UPC Horizon Set Top Box trial

grindle

April and June (or even March and June) are months apart. DarrenTurner might be an exacting kind of guy.

StaticNoise

I hope so. Horizon really will kick up UPC a lot, versus the 'premium' TV of Sky.
Thanks for your replies.

Eamo71

StaticNoise wrote: »

Eamo71, the poster above has said that the box is months away and the applications are being launched, not the device itself. This wouldn't fall into the timeline that you are talking about?

Well end of June is three months out so maybe...?

who_me

One little thing I just noticed, the remote control in the manual is quite a simple, conventional one; compared to the one previously shown which was very minimal on one side and had a qwerty keyboard and what looked like a game controller on the underside.

jonoliver28

DarrenTurner wrote: »

Sorry to disappoint anyone but April 16th is the day they are realeasing there horizon vod app for iPhone and ipad. The Samsung PVR (Horizon Box) is months away from being launched in Ireland. Sorry guys

Darren your mate that works for UPC is full of ****, i have a text confirmation mine should be delivered by DPD this afternoon.

to everyone else, the system is running and people have it as its being rolled out to people of whom signed up to test it out, i have the engineer due in ther morning

belmulletman

jonoliver28 wrote: »

Darren your mate that works for UPC is full of ****, i have a text confirmation mine should be delivered by DPD this afternoon.

to everyone else, the system is running and people have it as its being rolled out to people of whom signed up to test it out, i have the engineer due in ther morning

How did you get signed up?? I've been trying to get signed up for AGES!!

jonoliver28

a friend of the family works for upc and just texted him all my details and i got an email, had to fill in details and 4 weeks later i got a text from DPD to say they are dropping off the new equipment today between 1 and 5

rest of the family also signed up, its only by invite only

The tax man

Don't confuse testing with a general release.

iDann

jonoliver28 wrote: »

a friend of the family works for upc and just texted him all my details and i got an email, had to fill in details and 4 weeks later i got a text from DPD to say they are dropping off the new equipment today between 1 and 5

rest of the family also signed up, its only by invite only

What department were you speaking with?

TCP/IP

jonoliver28 wrote: »

Darren your mate that works for UPC is full of ****, i have a text confirmation mine should be delivered by DPD this afternoon.

to everyone else, the system is running and people have it as its being rolled out to people of whom signed up to test it out, i have the engineer due in ther morning

I got the same email so hopefully will have it very soon. Make sure you post your comments on the system when you get it.

who_me

Grrr... I'm not jealous. Although.. I did just find the following paragraph in a 2012 article which I don't really like the sound of:

The capability also exists for targeted advertising but issues around privacy are currently preventing the operator from going down this route. “There will come a day when customers and the general public will trust Tier 1 providers to not use the data maliciously, but today that trust is not there yet,” said Nair.

SteM

jonoliver28 wrote: »

Darren your mate that works for UPC is full of ****, i have a text confirmation mine should be delivered by DPD this afternoon.

to everyone else, the system is running and people have it as its being rolled out to people of whom signed up to test it out, i have the engineer due in ther morning

All he said was 'Nothing set in stone yet'. You're talking about being a tester on the system and his mate is obviously talking about the general public being able to contact UPC and order the box.

Eamo71

jonoliver28 wrote: »

Darren your mate that works for UPC is full of ****, i have a text confirmation mine should be delivered by DPD this afternoon.

to everyone else, the system is running and people have it as its being rolled out to people of whom signed up to test it out, i have the engineer due in ther morning

I got similar text. In fact it's a replacement plug for your modem!! Sorry to burst a bubble :-)

Eamo71

jonoliver28 wrote: »

a friend of the family works for upc and just texted him all my details and i got an email, had to fill in details and 4 weeks later i got a text from DPD to say they are dropping off the new equipment today between 1 and 5

rest of the family also signed up, its only by invite only

Of course I apologise if you ARE actually getting the new box. i got the same text about DPD and it's a replacement power supply for the modem.



And best of luck to the testers. looking forward to hearing your opinions.

Mearings

Eamo71 wrote: »

Of course I apologise if you ARE actually getting the new box. i got the same text about DPD and it's a replacement power supply for the modem.

I received a new psu; safer, more efficient & will save me a heap of money (UPC) +
a freepost envelope to return the original dodgy unit.

StaticNoise

So you testers are being asked for the boxes back, to be replaced with new boxes, for safety reasons?

Eamo71

StaticNoise wrote: »

So you testers are being asked for the boxes back, to be replaced with new boxes, for safety reasons?

No I think there are, possibly, two DPD messages floating around. One is for a replacement power supply for the existing Cisco modem. the other is for, perhaps, the Horizon box. According to a letter I just received DPD is Cisco's delivery company. Not sure why DPD would be delivering the Horizon box when it's a Samsung product. OK now I'm confused
I think if you receive a communication from DPD then you're getting a plug not a box.
We await further developments...

thefishone

Eamo71 wrote: »

Not sure why DPD would be delivering the Horizon box

They're not,the Horizon test boxes are being delivered and installed by UPC themselves and the old box will be left in the house,just in case.

overthehill999

DPD are UPCs delivery company not Ciscos.
The txt messages being sent by DPD are to replace the PSU for the epc2425 modem or in some cases the replace the cisco hd dvr which has a recording fault.

