NTL/UPC PVR or Sky+ - Should I wait?

The tax man

belmulletman wrote:

woohoo... sweet... actually, do you know the exact model number of the box? if possible at all..

DCI62UPC.

belmulletman

The tax man wrote:

DCI62UPC.

Thanks Tax Man... Much appreciated..
Just checked my Logitech Software and indeed the DCI-62UPC is there and it even lists a "UPC" button... NICE!
Oh, now i can't wait to get this and mess around it with for a while!!

Sorry for all the questions, but i've a couple more i hope you can answer:
Are the channel (both TV and Radio) still in all the same spots?
Is there a "soft reset" option in the menu (like the Help->yellow button reset on the current system?)

Thanks,
B.

The tax man

Yeah all the channels run with the same numbers. The radio stations are separate to the TV channels. You access them via a digital radio option. You then get a screen with all the radio channels and a little tuner bar on the screen. After 3-5mins the screen will go dark and you'll see a equaliser thing on the screen. A screensaver of sorts if you listen to the radio channels alot.

Say goodbye to the help/yellow button routine
Very different UI to the Pace boxes.
No reset option at all. I've only once had to pull the mains.

loyatemu

gpjordanf1 wrote:

Not available to MMDS!

Which I dont really understand if its only a matter of swapping boxes?

Maybe they are only servicing the cable areas first?

Either way it sucks!

just as well, seeing as I just ordered Sky+. I would guess that they're not currently transmitting the updated EPG on the MMDS signal

even if it was available, with the extra 7.50 it would work out €10 pm more expensive than Sky+ with 4 packages (which is approx equivalent of MMDS Digital Choice).

belmulletman

The tax man wrote:

Yeah all the channels run with the same numbers. The radio stations are separate to the TV channels. You access them via a digital radio option. You then get a screen with all the radio channels and a little tuner bar on the screen. After 3-5mins the screen will go dark and you'll see a equaliser thing on the screen. A screensaver of sorts if you listen to the radio channels alot.

Say goodbye to the help/yellow button routine
Very different UI to the Pace boxes.
No reset option at all. I've only once had to pull the mains.

Hmmm... a bit of a change then on both fronts!! I'm sure once i get used to it, it will be fine! although, the lack of the reset option could be a bit of a bummer, especially if channels start to go missing or go out of ratio (as the tend to do a lot with the little Pace box!)

has a Series Link style system been put in place yet? (again, sorry about all the questions, i kinda get like this and need to know every possible thing! it's a downfall i suppose!)

Alun

belmulletman wrote:

Just checked my Logitech Software and indeed the DCI-62UPC is there and it even lists a "UPC" button... NICE!

Just out of interest there, what model of Logitech remote do you have? I have to admit I didn't even know they made them until I read your post and Google'd it

gpjordanf1

loyatemu wrote:

just as well, seeing as I just ordered Sky+. I would guess that they're not currently transmitting the updated EPG on the MMDS signal

even if it was available, with the extra 7.50 it would work out €10 pm more expensive than Sky+ with 4 packages (which is approx equivalent of MMDS Digital Choice).

I really didn't know that!

Damn will have to check out the price difference! I have MMDS with a couple of years, is the contract up after the first year?

Thanks for the heads up!

belmulletman

Alun wrote:

Just out of interest there, what model of Logitech remote do you have? I have to admit I didn't even know they made them until I read your post and Google'd it

I have the Harmony 525. it's a basic model (like it doesn't have the Color screen or anything)... but it's the best investment i've made in terms of TV accessories.
I used to use 6 different remotes, but i only use the one now (2 if i'm using the PS3 as it's a bluetooth remote)...
it really is great, i get home in the evening, press one button and everything needed to watch TV turns on (TV, NTL, AMP) to the correct settings.
If i want to play the xbox360, i just press the "play 360" button, and the TV changes to the correct channel, the Amp switches to the Optical input and the xbox turns on...
It even controls the original XBOX (which is hacked to act as my media center), although it won't turn it on...

