Empty TV5 Space

LegacyUser

Now that TV5 has moved off its place on ntl what should replace it?I think it should be replaced by either UK Gold or Paramount.What do others think?

icdg

I would love either. Or BBC NEWS 24, or UTV-2 would be nice.

Sadly it seems NTL have no plans to fill the channel. I have a personal suspicison their digiboxes will be tuned to this frequency...

Cloud

From icdg:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">
Seems like the information I recieved from NTL was incorrect...if nothing happens I'll post an correction to the story during the week.
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icdg

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Cloud:
From icdg:

Seems like the information I recieved from NTL was incorrect...if nothing happens I'll post an correction to the story during the week.
</font>

Now it seems National Geographic's replacing TV5 on 288Mhz, but what's happening to NG on 48Mhz?

BTW E4 would be another channel I would love to have on NTL Dublin. Or ITN News Channel


[This message has been edited by icdg (edited 09-05-2001).]

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by icdg:

Originally posted by Cloud:
From icdg:

Seems like the information I recieved from NTL was incorrect...if nothing happens I'll post an correction to the story during the week.
</font>

Now it seems National Geographic's replacing TV5 on 288Mhz, but what's happening to NG on 48Mhz?

BTW E4 would be another channel I would love to have on NTL Dublin. Or ITN News Channel

ITN News Channel? I'd prefer Euronews 24 hours a day compared with ITN News Channel. Mind you BBC News 24 would be perfect, but there is only enough room for one news channel, and Sky News is adequate.
If NGC is moving, I would say that NBC are going to use the channel again (it is there space from the old Super Channel days, after all) and maybe broadcast CNBC Europe24 hours a day? I would like that, espically to see the NBC Nightly News again every night (I only get to see it once a week on Sky Digital when I get home!)
This is only a hunch, by the way......

icdg

This may well come true, see my latest update (up about 5 minutes after this message is posted).

This morning 48Mhz had CNBC at breakfast as per usual, but 288Mhz had SkyDigital 24hour feed of National Geographic! TV5 is back there now however.

My hunch, and its only a hunch, is that we will have 24 (well, 18 hour anyway) National Geographic on 288Mhz as per yesterday, and 24 hour CNBC Europe on 48Mhz.

My own bet is that this is due to the shut down of Sky Analogue, whereupon the dual CNBC/NGC channel NTL uses at the moment will no longer exist. Of course, NTL could always do the switching manually...

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by icdg:
My own bet is that this is due to the shut down of Sky Analogue, whereupon the dual CNBC/NGC channel NTL uses at the moment will no longer exist. Of course, NTL could always do the switching manually...</font>

I also see, since Monday that the ISEQ quotes on the CNBC Ticker is coming around a lot quicker!

I thought that this particular feed of CNBC/NGC was coming off a German aimed satellite, I recall seeing this on CNBC Teletext a while back, maybe when NGC came onto Cablelink....

In reference to Digital Cable, are NTL going to run it on Band III ?? Since we are the only country to have Band III cable anyways, that wouldn't surprise me. Shurley the way they do digital cable in Britain would be the most cost effective solution for NTL?

LegacyUser

AFAIK, ntl do the switching between Sky Digital NGC & analouge CNBC..
I've seen NGC freeze alot on ntl and someone going into the menus on their reciever to select the channel again.. It appeared to be Sky Digital, although the menu wasn't that of a regular consumer digibox. Also you can see the blockiness of the signal at times from its digital compression.

I notice Nick staying on all night now.. At the moment (22:55) a Nickelodeon test card is on, which is what is coming of Sky Digital. I presume the old TV5 space will be replaced with the NTL channel

LegacyUser

Also... below 408mhz on all the old Cablelink test channels there are noticable patterns (on and off for the past few months) ... These I believe are tests for their new digital service coming in September they say.

LegacyUser

ntl may already be using a digital feed. That's why it sometimes freezes. The sirus satellites at 5E carry ntl's digital movie channels (Front Row) but there is also a feed of CNBC from 0500 - 1100 followed by Nat Geo.

Check http://www.lyngsat.com/sirius.shtml

LegacyUser

Also f you've an old sky system you notice Nat Geo on Sky analogue has been gone for a good while (replaced by Viva Zwei).

LegacyUser

I reckon that NTL won't be in a hurry to provide us with a new channel without charging extra for it, so it's most likely to be the CNBC 24 hour feed.

