How Does NTL digital work ( basics )

natman2007

I am curious as to how NTL digital works, Is it just standard analogue cable into digital box into TV? if so how big is the box? Is there a different remote control if so is the tv remote redundant?
Also i have a split feed, if i get digital to main tv is the other just left analogue ( so i can watch two different things? )

Thanks:

KeRbDoG

They run the analogue and their digital service on the same cable.
The digital boxes range from sizes just a bit smaller than a VCR down to the size of a VHS tape for the newer ones.

If yea run different spurs away from the main point in your house, yea will get analogue on those spurs without a digital box, but add more NTL boxes to those and yea have more NTL digital points.

Note, yea need to pay the sub for the extra digital points - unlike the analogue spurs

Solair

Both NTL and Chorus are now called UPC Ireland and the smaller NTL Digital box has been replaced by a standard UPC box which is similar in size to a DVD player.

The ex NTL cable areas typically have 18 channel in analogue just sent over the cable network. Any suitable tv can watch these.

As the above poster said, you just plug the digital box into the cable socket and via a SCART cable into your TV.

You can get a standard box, or a DVD (digital video recorder) which has functionality similar to sky+ i.e. you can record programmes, stop/pause/rewind live tv etc

natman2007

Thanks for the replies, but whats the details of the remote controls? is there a tv + ntl digital remote? or just one?

VERYinterested

The NTL/UPC remote will not control your tv, you need one for each.

Solair

UPC remote controls do control your TV, just like a sky remote control does.

The new boxes are a lot more sophisticated than the first generation NTL and Chorus digital boxes and are pretty much comparable with Sky in every way.

The only downside is that they lack Series link for the DVR.

Graphically, the UPC digital EPG is actually nicer looking than sky's. Certainly seems to be using more sophisticated graphics anyway.

If you are a new subscriber to UPC (i.e. NTL / Chorus) you will not be receiving an old NTL or Chorus box, rather you will be receiving a UPC Mediabox or a UPC Mediabox DVR

The remote control looks like this :



UPC DVR mediabox (like sky+)
http://www.upc.at/images/content/04_%20UPC_MediaBoxDVR.jpg

UPC Standard Mediabox:
http://www.upc.at/images/content/03_UPC_MediaBox.jpg

Their HD mediabox is not as yet available in Ireland, but this is what they're using elsewhere in Europe

http://nl.gizmodo.com/wp-content/uploads/upcmbox.jpg

The boxes appear to be standard kit in all of their European markets.

Their mediabox now has the new UPC logo too, they're certainly rolling these out in cork anyway.



This is also the logo used on the EPG (software) on all of their mediabox units.

Dardania

Solair wrote: »

UPC remote controls do control your TV, just like a sky remote control does.

The new boxes are a lot more sophisticated than the first generation NTL and Chorus digital boxes and are pretty much comparable with Sky in every way.

The only downside is that they lack Series link for the DVR.

Graphically, the UPC digital EPG is actually nicer looking than sky's. Certainly seems to be using more sophisticated graphics anyway.

If you are a new subscriber to UPC (i.e. NTL / Chorus) you will not be receiving an old NTL or Chorus box, rather you will be receiving a UPC Mediabox or a UPC Mediabox DVR

The remote control looks like this :



UPC DVR mediabox (like sky+)
http://www.upc.at/images/content/04_%20UPC_MediaBoxDVR.jpg

UPC Standard Mediabox:
http://www.upc.at/images/content/03_UPC_MediaBox.jpg

Their HD mediabox is not as yet available in Ireland, but this is what they're using elsewhere in Europe

http://nl.gizmodo.com/wp-content/uploads/upcmbox.jpg

The boxes appear to be standard kit in all of their European markets.

Their mediabox now has the new UPC logo too, they're certainly rolling these out in cork anyway.



This is also the logo used on the EPG (software) on all of their mediabox units.

Liking the look of that HD mediabox...:D

In fairness to UPC, its a nice, subtle thing they've done, but the remote control is pre-coded to control Philips TVs. Aren't they the most prominent TV brand in Europe? Clever idea...

p15574

Does the DVR have twin tuners, i.e. can you watch another channel when you're recording something? I just ordered digital, but not the dvr as I have one, but have just thought I'll be taking a step backwards if it means I won't be able to watch somethign else while I record.

murpho999

Solair wrote: »

The new boxes are a lot more sophisticated than the first generation NTL and Chorus digital boxes and are pretty much comparable with Sky in every way.

The only downside is that they lack Series link for the DVR.

Sorry I don't want to go off topic here but I got to disagree with this comment.

Series link is not the only shortfall on the UPC DVR.

Only one tuner, meaning you can only record one program at a time is also a major downfall. (Just answered the previous post's question there!)

Other bugs and EPG issues on the DVR have been highlighted on other posts on Boards.ie where most people conclude that whilst the DVR is welcome and is a major step forward but it is still an inferior product to Sky+

GerardKeating

murpho999 wrote: »

Only one tuner, meaning you can only record one program at a time is also a major downfall. (Just answered the previous post's question there!)