The Horizon box will initially be sent out by UPC tech ,its still in the testing phase , no official release date as yet and I wouldn`t get too excited about it as may look and sound great but from what i heard its got its fair share of bugs, you may want to wait til this time next year when hopefully these have been ironed out......just like thay have with the 3925 modem:p.

iDann

They have Q&A about the horizon box on UPC.ie , so it must be in some customers hands.


Information on UPC.ie updated on the 29th of Jan. -

http://support.upc.ie/app/answers/detail/a_id/504

http://support.upc.ie/app/answers/detail/a_id/505

http://support.upc.ie/app/answers/detail/a_id/501/page/36

http://support.upc.ie/app/answers/detail/a_id/498

Eamo71

overthehill999 wrote: »

DPD are UPCs delivery company not Ciscos.
The txt messages being sent by DPD are to replace the PSU for the epc2425 modem or in some cases the replace the cisco hd dvr which has a recording fault.

The Horizon box will initially be sent out by UPC tech ,its still in the testing phase , no official release date as yet and I wouldn`t get too excited about it as may look and sound great but from what i heard its got its fair share of bugs, you may want to wait til this time next year when hopefully these have been ironed out......just like thay have with the 3925 modem:p.

Just splitting hairs here a bit but...from UPC's Letter "Cisco's courier company DPD will be in contact with you..."

chriski

There are three things being delivered. i got a new power adaptor for my modem, then a new modem for my free 50mb upgrade (could have saved themselves some money there!) and also the horizon test people get their horizon box.
you will know about it if you are testing a horizon box so don't sit around hoping its you!
Hopefully means its on its way to all.
And everyone gets 50mb who was on less for no extra cost. Don't know when though.

overthehill999

around 100 horizon stbs where delivered yesterday for test and already issues regarding poor wifi speeds and no connectivity have been reported plus the box is still being tested and i`ve been told tech support staff have still to be properly trained in.............

mbyrnes1978

overthehill999----will it be released in limerick and cork or just dublin? have you used the horizon box yet?

iDann

Look at their Facebook, there looking for customers to trial it

who_me

iDann wrote: »

Look at their Facebook, there looking for customers to trial it

Nice! Though maybe a bit cheeky that it requires people joining up for new contracts. I wonder for how long?

seamus

https://twitter.com/UPCIreland/status/319426815020113920

Signed up :cool:

grimm2005

I signed up for the trial, although after hearing some of the feedback in this thread, I may not go through with it if a call comes through. Is it at least better than the current box? The worst thing about it atm is the random missed recordings. Also, having looked at the videos, the thumbnail view for recorded programmes seems like a poor idea considering it could get pretty messy trying to find a specific recording if there's many programmes recorded, particularly if they don't have an associated thumbnail.

If I have my router in another room, can I keep it and just replace the main cable box? I have my router upstairs connected to my desktop and if I need to move everything to the living room, that'd be a deal breaker for me as wireless just isn't reliable enough. I also have multiroom in a second room so would need to keep that box. If it's just a case of swapping out the main box and keeping the rest of the equipment, I'd probably be willing to give it a go although if they want a contract extension then they can keep it. I'm 4 months into a contract and would like to have the option to change back to Sky at the end.

Sorry to sound so negative, anything that's more reliable is always welcomed but this doesn't sound like the nice new box that it should be meaning that as much as I'd like to be able to get great tv, broadband and phone all under one provider, it sounds like a bit of a pipe dream and that maybe having a split Sky for tv and UPC for bband/phone is the way to go. I hope I'm proved wrong though.

iDann

When should we be expecting a call back?

JoeyJJ

Looks like people will be notified in a couple of weeks of a yah or nah, from the thread on facebook.

iDann

I'd love to know the "reward" for it?

JoeyJJ

I think you get to pay an increased monthly fee

grimm2005

iDann wrote: »

I'd love to know the "reward" for it?

In a facebook post they said that the reward would justify the increased fee. At a guess I'd say it could be a voucher for one of their re-sellers, like carphone warehouse or DID or could be a cheap tablet/laptop or such.

Then again, it could be half price subscription for a while but that seems unlikely. It would more likely be free sky sports or movies for a month or 2 maybe if that's the road they go down.

mollser

grimm2005 wrote: »

In a facebook post they said that the reward would justify the increased fee. At a guess I'd say it could be a voucher for one of their re-sellers, like carphone warehouse or DID or could be a cheap tablet/laptop or such.

Then again, it could be half price subscription for a while but that seems unlikely. It would more likely be free sky sports or movies for a month or 2 maybe if that's the road they go down.

There's an access all areas picture on the facebook page, so to me that would mean free on demand movies and/or free skysports/movies and hd package for the period of the trial...

ted1

The comments on the Facebook are hilarious, lots of people whinging about the free trial and been used as guinea pigs and price changes.

