boxes?

A: Both Samsung and Pace boxes are similar technically, offering broadly the same levels of performance, and providing access to exactly the same products and services as all existing Pace set-top boxes. There are, however some differences between the Samsung and Pace boxes:



Remote Controls and Keyboards

The Samsung box uses a different remote control and keyboard to the black Pace boxes



The Samsung box offers improved compatibility with devices need to control the set-top box (such as programmable remote controls, high-end VCRs, wireless video senders) etc.



Front Panel Standby Button

The †œstandbyà¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ Â� button on the front panel of the Samsung box is backlit. It is coloured red when the box is in standby, and green when the box is in normal operation.



Front Panel Service Indicator Lights

Another small difference between Samsung and Pace set-top boxes is that the three †œservice indicatorâ₠¬Â� lights on the Samsung box are positioned horizontally (left to right). On the Pace boxes they are positioned vertical (top to bottom). The left hand light flashes when the set-top box receives a command from the remote control or wireless keyboard. The middle light shows the status of the return path (broadband) connection to the box. If the light is off, there is no connection present. If the light is flashing, the box is connecting. If the light is on permanently, the box is connected. The right hand light is not currently used.



Front Panel †œHiddenà¢ÃƒÆ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚Âà ‚Â� key functions

Pressing, and holding down the †œTVÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ�, †œOKÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ� and †œUpÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ� buttons together on the front panel of the set-top box causes the set-top box to stop receiving commands from the remote control or keyboard. Unplugging the box from the mains and plugging it back in again will return the box to its normal state.



Pressing, and holding down the †œOKÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ�, †œLeftâà ƒÆ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ � and †œRight⠀ Â� buttons together on the front panel of the set-top box will cause the box to re-start



Front Panel †œOpenâà ƒÆ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ � Smartcard slot

On Pace boxes, the smartcard is hidden behind a flap on the front panel of the set-top box. On Samsung, the Smartcard is inserted directly into a slot on the front panel. If a customer has lost or damaged their smartcard, please follow the same process as usual for dealing with this issue.



Reminders and STANDBY functionality

If the customer puts the set-top box into standby, no video or audio is output from the TV or VIDEO SCARTS of the box. In addition, if a customer has set a programme reminder which becomes active whilst the box is in standby †“ the box WILL NOT automatically come out of standby to display the reminder and the programme. Advise customers who set programme reminders that they should not put the box into standby if they want the reminders to be activated.



Q: Does the Samsung box offer any new channels of interactive features?

A: No, the Samsung box offers access to exactly the same channel packs and interactive features as all of our existing Pace set-top boxes.



Q: Which replacement remote control should I order for a Samsung customer?

A: The current Bromley grey / black remote will not work with the Samsung box. You must order a different remote control for Samsung customers. Please see below for full details.



Q: Which keyboard should I order for a Samsung customer?

A: The current Bromley keyboard will not work with the Samsung box. You must order a different keyboard for Samsung customers. Please see below for full details.



Q: How do I deal with a customer reporting a problem with a Samsung box?

A: Follow exactly the same procedure as you currently use for dealing with Pace. The online diagnostics tools have been updated to include troubleshooting for the Samsung set-top box.



Q: How can I tell in ICMS if the customer has a Pace or a Samsung set-top box?

A: On the †œCustomer & Account Information Summaryââ‚à ‚¬Ã‚ÂÂ� screen within ICMS you now see the set-top box type (under the STB column). It displays SAMS for Samsung boxes and PACE for Pace boxes.


Q: Iâ₠¬ÃƒÆ’¢â€žÂ¢ve heard that the Samsung box doesnââ‚ƚ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t support multi-player games? Is that true?

A: Our current Pace boxes have the ability to allow between two and four players, each using a different remote, to play simple games against each other on the same set-top box. In the last few years, only a few games within the Two Way TV service have made use of this functionality. These are now being gradually phased out, and so the technical functionality was not included in the Samsung box.



Q: Can a customer have a Pace box and a Samsung box in the same house? For example, one in the lounge and one in the bedroom?

A: Yes †“ there is no problem with customers having a mixture of Pace and Samsung boxes in the same home. However †“ the customer wonââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t be able to swap the remote controls between the two rooms, as Pace and Samsung boxes use different types of remote control (see above for details)



Q: How can the customer connect the Samsung box to a hifi or surround sound system?

A: The Samsung box does not have Phono audio outputs that allow direct connection into the back of a hi-fi system or surround sound amplifier. If the customer wants to listen to their digital TV service through their hifi, there are various ways in which they can do this †“ depending on what equipment they have in their home.



