[moriartygm]

My cable provider is NTl. Does anyone know what, if any, are NTL's plans for HD ? I have requested information from NTl and will post it as soon as I get a reply, but does anyone know ?

[scrapbook]

Not this decade

Sorry long time NTL user until recently changed to Sky.

In a post elsewhere a member quoted NTL as saying it would be coming this year, but there will be no PVR functionality.

All seems a bit odd bearing in mind they have just merged with Telewest.

I'd be surprised to see HD on NTL this year.

[the porter]

yes apparantly they are working on a mpeg 4 hd box and as they have now bought out telewest who have the tv drive box im sure it wont be long till they get there box on the market!!

[ChrisHGT]

Originally Posted by moriartygm

My cable provider is NTl. Does anyone know what, if any, are NTL's plans for HD ? I have requested information from NTl and will post it as soon as I get a reply, but does anyone know ?

I have recently given the 30 days notice to cancel NTL and am getting SKY installed.

Not SKy HD - simply got rid of NTl as they are always have been - always will be...........been with them 10 years - could they give 2 hoots I was cancelling OR why? - Could they heck as like!


NTL - don't bother - Freeview is probably a better option than NTL for anyone reading this. Sky I am sure is worth it.


MOD EDIT: please do not circumvemt the swear filter, use the tag instead

[scrapbook]

Originally Posted by moriartygm

My cable provider is NTl. Does anyone know what, if any, are NTL's plans for HD ? I have requested information from NTl and will post it as soon as I get a reply, but does anyone know ?

Don't forget that if your a big sports fan I suspect sky are likely to keep exclusive rights to their HD sport for a while.

Although you are likely to get the Word Cup in HD on one of the BBC's sister channels.

[moriartygm]

All, here is the reply I got from NTL. To my mind it seems like a 'standard' reply to HD enquiries:

"We are aiming to provide this service as soon as we can. But our priority to offer our customers a high-quality market-leading service. So over the coming months, we will be testing the new service to ensure it offers customers an outstanding experience. As soon as we have more details about the launch date and pricing, we will write to let customers know."

So who knows, I will wait and see.

[Welsh Thunderca]

I would think that when the dust settles the NTL customers would have the same hd drive unit that is available to telewest customers...

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Welsh Thunderca

I would think that when the dust settles the NTL customers would have the same hd drive unit that is available to telewest customers...

They will, & it's MPEG 2 (as opposed to Sky's MPEG 4)

[Kevo]

I was told they're rolling it out in June.
Either way, i've cancelled my NTL and ordered Sky HD.

Glad to seer the back of 'em, they're stuck in a time warp and haven't advanced since the first Pace digital stbs came out several years ago

[Bravia]

These are comments I posted on Digital Spy in reply to someone who said that NTL HD Boxes were due in August:

2009? NTL are four years (and counting) behind Sky with a PVR so don't hold your breath for HDTV. For Pete's sake, they haven't even got digital available to all subscribers yet. OK, so they have merged with Telewest who do have a HDTV product, but it will be a couple of years before integration is substantially achieved (if you don't believe that, bear in mind that the old differences between Cable & Wireless and the rest of the network persist to this day)

i myself agree with Bravia its is unlikely NTL will release HDTV

they are a lost cause, a loss making service which has taken on more than it can handle

Half of Coventry is still analogue

[blicky_1]

All NTL do is keep calling me (most of the time once per week) and try to sell me their cable TV (I have telephone and 10m broadband with them but Sky + for TV) I keep telling them to sod off or come up with a HD PVR and I will be interested (well that was until a week ago whe I ordered Sky HD)

Strange that they have not called me in the last couple of weeks since I orderd Sky HD (can't wait to tell them!)


Steve....

[scrapbook]

Originally Posted by blicky_1

Strange that they have not called me in the last couple of weeks since I orderd Sky HD (can't wait to tell them!)


Steve....

I wouldn't get too excited, they will probably tell you you don't need a PVR when you can have that crappy pay per view service they offer

[blicky_1]

Originally Posted by scrapbook

I wouldn't get too excited, they will probably tell you you don't need a PVR when you can have that crappy pay per view service they offer

They have already tried that one on!!

[Welsh Thunderca]

NTL is finally starting to rev up for its upcoming battle with Sky, and anyone else for that matter, in the HDTV and personal video recorder markets. On Saturday the company announced details of its soon-to-be launched personal video recorder the Explorer 8450DVB. The model will apparently be HD and MPEG4 compatible and is being manufactured for NTL by Scientific Atlanta. It will sport a trio of TV tuners enabling users to record three programmes simultaneously. Other features include a 160GB hard drive (the same as Telewest's model and the current top-end Sky+ box), USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity, and the option of multi-room which will enable users to stream programmes to other Scientific Atlanta boxes in their home. Telewest, NTL’s one time friendly rival and now partner in the merged company, also has a unit which includes a similar set of features but isn't MPEG4 compatible.