Not 100% correct, it does have dual tuners, one can Watch one program while recording another.

Solair

Dardania wrote: »

Liking the look of that HD mediabox...:D

In fairness to UPC, its a nice, subtle thing they've done, but the remote control is pre-coded to control Philips TVs. Aren't they the most prominent TV brand in Europe? Clever idea...

That's because a Philips off-shoot designed the remotes and Philips has a fairly strong technological link with UPC.

UPC, while American owned is Headquartered in the Netherlands. The company has deep links with Philips and was actually part owned by them at one stage.

In the Netherlands, Philips would be very dominant brand of TV partially due to national pride in the company.

The original meaning of UPC was United and Philips Communications. Philips' media unit off-loaded it's 50% shareholding in UPC which subsequently became United Pan-European Communications and through various mergers of its parent company it ended up being owned outright by Liberty Global.

Philips remains one of UPC's biggest technology partners for various aspects of their networks and other equipment including some of the HDTV boxes.

murpho999

GerardKeating wrote: »

Not 100% correct, it does have dual tuners, one can Watch one program while recording another.

Sorry it only has one tuner..i.e. only one input cable is going into the box.

The Sky box has 2 enabling you to record two programs at the same time.

p15574

Hmm....ok, it either does or doesn't have dual tuners - does anyone here have one and can categorically answer this? Only one cable going in doesn't necessarily mean only one tuner, afaik, as it could have a 'loopback' from one tuner to the other. The acid test would be whether you can watch one digital channel while recoring another digital channel. Can anyone who has a box comment on this?

thanks.

paulm17781

murpho999 wrote: »

Sorry it only has one tuner..i.e. only one input cable is going into the box.

The Sky box has 2 enabling you to record two programs at the same time.

It has two tuners. One to watch and one to record. The sky one lets you record something you're not watching and something you are watching. UPC don't allow this for some reason.

p15574 wrote:

oes anyone here have one and can categorically answer this? Only one cable going in doesn't necessarily mean only one tuner, afaik, as it could have a 'loopback' from one tuner to the other. The acid test would be whether you can watch one digital channel while recoring another digital channel. Can anyone who has a box comment on this?

Yes, you can do this. You just can't record two things at the same time, a flaw IMO.

murpho999

Well I've had the UPC box since last year, and before that I had Sky+ so I'm familiar with both.

With UPC. You can record one program whilst watching another or whilst watching a recording and that's it.

With Sky you can either record one program whilst watching another or record 2 programs at the same time whilst watching one of them.

You can also watch a recorded program whislt recording 2 simultaneous programs.

Not sure what this means to the actual number of tuners but you can obviously record more with Sky.

murpho999

paulm17781 wrote: »

It has two tuners. One to watch and one to record. The sky one lets you record something you're not watching and something you are watching. UPC don't allow this for some reason.



Yes, you can do this. You just can't record two things at the same time, a flaw IMO.

Agreed it is definitely a flaw, but it is only one of many that the DVR has!

GerardKeating

murpho999 wrote: »

Sorry it only has one tuner..i.e. only one input cable is going into the box.

The Sky box has 2 enabling you to record two programs at the same time.

It DOES have dual tuners!!!

Rosser

murpho999 wrote: »

Agreed it is definitely a flaw, but it is only one of many that the DVR has!

Murpho you're like a broken record!

GerardKeating

p15574 wrote: »

Hmm....ok, it either does or doesn't have dual tuners - does anyone here have one and can categorically answer this? Only one cable going in doesn't necessarily mean only one tuner, afaik, as it could have a 'loopback' from one tuner to the other. The acid test would be whether you can watch one digital channel while recoring another digital channel. Can anyone who has a box comment on this?

thanks.

I have the UPC-PVR and have actually watched one programm while recording another...

murpho999

Rosser wrote: »

Murpho you're like a broken record!

Sorry....I'm more like a broken hard disk in a UPC DVR!;)

murpho999

GerardKeating wrote: »

I have the UPC-PVR and have actually watched one programm while recording another...

I never said you could never do this, just that the difference with Sky is that you can record two programs at the one time but not with UPC. Very simple difference.

Radio|Man

Hi,

Can anyone tell me how to access the AV input on the UPC dvr box?

I want to input my satellite on the AV channel and record if possible.

Anyone ?

Thanks

The tax man

Radio|Man wrote: »

Hi,

Can anyone tell me how to access the AV input on the UPC dvr box?

What AV input. It doesn't have one.

Radio|Man

The tax man wrote: »

What AV input. It doesn't have one.

Its marked on the remote (page down/AV).

Two scarts on the back.

The tax man

When you've programmed the remote to work your TV, that's the TV's AV button. The DVR will only record UPC's digital channels and nothing else. Both scarts are outputs.