If the customer has a Video Recorder †“ then most of these have phono audio sockets (usually coloured red and white) that can be connected to the hi-fi by a stereo phono to phono lead. The customer then needs to connect their set-top box to the video recorder using a standard scart-to-scart cable



If the customer does not have a Video Recorder, and wants to connect directly from the set-top box to their hi-fi †“ then they will need to purchase a special scart lead that has a SCART socket at one end and a SCART socket and two or four phono leads (usually coloured red and white) at the other end. The single SCART socket end plugs into the set-top box †“ and the other SCART socket plugs into the TV. Two of the phono leads plug directly into the customerââ‚à ƒâ€šÃ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢s hi-fi.


Maplin Electronics stock a suitable lead. The code is VA23A. Maplin have high-street stores nationwide, and a website at www.maplin.co.uk



Q: Some games on the Samsung box donââ‚Âà ‚¬ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚¢t appear to play as quickly as on my old Pace box †“ why is this?

A: The Samsung box should perform as well as the Pace set-top boxes. However †“ if a customer has digital subtitles turned †œonÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â¢ÃƒÆ ’¢â€šÂ¬Ã‚ÂÂÂ�, they may notice a drop in the performance of some games on the Samsung set-top box. To solve the problem, customers should turn subtitles off in the †œSETTINGSÃÂà ‚¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ƚÂÂ� menu of the GUIDE before playing games.



Q: When I look at teletext services on BBC1, BBC2, ITV, C4 or 5 through my TV aerial, I can sometimes see some †œghostingÃÂà ‚¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ƚÂÂ� on the screen †“ why is this?

A: This only affects some customers, depending on which model of TV they have. To prevent the ghosting, the customer can put their set-top box into †œStandbyà¢ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚¬Ã‚ Â� while they use the teletext service.



Q: The pictures on my TV sometimes look a bit distorted †“ why is this?

A: Placing a mobile phone too close to the Samsung set-top box can cause problems with the display. Moving the mobile phone away from the set-top box should solve the problem. If not, continue to handle the call in the normal way.

[browneggsandham]

I don't know much about this sort of thing, but is it not possible to use a multi-scart adaptor as many of these provide separate audio plugins aswell??

If I'm completely wrong, obviously tell me but it seems like it might work.

Browneggsandham

[seaneeboy]

They look very nice, in a slightly retro kind of way

That said, I've used several samsung products (TV, Vid, DVD, Mobile phone) and they've all been really reliable and intuative... the brand is a real selling point for me, i'm glad they've gone for another well known home electronics brand with a good reputation when I'm SURE there were cheaper, less reliable options open to them. Bit dissapointed by the lack of phono ports, but a split scart would do the trick I suppose... and the fewer things at the back, the fewer things can go wrong with them!!

[Frank]

Originally Posted by browneggsandham

I don't know much about this sort of thing, but is it not possible to use a multi-scart adaptor as many of these provide separate audio plugins aswell??

That is covered in my post above.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Proppinupthebar

Some of us (me included) have boat loads of kit which we have connected together by every imaginable connector. However, apparently the vast majority of customers have a VCR and a TV only. I am told ntl did surveys to find out how people connected their kit, and it was then decided that the phono connections were mostly unused and therefore not required.

Mine are not used, all sound is routed into the TV and then out to the SS Amp. The Audio Out on the TV is independent of the TV amp and volume. This ensures the viewed source is the same as the audio source. In this set up I only use TV and DVD (6direct) as my two source selections on my AV amp. TV is for broadcast, cable, Playstation and VCR sources.

I'd have to agree with NTL on this one.

[Frank]

Yep I'd agree with ntl on this one too

[asdf]

lol, what is the world coming to? :p

Everyone agreeing with ntl? I'd have to agree again in that I'd want the output from the TV, not just the STB to go straight to the amp

[sirsimon]

Hi I am just wondering what this new set top box from samsung is like does anyone have one in their home and how does it compare to the pace boxes available i.e 1000 / 2000 series etc
i have seen a website with some details on it and it sounds like it is pritty good but what is the view of people that have one

simon

(sorry if this is in wrong forum was unsure where to post it)

[th'engineer]

Not yet still running a 2000

[eein]

Can anyone confirm that the samsung box is only for the bromley platform? The article says that it suspects so. Would just be interesting to confirm to see if there is any chance of getting on in my Langley area. I suppose it is unlikely as davic's days are numbered (quite a big number, but numbered all the same).

Oh and to answer an earlier question, ntl will have done this to remove reliance on a sole supplier. Using a single supplier is considered very bad business practice, especially for a key part of what you sell. I also suspect that having two suppliers will help ensure they don't get overcharged for them due to competition between samsung and pace.

[Stephen]

Yes at the moment is only available on the Bromley platrom. However the box uses the Langley remotes.

[Nor]

Silver is the new black apparantly.

[Richard M]

What would Cardiff come under, Bromley or Langley?
I think it's Langley but can't be sure.

[magpie]

I'm fairly certain it's Langley too.