It's fairly obvious if you don't want it don't sign up.

thefishone

Had mine installed yesterday and very happy with the offer to be a
guinea pig:)

TCP/IP

thefishone wrote: »

Had mine installed yesterday and very happy with the offer to be a
guinea pig:)

Put up a few pictures please and thoughts. Thx

thefishone

TCP/IP wrote: »

Put up a few pictures please and thoughts. Thx

Really only sitting down now to check it out.
The install was slow,over two hours and still had to phone CS to reconnect my
phones,although I was put through to someone who knew about the Horizon box and about twenty minutes to fix.

Setup, Horizon box connected to my router,this is the way I wanted it,other setups available.

Channel hopping is much quicker and smoother,can record 4 channels simultaneously,while watching another,apps available,but slow to load.

Remote control very basic and annoying,but will be replaced on full release.

Overall looks good so far.

TCP/IP

thefishone wrote: »

Really only sitting down now to check it out.
The install was slow,over two hours and still had to phone CS to reconnect my
phones,although I was put through to someone who knew about the Horizon box and about twenty minutes to fix.

Setup, Horizon box connected to my router,this is the way I wanted it,other setups available.

Channel hopping is much quicker and smoother,can record 4 channels simultaneously,while watching another,apps available,but slow to load.

Remote control very basic and annoying,but will be replaced on full release.

Overall looks good so far.

Thanks for the info sounds promising. A pic would be super

coylemj

thefishone wrote: »

Really only sitting down now to check it out.
The install was slow,over two hours and still had to phone CS to reconnect my
phones,although I was put through to someone who knew about the Horizon box and about twenty minutes to fix.

Did that >2 hour install involve a UPC installer person sitting in your house or was it just you waiting for firmware to download and the box to handshake with the network? Is it self-install I guess is what I'm asking.

I've signed up for the trial so just wondering what's involved if I'm selected.

iDann

thefishone wrote: »

Had mine installed yesterday and very happy with the offer to be a
guinea pig:)

Did you receive it by courier or a technician? Also, Did you get a "reward"?

thefishone

coylemj wrote: »

Did that >2 hour install involve a UPC installer person sitting in your house or was it just you waiting for firmware to download and the box to handshake with the network? Is it self-install I guess is what I'm asking.

I've signed up for the trial so just wondering what's involved if I'm selected.

Two installer's sitting in the house, also upgraded the cables from the tap, which were upgraded less then two years ago:)
Also gave me an app to download, so my phone/tablet would connect to the box.Altough if you have dlna(sure that's what it's called) on your device, the app is not needed.
The box is manufactured by Samsung.
Sorry not in a position to do a picture, but it looks like the previews seen so far.

grimm2005

thefishone wrote: »

Two installer's sitting in the house, also upgraded the cables from the tap, which were upgraded less then two years ago:)
Also gave me an app to download, so my phone/tablet would connect to the box.Altough if you have dlna(sure that's what it's called) on your device, the app is not needed.
The box is manufactured by Samsung.
Sorry not in a position to do a picture, but it looks like the previews seen so far.

Do you know is it possible to keep the previous UPC router if it's in another room connected to a separate point from the main box? or do you need to use the box's in built router now? Also could you divulge the price? €2.50 a month seems to be the reported price which would be grand but is there a cost for installation/activation?

Cheers!

StaticNoise

The previous post was the best thing I read all year. Thanks for sharing that.

(Sorry, it should have appeared alongside the link to the trial)

thefishone

grimm2005 wrote: »

Do you know is it possible to keep the previous UPC router if it's in another room connected to a separate point from the main box? or do you need to use the box's in built router now? Also could you divulge the price? €2.50 a month seems to be the reported price which would be grand but is there a cost for installation/activation?

Cheers!

Yes, I kept my router, but you'll have to say it to the tech, otherwise they will set up the horizon Box as the home hub.
€2.50 is the price per month,the reward more then made up for this:D installation/activation free.

seamus

The image UPC have posted on their facebook page would seem to me to indicate that the "reward" is a full HD subscription to all channels. Probably for a few months, and probably only to certain bundles, e.g. all the movie channels or all the sports channels.

http://sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/6323_598944726800424_2011232265_n.jpg

forzacalcio

So to trial the new Horizon box is only €2.50 a month....Nice one, just signed up

Its a bit strange they dont tell you when signing up how much it is

grimm2005

StaticNoise wrote: »

The previous post was the best thing I read all year. Thanks for sharing that.

No worries, glad you found my post so enthralling.

Yes, I kept my router, but you'll have to say it to the tech, otherwise they will set up the horizon Box as the home hub.
€2.50 is the price per month,the reward more then made up for this installation/activation free.

Ah, nice, good to hear, did they tell you how long the trial lasts for?

who_me

I wonder how many testers they actually need, given they've already sent out boxes. It could just be a way of drumming up some hype, offering 'beta' access, limited numbers available... Hope there's a few!

When I had the HD box installed there were 2 technicians as well, as apparently it was the first HD installation in Cork. I guess it's standard practice, to train the technicians too.