Even though they're still not ready to launch the digital service, it will seem more impressive the more extra channels they offer.

Having said that - I'd love ITV2 (TVYou) just to see Letterman every night.

LegacyUser

I'd have to agree with Charles on this one. Cablelink/NTL have NEVER been too concerned with increasing their channel packages (at least not without increasing the subscription anyway). One of the reasons I switched to Sky themselves in the first place (first analogue & now digital) was that I got tired of waiting for NTL to provide a decent selection, and especially as they were/are still charging the same for their 7 Premium channels that Sky charge for EVERYTHING (and dont get me started on that whole loss of Sky One & News a few years back).

For example, CNN has been on the Cablelink/NTL Dublin network for YEARS now but it's encrypted and (as far as I know) was never made available to even Premium subscribers.

My advice, get Sky Digital, stop waiting/hoping for NTL to provide a decent service and once we get the rest of the terrestrial channels on Digital, cut them off completely.

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Charles Slane:

Having said that - I'd love ITV2 (TVYou) just to see Letterman every night.</font>

It is UTV2 now - which it should have been from the start. But it still isn't in the Radio Times. And still no ads! Do ntl customers in NI get UTV2 or ITV2?

LegacyUser

According to a report in the business section of today's Irish Times, NTL will be applying for an increase in their subscription fees soon. They may not be granted an increase as I'm sure Etain Doyle is not happy that they still haven't introduced a digital service yet.

As Sky Digital begins to really take off in Ireland, you'd imagine that NTL would be trying to be more competitive rather than raising their prices.

LegacyUser

True ntl want to up their price, however for 15 channels they charge £9. Chorus is £18.49!
And with ntl, you get stereo radio, can watch and video separate channels, and sound is stereo all channels. How did/do Chorus get away with it?

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by pd:
True ntl want to up their price, however for 15 channels they charge £9. Chorus is £18.49!
And with ntl, you get stereo radio, can watch and video separate channels, and sound is stereo all channels. How did/do Chorus get away with it?</font>

They had a monopoly in their areas. Now Sky is competitive, and as much as I resent giving money to Murdoch he'll do for me and I can't wait to get Sky. Hopefully we'll get it put in within the fortnight. I haven't got the card through the door yet.

icdg

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Richard:
It is UTV2 now - which it should have been from the start. But it still isn't in the Radio Times. And still no ads! Do ntl customers in NI get UTV2 or ITV2?</font>

They get neither - UTV2 is still only on DTT. England and Wales NTL customers do get ITV-2 (depending on franchise) and Scottish customers get what's left of S2 after the New Year's Day cull of programming.

UTV I believe have high hopes of getting UTV2 on NTL - its the only way they'll ever be able to make some money out of the channel (still apparently has no advertising)...but haven't been able to negiotate a deal

Its listings are in the TVTimes - still under TVyou. (Not surprising, they still list UTV as Ulster).

With regard to CNN International, Cablelink had a little side-business selling CNN to hotels, which obviously they wouldn't be able to do if it was FTA. NTL seem unwilling to stop this rather dubious practice...

As for Nickelodeon, we will probably have almost-full service but for this week only - the Link service is down for maintanence work, according to a message last night on the channel for approx 1 hour, after which Nickelodeon re-appeared. Full details on the site. Mind you, NTL were still showing analogue Nick/Paramount until very recently (obviously not the Paramount bit)

[This message has been edited by icdg (edited 12-05-2001).]

LegacyUser

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by icdg:
They get neither - UTV2 is still only on DTT. England and Wales NTL customers do get ITV-2 (depending on franchise) and Scottish customers get what's left of S2 after the New Year's Day cull of programming.</font>

Funny - My Uncle has NTL DigitalPlus in Newtownabbey and he said he had ITV2. I had also heard somewhere else that they carried ITV2 (the same England, Wales and Scottish Borders get).

I don't have confirmation though.

LegacyUser

The TV5 relay has been replaced by Digital Plus tests... If you look at the patterns in the static you can tell its digital. There are loads of other frequencies above that now have these patterns too.

icdg

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by David C:
The TV5 relay has been replaced by Digital Plus tests... If you look at the patterns in the static you can tell its digital. There are loads of other frequencies above that now have these patterns too.</font>

This would be a handy frequency to have the Digitalplus boxes tuned to - it would be already tuned in on most TVs and avoid a lot of hardship on NTLs part with retuning TVs.

Furthermore it would allow those of us with lost remotes to tune in...