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Welsh Thunderca

<Snip>

Do you have a link to this 'announcement'?

[blicky_1]

Originally Posted by Welsh Thunderca

NTL is finally starting to rev up for its upcoming battle with Sky, and anyone else for that matter, in the HDTV and personal video recorder markets. On Saturday the company announced details of its soon-to-be launched personal video recorder the Explorer 8450DVB. The model will apparently be HD and MPEG4 compatible and is being manufactured for NTL by Scientific Atlanta. It will sport a trio of TV tuners enabling users to record three programmes simultaneously. Other features include a 160GB hard drive (the same as Telewest's model and the current top-end Sky+ box), USB 2.0 and Ethernet connectivity, and the option of multi-room which will enable users to stream programmes to other Scientific Atlanta boxes in their home. Telewest, NTL’s one time friendly rival and now partner in the merged company, also has a unit which includes a similar set of features but isn't MPEG4 compatible.

IMHO it's too late!

[neilmcl]

Originally Posted by blicky_1

IMHO it's too late!

Explain .

[Welsh Thunderca]

www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/24/ntl_

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Welsh Thunderca

www.theregister.co.uk/2005/10/24/ntl_

That link just gives the following...

404: Page Not Found

[Welsh Thunderca]

The truth is out there....its just knowing where to find it

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by neilmcl

Explain .

I think what Blicky 1 means is that ntl have (again) missed a golden opportunity by being reactive.

They follow where others lead, Sky set the standards for DTV IMO, & will continue to do so with HD.

ntl with their amalgamation of networks have no option but to follow as their attention is elsewhere (Virgin etc)

Points to remember:

1) They followed TW by offering 10Mb BB (major knee jerk reaction that resulted in lots of 10Mb problems that are still present)

2) Some areas cannot even get DTV yet.

3) A lot of W/NW London still cannot get get cable BB from ntl.

4) It's only in the last year or 2 that ntl customers have got Sky Sports Extra.

5) Red Button interactivity is not present in most ntl areas.

Very, very poor for a company that claims to be at the cutting edge....

[neilmcl]

I agree with you points but I wouldn't say it's too late for NTL to make an impact. We're only at the beginning of the HD revolution in this country remember, nothings been settled yet, NTL have got plenty of time over the next few years to provide a competitve alternative to Sky HD.

[Welsh Thunderca]

Try googling NTL HD and look at the link i think its the second one down...www.theregister.co.uk

[Azzin]

Originally Posted by Welsh Thunderca

Try googling NTL HD and look at the link i think its the second one down...www.theregister.co.uk

I'll post it for you.

Link

[Edit]-Hmmmmm.....

NTL trials HDTV
Friday 18 Mar 2005 - 11:33


NTL has been trialing on-demand delivery of HDTV (high-definition television) streams over the next generation of broadband. The ISP, telco and digital TV provider announced this as part of the presentation of its fourth quarter results for 2004.

Source

Here we are in April 2006 & ntl's HDTV service still isn't here....

[Starburst]

Those trials were for ADSL2+ products which could then be offered outside of NTL's actual franchise areas, the same technology that BT and SKY will be using in fact.

The Cableforum is usually the first place to find rumours/gossip that is fairly uptodate and the ditching of the more advanced mpeg4 box has been mentioned.
If NTL adopted the mpeg2 box then they could bring it to market quicker assuming the software could be adapted for the networks that NTL control.

[Bravia]

NTL just lurch from one crisis (usually financial) to the next. They had a winner with broadband but again, as mentioned above, behaved in a purely reactive way. The cable network could have provided high broadband speeds long before the telephone network could, but did they establish their superiority? Nope.

I find it mind splittingly incredible that they STILL haven't got a PVR product after years of SKY+ and that large parts of their network are still don't have digital TV equally amazing.

We are now looking at a customer base some of whom might be able to get HD (God knows when) and some of whom are still only able to get analogue TV. I can't see Murdoch losing any sleep.

[blicky_1]

Originally Posted by Azzin

I think what Blicky 1 means is that ntl have (again) missed a golden opportunity by being reactive.

Yep exactly what I ment!

Well in my personal opinion anything offered from NTL would have to be truly awesome for me to ever consider moving back to, arguably, the worst company to deal with in my entire experience of life! Their recent tie-up with Virgin simply made the decision for me never to buy a Virgin mobile!

[Kevo]

NTL's 3 day EPG which literally means it takes 3 days to search and find anything on the 3rd day in the TV guide, pretty much somes up NTL's technical advances in the past several years.

My Humax Freeview PVR is even more advanced and quicker!

Didn't they used to have a 7 day epg?

I'll miss 'em like a whole in the head when I switch to Sky+ (HD) next month.