NTL are blundering idiots

Baz999

I don't believe this crap. Do you remember the advertising campaign that NTL ran to promote the 24-hour running of CNBC when it replaced Eurosport on analogue cable? Their press-release of the event said that they had "listened to their customers who wanted to see the weekend programming such as Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien".
So what do I find on Saturday night when it was time to watch Conan.... only A BLOODY SCRAMBLED PICTURE??? It was a pay-per-view event!
Stuff NTL, I have no intention of getting their crap digital service. I'm going back to satellite.

JTMan

Just a technical screw up probably related to the E4 changeover.

Baz999

No, it wasn't a screw-up. I emailed NTL's customer service to enquire about this very problem and they replied that they would continue using CNBC's frequency (408MHz) for pay-per-view events.
I don't believe for a minute that they don't have any more frequency-space for more analogue channels. It's all a cynical ploy to 'persuade' us to get their digital service. Well, it's not gonna work on me. I plan to email NTL every week until they change their daft policy.
If anyone else out there likes the Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien shows uninterrupted, then please email NTL and let them know how you feel.

icdg

Believe me, there is very little room left for more analogue channels. The system was originally built for six channels, remember? Improvements in the late 1980s got this up to twenty-five, but space has decreased since then owing to the launch of the digital service over the co-axial network (never supposed to happen, but necessitated by the suspension of the construction of the broadband network). The picture on CNBC (formerly TV5) is not as good as the others for this reason. (The picture problems on E4, are however NTL's fault).

Mountjoy Mugger

Originally posted by icdg
(The picture problems on E4, are however NTL's fault).

It's not alone E4. I have their digital package which has been experiencing regular interruptions in both audio and video for the last couple of weeks. Switching back to analoge, for the most part seems to be the only solution. (Not much use when you're watching Sky Sports though).

rbarry

It is a mixture of both. On the one hand the ploy is the same as Sky's - introducing value to the digital package only as well as the fact that analog is stuffed...

You can add more but the signal quality drops arithmetically once degradation appears. Distance limitations exacerbate the signal loss.

Digital may be good but only after they dump analog.... One playing field has helped sky improve the service immensely.. the same should follow for cable.

Personally - I see cable as a dying industry - All Murdoch has to do is buy more satellite space... Cable can't compete...

colinsky

Is there at least somewhere NTL announced such pay-per-view shows in advance, and the hours CNBC might be preemted, so we can at least be informed in advance? that seems like a reasonable request to me.

icdg

I was refered to the exterme mishandleling of the widescreen switching on the channel - but hopefully when E4 Ireland starts this will be fixed.

The times for special PPVs are normally posted on NTL's website, in the press section. Premiership Plus ones weren't, but now that the Premiership is almost finished for the summer, Premiership Plus will not be pre-emting CNBC (until August again, at any rate). In fact, the only real PPVs over the summer are the occasional pop concert, boxing match, or WWE event. And not all of these are on analogue. And none of them are during CNBC Europe core programming (Squak Box/Market Watch/Power Lunch/Market Wrap), usually.

Perhaps a warning on Link might be a good compromise?

DMC

Aha! Someone who noticed the name change! (moving on before being being laid a smack down..... )

Regarding the Premiership PPV events..... what version were NTL Ireland showing? Because, as I understood it, NTL in Britain were relaying the ITV Sport Select's productions of these games, and not Sky's "Premiership Plus" brand.

John R

Originally posted by Mountjoy Mugger


It's not alone E4. I have their digital package which has been experiencing regular interruptions in both audio and video for the last couple of weeks. Switching back to analoge, for the most part seems to be the only solution. (Not much use when you're watching Sky Sports though).

I have had this problem on and off since I got it installed, some channels were fine wheras others would blank out for 2-3 seconds intermittently. I seem to have cured it now by replacing the signal splitter they used with one I bought myself. Hopefully that will have done the trick, if not I will call them out, there is no point paying for a service that is unusable.

