UPC - Upgrading from Analogue to Digital (And paying less!?)

snappieT

Hi all,
I was looking recently at upgrading from the Analogue service (at €23.50/pm) to the "Value" Digital Service (at €20pm). I know that this means I will get a set-top box to decode the digital signal, but am I correct in saying that the analogue signal will still be available on the line (for a second television to view existing stations?). If not, how much extra does to cost to retain the analogue service on these TVs?

Futhermore, are the boxes currently being sent out provided with any sort of digital audio out? Optical or Coax? Does anything broadcast on the UPC network even have anything other than standard strereo audio? Are the connections any different on the DVR they offer?

Thanks in advance,
Steve

danIrl

Yes, the analogue service still remains. It used to be 26€ pm for the basic digital, but now that they have introduced a value digital pack for 20€, you may aswell get it, since not only do you get digital, but you still get analogue cheaper than before!

p15574

I'm currently on UPC analogue and this interests me. However, I'm planning on installing Freesat at some point in the next 6 months. I presume if you upgrade to UPC digital you're locked into a contract with them for a year or so?

paulm17781

p15574 wrote: »

I'm currently on UPC analogue and this interests me. However, I'm planning on installing Freesat at some point in the next 6 months. I presume if you upgrade to UPC digital you're locked into a contract with them for a year or so?

I'm near certain all new products incur a 12 month contract. You're probably better off getting the FTA instead. Do you plan to keep any UPC or get rid of it all?

p15574

I was planning on getting rid of the UPC tv element completely. I have UPC broadband at the mo so need some form of upc (unless I change broadband provider). With the €6 charge it'd nearly be worth keeping UPC and so go ahead and lock into the contract even if I did get the FTA stuff. It's a pain having multiple sources, though, as it will be with the DTT next year, especially if you want to change channels or record stuff. Remote controls all over the place, and those harmony yokes wouldn't be very child-proof. Tryign to put all the signals (analogue/UPC digital/DTT/satellite) down the same wire to each room might be difficult too.

bk

I've little doubt that UPC are using this as a tactic towards eventually getting rid of the analogue service.

It is a no brainer for everyone on the analogue service to sign up to this digital service. I have no doubt that UPC will heavily promote this (while perhaps increasing the price of the analogue service) and once most of their analogue customers are signed up to the digital service, they will then turn off the analogue TV service.

Thus solving UPC's privacy problems and giving them more space for more digital TV channels, HD, VoD and BB services.

BTW does anyone know if the digital boxes UPC are currently distributing are MPEG4 compatible?

It would be short sighted of UPC not to take this opportunity to deliver MPEG4 boxes so that they could eventually switch to MPEG4 and save even more space.

Mr. Presentable

I think I read somewhere the plan is to be digital only by 2012.

btw, the thread title is dead misleading on the front page

paulm17781

bk wrote: »

BTW does anyone know if the digital boxes UPC are currently distributing are MPEG4 compatible?

I'm pretty certain they're not though I think the HD box (in the Netherlands) is MPEG4 compatible.

bk

nipplenuts wrote: »

I think I read somewhere the plan is to be digital only by 2012.

That is the date to switch off analogue TV over aerial, it doesn't apply to cable.

UPC could continue analogue forever if they wanted.

However I agree it is probably the goal for UPC to switch off of analogue aerial TV as a cover for their own switch off.

But perhaps it will come even sooner, perhaps even around when Boxer launch next year.

I've a prediction to make, around the time boxer DTT launches next year, UPC will introduce a €10 Digital TV package with roughly the same line up as their current analogue TV service, in order to compete with Boxers €10 package and UPC might use the opportunity to turn off the analogue TV service.

Emerson

Sorry.. Just to reiterate then..

Analogue only = 23.50EUR total
Analogue + digital = 20EUR total.

Is this correct? If so, I'm calling my parents back in Dublin from here in Sydney with the orders to switch!

paulm17781

Emerson wrote: »

Sorry.. Just to reiterate then..

Analogue only = 23.50EUR total
Analogue + digital = 20EUR total.

Is this correct? If so, I'm calling my parents back in Dublin from here in Sydney with the orders to switch!

It's basic digital (about 20 channels) and only for one point (analogue will be on the others) it is a price saving though. For €26.50 (3 euro more) they could get about 30 digital channels in one room and keep the analogue.

This is the €20 package. http://www.upc.ie/television/digitaltv/value/

snappieT

paulm17781 wrote: »

It's basic digital (about 20 channels) and only for one point (analogue will be on the others) it is a price saving though. [...]
This is the €20 package. http://www.upc.ie/television/digitaltv/value/

Actually it's 60 channels according to the site.

Thanks for the info guys, but what's the story with the outputs (coax or optical) on both the standard and the DVR boxes?

J-blk

I switched about 7 months ago when the digital was ¢0.50 more expensive than the analog - the sales guy pretty much confirmed that they were increasing the price of the analog quite often, but keeping digital at the same price. So eventually, as seems to be the case now, digital is cheaper than analog - as others said, my guess is that it is mainly a move to drive everyone to digital which would solve UPC's major piracy problems on analog-only connections.

The standard box is the Pace DC621KU:

http://www.pace.com/corporate/products/productDetails.asp?nav=products&productID=DCABLE-DC621KU

It has SCART outputs, a digital co-axial audio output and stereo co-axial audio outputs as well. I have not used the digital audio output so I have no idea what it's like I'm afraid. Overall, it' a pretty poor box, the EPG and menus are extremely slow and even changing channels can be pretty bad sometimes - if you are plugging into a Media Center PC or something, that's something you can easily get around, but the box itself isn't great IMO. Maybe someone else can comment on the DVR, I have no idea on its' specs/performance...

Infoanon

UPC are trying to attract digital customers (Irish Times 7th Aug) after a drop in subscribers and SKY increasing their customers at a rate that SKY will surpass UPC within the next three months....

NinjaTruncs

is UPC DVR any good? for 1.50 more a month than the analogue cost you can get their basic digital with DVR..

paulm17781

NinjaTruncs wrote: »

is UPC DVR any good? for 1.50 more a month than the analogue cost you can get their basic digital with DVR..

It's probably not as good as Sky+ but it is way better than not having a DVR.

vincent1

hi all

based on reading other threads i can now upgrade from analogue to digital value pack for €20. with my existing analogue set i have split the signal three ways. one to tv in a another room which allows to watch different channels to main tv and one to my stereo in kitchen to allow me to listen to radio channels. can i still do this with "value digital" setup as from previous threads the analogue signal is still there at no extra cost

regards

vincent1

paulm17781

vincent1 wrote: »

based on reading other threads i can now upgrade from analogue to digital value pack for €20. with my existing analogue set i have split the signal three ways. one to tv in a another room which allows to watch different channels to main tv and one to my stereo in kitchen to allow me to listen to radio channels. can i still do this with "value digital" setup as from previous threads the analogue signal is still there at no extra cost

Yes.

They will be stopping analogue broadcasts eventually, AFAIK there is no public date for this yet, so it won't work at some stage in the future. If you get Digital value, what you are talking about will work until they stop the analogue broadcasts and it will cost less.