It is all programmed through the PC, and can take a little bit of time to tune / tweak the setting and various buttons to your liking, it took me about a week or so of tweaking, but once it's done, it's done.

i even upgraded my PC and all i had to do was download the new software and all my setting were there as they are stored on Logitech's servers!

if you need to know any specifics just gimme a shout.

randomer

I just phoned Chorus, and although I am a chrous digital customer the service won't be available to me until at least november.

She didn't specify a year either, so based on my past experiences with NTL/Chorus, it is probably 2011.

Alun

belmulletman wrote:

I have the Harmony 525. it's a basic model (like it doesn't have the Color screen or anything)... but it's the best investment i've made in terms of TV accessories.

Thanks, I was looking at either the 525 or the 555, but can't quite see what the difference is. The only thing I can see is that the 555 has the 4 coloured buttons for Teletext (which I still use quite a lot), but it's difficult to see what other differences there are except from the colour of the display

Oh yes, where did you buy it .. direct from the Logitech website or somewhere else?

JDxtra

Alun wrote:

Mine's scheduled for next Tuesday too.

Great, it'll be good to see more feedback on these forums as to how it performs.

Too late for me though, I lost my patience a while back and have been happy with Sky+ since.

belmulletman

Alun wrote:

Thanks, I was looking at either the 525 or the 555, but can't quite see what the difference is. The only thing I can see is that the 555 has the 4 coloured buttons for Teletext (which I still use quite a lot), but it's difficult to see what other differences there are except from the colour of the display

Oh yes, where did you buy it .. direct from the Logitech website or somewhere else?

Weird... never noticed that before... anywho... those pics on the Logitech Site are wrong... my remote definitely has the "teletext" buttons, as i use the yellow one for resetting all the time.
i got it in Peats: http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/test_new/catalog.cgi?view_product=1&id=9389
as you can see from the Pic it has the colored buttons (i actually think the pick that is on the Logitech site is of the US remote. they don't have Teletext over there, so those buttons aren't on the remote).

The 555 as 2 extra buttons, they've added a "Picture" and "Sound" button and moved the Mute and Prev buttons down a little (they are not 2 little "nub" button above the number keys.

yes, it's a bit of cash, but if you are into your AV equipment and have a lot of various components, then it's defo worth it!

The tax man

It doesn't have a series link option. Maybe these options may become available through updates at some later stage. There is the usual record setup for once/daily/weekly but it means entering the details manually.

sftwc01

As the originator of this thread, I want to come back on this issue. I set about getting Sky+, as I was getting nowhere with NTL. They came out and within five minutes, the engineer said we couldn't get satellite, as he wouldn't be able to get a line of sight for a dish to the satellite (although he didn't spend very long trying) :rolleyes:

So, I ended up sticking with NTL, and I'm now on hold (for the last 13 minutes) with their sales line to try to get the PVR (I'll get the digital phone while I'm at it, if they ever answer...) The lines close in 18 minutes, I hope there's actually somebody there.... I can't stand waiting any longer!

Just decided to call from my mobile, so I'm getting their hold music in stereo!!

elderlemon

I called today at 3 - got through in about 30 seconds but got someone who didn't know anything. Put on hold for 10 minutes and got nowhere. hung up,tried again and got this great girl who had my order done in 2 minutes. Installation is Monday morning. Looking forward to seeing how this thing works.

belmulletman

same here, just phone, and got through in about 20-30seconds... that was about the 2ish mark this afternoon. The girl on the other end of the line was great, knew exactly what i was talking about, and everything was done and ordered within 5 mins!

paulm17781

belmulletman wrote:

same here, just phone, and got through in about 20-30seconds... that was about the 2ish mark this afternoon. The girl on the other end of the line was great, knew exactly what i was talking about, and everything was done and ordered within 5 mins!

Same with me. I wonder if we all talked to the same person??? I hope she wasn't telling us porkies.

belmulletman

paulm17781 wrote:

Same with me. I wonder if we all talked to the same person??? I hope she wasn't telling us porkies.