Baz999

I don't for a minute buy the argument that there is no more frequency space available on NTL Dublin cable.
Their amplifiers can handle up to 750MHz - thats covers up to about two-thirds the way up the UHF band, and the taps (the small boxes on the outside of your house) can handle
up to 1GHz!!!
And if you tune beyond 408MHz (CNBC) you'll find three more scrambled analogue channels of Sky Sports, Premier and Cinema. What's the point of that when those channels are already there between 250MHz and 320MHz??

icdg

Its not just the frequency space available...its the sheer amount of information that can be sent down that cable. It doesn't have an indefinite capacity, you can't just fill everything from 48Mhz to 800-ish with channels and expect them to fit down that cable!

It was designed for six channels, and it has taken some serious technical miracles for them to fit a 25 channel analogue and 50 channel digital service (not counting Front Row) in that space.

Baz999

You are right of course, the spectrum available is not infinite. But I was wondering also, how much frequency space does it take for NTL to run their digital service?
Also an earlier posting on this thread says that we shouldn't expect to get 408MHz (CNBC) as clear as the other analogue channels due to its relatively high postition on the hyperband. Well, I can get it perfect here in Clondalkin!
Anybody in Dublin should be able to receive CNBC perfect, but that only depends if NTL have configured their amplifiers properly.
And my previous posting still stands, about the dual carrying of some pay-channels. What's the deal with that? They have been there for about a year now!

Originally posted by Baz999
Anybody in Dublin should be able to receive CNBC perfect, but that only depends if NTL have configured their amplifiers properly.

Thats very true.
If you are paying the same for the service city wide you should be getting the same top quality service city wide- otherwise there are grounds for complaint.
mm

Baz999

Cableguy, I am sure you know that the higher a channel's frequency, the higher its signal loss over a given length of cable. So why do NTL keep their amps struggling to maintain CNBC on 408, when they could just move it down to the superband at 280MHz, and let the amps carry the digital signals above 350MHz at a lower power? At least then the amps wont be working flat out to provide a solitary analogue signal way up on 408!!
!

Baz999

The End?? You wish!!
The reason why I am concentrating on the amps is that they, along with the trunk lines, are the first pieces of equipment the signals pass through to get to the distribution lines. If they are not set up correctly, then what hope have you got if the customer has picture not up to scratch? You can't make a good signal out of a bad one, no matter how many boosters you use!
Anyway, all I want to do is watch Conan O'Brien uninterrupted. I have to go back to my satellite system until NTL wake up in the real world.

NOW it's the end.

rbarry

Take it off line guys - this conversation is going nowhere...

Jessica

couldn't have said it better myself ...

the words tit for tat spring to mind!!

Baz999

Yes, that's just typical of the attitudes in this country. All I'm doing is standing up for what I believe in, and giving some constructive criticism along the way. I want to see something done, so I'm doing something about it. If you don't like it, then that's tough too. Cableguy is missing my point - it doesn't matter if I have satellite or not, it's how a big corporation is treating customers because they think they can get away with it. If you dont stand up, you will not be heard, so get off your backsides and help to do something about it.
If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

icdg

Look, please stop the petty personal attacks, or the thread will have to be closed...

Baz999

It's not my intention to insult anyone. If I have, I apologise. I have made my point, and I am grateful to ICDG for giving me the opportunity to air my views, which I believe to be valid and reasonable. I will say no more.

colinsky

For the record, they did it again. I set the VCR for my regular weekly recording of "Dateline NBC" (CNBC, saturday night, midnight-1:30 AM), and when I went to watch the tape there was nothing but some scrambled sporting event.

Does CNBC know that NTL is doing this? I would assume that there was some sort of retransmission contract signed, and there's a chance that broadcast pre-emption should be in confict with that. After all, it does impact viewership of paid advertising on CNBC which is not seen by Irish audiences.

Baz999

It's me again! I know I said I would 'say no more',but I thought you might be interested in this update:
After several weeks of emailing NTL a number of times and receiving no reply, I decided to contact CNBC themselves to see if they could do anything about NTL's blocking out of the channel to show pay-per-view events.
I sent an email yesterday (Thursday) and received a reply the following day:
CNBC are going to contact NTL with the aim of resolving the matter as soon as possible! CNBC also asked me to let them know if it happens again!
Fingers crossed.....