ntl digital box

Stevek101

I got ntl digital installed today. But I'm not sure if I got the right box. Its dirty and seems well used with the ntl placed on the box? The remote has the upc fire logo on it however and seems new...

Has the planner not received a upc face lift? This one has the old ntl colours...

icdg

Stevek101 wrote: »

I got ntl digital installed today. But I'm not sure if I got the right box. Its dirty and seems well used with the ntl placed on the box? The remote has the upc fire logo on it however and seems new...

Has the planner not received a upc face lift? This one has the old ntl colours...

Sounds like you've been given an NTL box, for some reason. How odd. As far as I was aware NTL boxes were being replaced with UPC boxes on new installs. Indeed my own (comparatively ancient, mind you) Pace Di4010 NTL box was replaced with a UPC one some time back.

Stevek101

Is the planner different with the new boxes? That is the most annoying thing about it, it is so glitchy.

Chopper Dave

Stevek101 wrote: »

I got ntl digital installed today. But I'm not sure if I got the right box. Its dirty and seems well used with the ntl placed on the box? The remote has the upc fire logo on it however and seems new...

Has the planner not received a upc face lift? This one has the old ntl colours...

Hi SteveK - unfortunately the same thing happened to some friends of fine on Friday. I had recommended the broadband and they "upgraded" to UPC Digital Basic in order to save on the analogue TV prices. They received the old Pace box complete with bright pink menus and non-functional EPG, etc. I thought those boxes had been done away with long ago (I used to have one and it was terrible). What's more the instruction manual they received relates to a completely different box with different (UPC) EPG and remote control. I didn't notice if it was a used box though

Stevek101

I'm definitely going to complain about this after paying €25 for the thing to be installed correctly. I guess I'm not surprised.

icdg

Stevek101 wrote: »

Is the planner different with the new boxes? That is the most annoying thing about it, it is so glitchy.

UPC branded boxes have entirely different software to NTL branded boxes (and for that matter, Chorus branded ones have another different interface).

Probably the biggest improvement is the EPG, with gives an eight day listing (compared to three days in theory with NTL, usually not working beyond midnight that day!), its got a grid view like Sky. Also the TV window (intended for Front Row Previews, which never got off the ground in Ireland, but showing City Channel latterly) shows whatever channel you were last on instead.

The biggest downside of the UPC interface compared to the NTL one is that you can no see later programmes in Browse (just Now and Next) and, if you like radio, you'll be disappointed that the radio stations are removed from the main EPG and put in their own seperate guide, which only lists the current programme and gives no future programme information.

Stevek101

My current box doesn't even have radio.

Chopper Dave

icdg wrote: »

UPC branded boxes have entirely different software to NTL branded boxes (and for that matter, Chorus branded ones have another different interface).

It is odd that they're still giving these out given that the new UPC boxes are better. EPG aside, my memory of the old NTL / Pace boxes was that it kept crashing and freezing which necessitated constant rebooting.

irlirishkev

I had NTL Digital installed on Saturday, and I got the older box too. NTL on the front, Pace on the top. The guy installing it did mention there were newer boxes, but that the quality was actually better on the older ones. I didn't really pay much attention at the time though..

087dannyboy

I got this installed about a week ago aswell and i got a sagem box with chorus wrote on it. Looks to be well used aswell.
Picture looks a little blurry aswell dunno if thats down to the box . Still you'd expect to get the latest version box .

tallaghtfornia

I had NTL Digital installed on Saturday, and I got the older box too. NTL on the front, Pace on the top. The guy installing it did mention there were newer boxes, but that the quality was actually better on the older ones. I didn't really pay much attention at the time though..

Funny this my mother got the "Digital Value pack" in at the weekend and got the old NTL box - with an old NTL Card in the slot did your box also have the old card in it?

paulm17781

Is this a cost saving thing or are installers misbehaving? It sounds very strange. Has anyone contacted UPC about it?

Stevek101

They've told me it was a big mistake and it most definitely shouldn't of happened...

cltt97

Chopper Dave - I have problems with sound and freezing lately - when your box froze, did you also have sound problems, i.e. noise?

Chopper Dave

cltt97 wrote: »

Chopper Dave - I have problems with sound and freezing lately - when your box froze, did you also have sound problems, i.e. noise?

It's been a while since I had that box but as I remember the picture just froze and there was no sound. Had to unplug the box and reboot to get back to a normal picture. I'm still really surprised that these boxes are being given out.

tontoirl

Got UPC installed the other week too......

So ur tellin' me I have an old Pace DC221KN digibox (with the yucky pink menus) and yes it does lock up every now and then..

I didn't get any manuals either so went to the UPC website and they don't have this digibox on theit list..

Time to email them me thinks..

paulm17781

If you only got it installed recently you should have gotten a UPC box. I'd phone them about this. The UPC boxes are much better.

tontoirl

Update........

Was just on to a very nice & helpful girl in UPC.

The Pace box was installed because they don't have any of the new UPC ones in stock (and still don't) so I'm/we are stuck with these old crap ones.

Got a nice new TV and HDD recorder etc etc and they give me outdated equipment.

bilko1234

tontoirl wrote: »

Update........

Was just on to a very nice & helpful girl in UPC.

The Pace box was installed because they don't have any of the new UPC ones in stock (and still don't) so I'm/we are stuck with these old crap ones.

Got a nice new TV and HDD recorder etc etc and they give me outdated equipment.

Hi
5 months down the line, did you have any luck with getting your old box changed?
I have one of those old boxes (with the crappy pink menus), and lately it's been giving me a lot of grief. Picture freezing,channels not changing despite repeated pressing of remote, then a big flurry of skipping half a minute later. The box also freezes every night at 1.00am.
Just wanted to know your experience and anybody alse who might have any advice.
Thanks

tontoirl

bilko1234 wrote: »

Hi
5 months down the line, did you have any luck with getting your old box changed?
Thanks

Hi

The original Pace box gave up about 2 weeks ago (the grief I got from my 3yr old 'cos he didn't have his Nick Jr). I rang UPC and they said no problem we will have a new one installed ASAP, which they did.

The UPC engineer called out and installed another Pace box (which didn’t work) so I asked him to install one of the other boxes. He said that they where terrible and that the Pace, with it’s horrible menus, is a much better box. So, I still have a Pace box, but tempted to upgrade to their HD for 7.50/m…

Rgds
Tony

ynotdu

Cant believe UPC are still 'chancing their arm' with this.In what was the NTL area as people upgraded they were taking away the old box's,then they were giving the sometimes physicly dirty box's to people who wanted multiroom as a second/third box.

have to add I am not sure if it is UPC,s policy or subcontracors as I know of a case where the upgrade card was not delivered AND a subby phoned to collect the old Pace box's?

fiddling in theory can still be done by installers{alledgedly:)}
phoning sales and insisting that either for your first UPC box or adding extra ones to be brand new out of the box,IMO can do no harm;)

frogfish

Did anyone get a conclusion to problems with their box. I am on the second one now. There seems to be a major software problem. Had black one, this one is silver and looks like a different manufacturer. Sound mutes, have to reboot. Defaults back to info channel about 5 times a day. Will start scrolling continually through guide. When paused will back up when you go to play again... pretty annoying. will change channels when just scrolling. Need I go on. I feel that someone else should be paying the rental at this stage. Not funny any more. Daughter is pretty pissed as when they changed the box she lost her recorded 'In the night garden' :-) The 2nd box is Worse.. Can anyone let me know if they had any success