Don't even suggest that!!!

belmulletman

I meant to ask...
Is it loud? like is there a fan in it, and if there is, is it audible in a quiet room?

patrickmooney

OMG, this is sooo exciting, only reading this now, going to ring them first thing in the morning. I want it now!!!

The tax man

belmulletman wrote:

I meant to ask...
Is it loud? like is there a fan in it, and if there is, is it audible in a quiet room?

Where I have mine you can hear the hard drive until you turn the TV on. These things won't like an enclosed cabinet. They get quite hot cause they don't have a fan. Other ones I've seen I didn't hear at all. Maybe it's just where I've put mine that at fault.
Talking to the folks today,they said the stb froze on them about four times over the past month while changing channels. This was news to me cause as I said before I tried as hard as I could to get the thing to lock up. Now four times over a month I could live with. People out there would have the small Pace box do that over a day if unlucky. Now what they were doing exactly to make this happen I don't know but knowing my folks they will always find a way of making something crash.:):)
Anyway it'll be good to hear what others think of it.

DingDong

belmulletman wrote:

I meant to ask...
Is it loud? like is there a fan in it, and if there is, is it audible in a quiet room?

Sounds a bit like a diesel engine on a cold morning but you get use to it....JK

It quiet enough no real noise out of it, maybe a very slight sound out of the hard drive.

EDIT
Tax man got in there before me

Tax man has your remote be acting up lately. When I'm using the now and next and press left it goes right.It may just be broke

belmulletman

cheers guys. So if the sound gets to much and i turn it off, will it turn it's self back on to record anything that's scheduled?

The tax man

belmulletman wrote:

cheers guys. So if the sound gets to much and i turn it off, will it turn it's self back on to record anything that's scheduled?

Never tried that but I'd be sure it would. Old vcrs would come out of standby to record something on the timer so I doubt we've gone backwards. I'll check that out tonight.
Stop asking questions!!!!!:D





*carry on sir*


@DingDong No my remote has been working fine.Any spillage on the remote? Diesel engines are very quite these days.

DingDong

belmulletman wrote:

cheers guys. So if the sound gets to much and i turn it off, will it turn it's self back on to record anything that's scheduled?

Never tried that but I'm sure it would. The sounds nothing to worry about it though

No spillage on the remote that I know of, I'll pick up a new one tommorrow Cheers

patrickmooney

Does anyone know if you can set up repeat events, akin to series link. Also does the recording schedule remain in memory after reboot.

The tax man

patrickmooney wrote:

Does anyone know if you can set up repeat events, akin to series link. Also does the recording schedule remain in memory after reboot.

Yeah manual recording options include once/daily/weekly/mon-fri.

As for second question I'll have a go tonight and post results tomorrow.

DingDong

patrickmooney wrote:

Does anyone know if you can set up repeat events, akin to series link. Also does the recording schedule remain in memory after reboot.

Yeah you can manually enter repeat events. I never checked if the recording schedule remains after a reboot, but I can't imagine it not.
EDIT
Thats it I just let Tax man answer he is faster than me lol

Zapp Brannigan

Could some please post a picture of the remote. I'm interested in how it looks!

DingDong

JDxtra wrote:

The remote looks exactly like a standard European UPC MediaBox remote...

Here you go

Zapp Brannigan

Thank ya kindly!

Mr Velo

Well i've finally broken free from NTL after months of threatening.
Absolutely unreal they are! Phoned up yesterday evening to cancel my sub - and have to say i was messed around big time.

Eventually told one guy exactly what i thought of them from a customer standpoint, and pointed out to him that i was quite sure it wasn't the first time he had heard that.

Anyways, Retentions tried to offer me 2 months free Digital Choice (my current pack) + 2 months free Sky sports and Sky Movies if i waited and upgraded to the new PVR solution.

Obviously the trick is to threaten to walk away from NTL and they'll give you the Sun Moon and Stars - however, i have made good on my threat!

I'm gone!

patrickmooney

Ordered mine this morning, took three internal transfers and some misunderstanding if it was actually launched! Getting it installed next wed. Can not wait.

patrickmooney

Has anyone any good reference material on the box? Most of this sites I've found are in Dutch. Links to additional pics or tech spec much appreciated.

