UPC Terrestrial Channels

Jimmycooker

Lads,

If I have UPC digital TV & broadband and decide to get rid of the TV, do they still pipe the analogue channels down the same cable?

Thanks.

JDxtra

Yes. But officially you should not view them if you are not paying. Without the TV service, you will also have to pay a "standalone" charge for the broadband (€8/month I think).

user1842

JDxtra wrote: »

Yes. But officially you should not view them if you are not paying. Without the TV service, you will also have to pay a "standalone" charge for the broadband (€8/month I think).

I just get their broadband and yes you still get the analogue channels. I made the installer a cup of tea and he connected the analogue channels for free (connected the cable and splitter for nothing into the back of the TV)

Also I dont think you can actually buy the analogue channels anymore. Only a matter of time before they remove them I think. Quality of the channels is rubbish though.

who is this

JDxtra wrote: »

Yes. But officially you should not view them if you are not paying. Without the TV service, you will also have to pay a "standalone" charge for the broadband (€8/month I think).

I never quite understand this. It's only the 4-terrestrial channels they provide after cutoff. Why don't they cut them off too? Are they not legally obliged to provide them for free? It would make sense given the fact that they left them on when they switched Cork over to digital-only.

Also, dunno about the theft-of-service thing when you're paying for BB with that standalone charge. You could argue that the standalone charge is a charge for the cable connection (essentially it is, just one you don't pay with telly) and so nothing that they supply you with via it could be theft of service, esp. a FTA channel like RTÉ.

Not saying theft-of-service is ok, even for RTÉ, I just amn't convinced it is in this case given the Cork situation after they switched off analogue. Must be some reason they left them on...

Correct me if I'm wrong. If it's not some legal obligation, I'd love to know why they do leave on the terrestrial channels...

JDxtra

who is this wrote: »

It's only the 4-terrestrial channels they provide after cutoff.

There are approx. 17 channels still carried on the analogue system (in Dublin at least) and this includes the four Irish terrestrial channels. Are you in another region, or referring to an MMDS system?

who is this wrote: »

Are they not legally obliged to provide them for free?

No. It’s a private cable system. They are obliged to carry the four Irish channels as part of their TV service.

who is this wrote: »

Also, dunno about the theft-of-service thing when you're paying for BB with that standalone charge. You could argue that the standalone charge is a charge for the cable connection

Or, you could argue that those who have the TV service and another service are receiving a discount. This makes more sense I think.

Note that basic TV (the UPC analogue system) is actually €24.75/month: http://www.upc.ie/television/basictv

icdg

who is this wrote: »

Not saying theft-of-service is ok, even for RTÉ, I just amn't convinced it is in this case given the Cork situation after they switched off analogue. Must be some reason they left them on...

Correct me if I'm wrong. If it's not some legal obligation, I'd love to know why they do leave on the terrestrial channels...

Cork is a different kettle of fish to the rest of the country. Its analogue was encrypted (as I recall Cork Communications had a particular problem with piracy) and is now officially switched off. For some reason UPC continue to supply the four terrestrials on analogue there, indeed they supplied these in the clear even while the rest of the service was encrpyted.

To the best of my knowledge no other UPC network has switched off its analogue. Nor for that matter am I aware of any other UPC network where the analogue service is/was encrypted. This brings me to my point.

Because analogue is unencrypted, there is, as I have said before, absolutely no way of stopping a person receieving the analogue TV service other than physically cutting the cable. That's why even if you cancel another service, so long as you have a connection to UPC, you have access to the analogue TV service.

watty

Eventually, they will kill the analogue entirely. Even the FTA Irish terrestrials will only be on Digital cable.

Economics. 17 Analogue is over 750Mbps of data for Digital TV or Modem download traffic.

At 10:1 contention that's 250 customers on 30Mbps package. €49.75 each p.m., almost €150k p.a. per node extra capacity.

So why duplicate what is on Digital at higher quality?

Koloman

watty wrote: »

Eventually, they will kill the analogue entirely.

Any ideas when this will be? Would they coincide it with the analogue terrestrial switch off in 2012 or would they keep it running for a number of years after?

watty

I think they will do it October 2012 to take advantage of the ASO. It will deflect ire if people erroneously think UPC has to turn it off (they don't).

Cantona's Collars

watty wrote: »

I think they will do it October 2012 to take advantage of the ASO. It will deflect ire if people erroneously think UPC has to turn it off (they don't).

Gona be a lot of pissed off people then who will lose their 'free' telly in every room in their houses.Their only choice is to pay multiroom subs.
FTA systems could see a boom in traditional cable areas as people look for a free alternative for extra rooms while keeping a main UPC sub for their living rooms as they otherwise will have to fork out for a service they once had gratis.

watty

Which is why Currys campaign of "Compatibilty doesn't matter" if you are buying TV for Sky or UPC is nonsense and should be illegal. Claiming MPEG2 is OK for Sky UPC. Well MPEG2 also is irrelevant for UPC/Sky and their HD boxes do MPEG2 and MPEG4. Basically Currys selling Monitors and pretending they are TV and "blinding" folk with spurious MPEG2 claims.

Pay TV penetration is over 80% here. Rightfully it ought to be about 50%. Most people don't know what's available for free and don't realise how little they watch the "real" pay TV channels. Not everyone with Pay TV has it for Sky Sports, Setanta or ESPN, that's likely only 40% of Pay TV or less.

Cantona's Collars

watty wrote: »

Pay TV penetration is over 80% here. Rightfully it ought to be about 50%. Most people don't know what's available for free and don't realise how little they watch the "real" pay TV channels. Not everyone with Pay TV has it for Sky Sports, Setanta or ESPN, that's likely only 40% of Pay TV or less.

It's actually cable customers who are less clued in on what's available free,the majority believe it's a choice of UPC or getting Sky,they no little or nothing of FTA.
A lot of traditional cable areas have customers who no nothing else,even the younger generation were brought up with cable tv in the home and carry on the tradition when they get their own places-pay tv is seen as the norm.