DingDong

Here you go Patrick
http://www.thomson.net/EN/Home/MiniSites/BAP/Cable/ModelDetail.html?category=Standard%20Definition%20DVR&model=6000%20Series

patrickmooney

Excellent. I read it has twin tuners, does this mean I could record two programmes at once and watch something which I've already recorded?

DingDong

No just record and watch one. No duel record at the moment but hope they can sort it with a later update.

belmulletman

The tax man wrote:

Yes you can record one channel while watching another channel. Think you can also watch something you've recorded while at the same time you can be recording something else.

They are up and running on MMDS, on the trial at least.

hi Patrick,
this is what tax man said back when i asked about the dual tuners...

Zapp Brannigan

I know this isn't really related but I don't think this question warrants a whole thread. Whats the deal with interactive features, you know the whole 'press red now' thing. Why doesn't that work with NTL?

RuggieBear

Zapp Brannigan wrote:

I know this isn't really related but I don't think this question warrants a whole thread. Whats the deal with interactive features, you know the whole 'press red now' thing. Why doesn't that work with NTL?

needs a phoneline i believe

belmulletman

I'm not sure it's that... cause this new box and some of the older models have build in cable modems, but the NTL / UPC system is only just been upgraded to handle 2 way communications.
also, that interactive stuff on sky, is sky's "baby" if you like. it's primarily Sky News / Sports / One that would have the interactiveness. i know the BBC does, but it would be formatted and set up to run in conjunction with Sky's backend system i believe.
UPC would have to license the Interactive stuff off sky (if it's available for licensing that is), and i don't know if there'd be that much of a permanent demand for it here, yeah there would be at first cause it's a bit of a gimmic, but not really after that (my parents have Sky at home, and i don't think i or anyone else in the household has actually used it, and we're all pretty into our tech and what not!)

that's just my opinion / 2 cents on it

paulm17781

RuggieBear wrote:

needs a phoneline i believe

No, the phone line is only so sky can monitor / charge. With cable you should have a return path (broadband) for this. I would think part of the reason it doesn't work is the NTL network wasn't capable for some time and more so a lack of interest. The 8 Euronews channels could / should have been "press red for language options" I just don't think NTL were bothered to program it this way.

The tax man

Quick update on some of last nights Q's.

Yes the box will come out of standby for a scheduled recording and yes it held recording info after been unplugged.(3-5 mins) Need another day to see how the daily recording thing works out.

patrickmooney

Zapp Brannigan wrote:

I know this isn't really related but I don't think this question warrants a whole thread. Whats the deal with interactive features, you know the whole 'press red now' thing. Why doesn't that work with NTL?

Or the Press Green to schedule a record during commercials. Not going to happen for a while!

paulm17781

patrickmooney wrote:

Or the Press Green to schedule a record during commercials. Not going to happen for a while!

That's a feature I'd like.

belmulletman

Hi All,

Found this page on UPC.nl... there are PDF's on here (some in english) that go through the "mediabox" set-up and installation...
http://www.upc.nl/service/?cid=70&aid=458


There seems to be an Ethernet jack on the back! does anyone know what this is for in relation to the box it's self? i know that's it's to hook it to a PC / Home network, but what for?

patrickmooney

From the Thomson site, I read there is also USB?

paulm17781

belmulletman wrote:

There seems to be an Ethernet jack on the back! does anyone know what this is for in relation to the box it's self? i know that's it's to hook it to a PC / Home network, but what for?

I'd guess it's so it can be used as a modem.

The tax man

belmulletman wrote:

There seems to be an Ethernet jack on the back! does anyone know what this is for in relation to the box it's self? i know that's it's to hook it to a PC / Home network, but what for?

VOD services if introduced.

belmulletman

Cool...
Actually, i remember reading somewhere that they were / are going to introduce a service where you can set the system to record remotely (either on the web or mobile)... has this been introduced? or any idea when it will???