Cable TV reception confusion - What am I watching?

twogoodtwo

I live in an area where my television signal from my aeriel is extremely bad and I cannnot even get Sky. Therefore, a couple of years ago I got NTL installed for their analogue cable product paying c.£15 a month. The picture was much better, especially on channels 1-5. However, I have just realised that, instead of watching these channels thrrough the NTL Box, the box has actually been on Standby for the past couple of months without me realising this.

So what am I watching as the cable aeriel goes through the cable box but is not switched on. Do I actually need cable as I only got it for decent reception on channels 1-5.

Once I turn the box on, I can get channel 1-5 (plus all of the other cable channels you get but the picture is not as good).

Can anybody explain what is going on as I feel that I could be wasting £15 a month which would be gutting!!

Thanks

eamon

By law the cable companies have to "re-transmit" the "off air" channels i.e. BBC, ITV. C4 & 5.

The analogue set top box contains a device known as a "band pass unit" and this sends the "off air" channels to your tv direcly instead of the set top box. Hence you get channels 1 to 5 with the cable box on standby.

yours

Eamon

twogoodtwo

Eamon,

Thanks for your reply. Does that mean if I cancel my contract with NTL but keep the box on standby I will still get channels 1-5?

Thanks

T4i

If you cancel NTL they should turn up and take the box.

You can plug the cable coax directly into ur T.V aeiral socket

You get 1-5, news24 and some others.....

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Omertron

eamon wrote:

By law the cable companies have to "re-transmit" the "off air" channels i.e. BBC, ITV. C4 & 5.

There is no law that requires this. The channels are provided as part of the basic cable service, so as long as you have a current contract with them you will receive the channels. What the OP is seeing is the unencrypted channels along the analogue wire and as you said, passed straight through to the RF cable to their TV.

Are you even watching the extra channels from ntl (i.e. anything but channels 1-5)? If not, I'd cancell the contract and invest the money in getting a decent arial fitted and getting freeview.

What AlexJohnson is proposing you do is illegal and could result in a visit from ntl and/or the police.

twogoodtwo

Thank you all for your replies. I think I will not go down the alexjohnson route although thank you for fillinng me in. I probably would have gone down that route unwittingly and am now glad a am not. Don't even want to risk any meetings with PC plod over watching TV.

The problem I have regarding 'normal' aerials is that I live on a slope with 50 foot high trees behind the house higher on the slope and that is where I am suppose to point my aerial in that direction. This results in getting very poor reception. I read that you could get high strength aerials but am dubious of spending £50 upwards for it not to work.

Looks like NTL may be getting my money into perpetuity. Sigh. (No Sky either due to the trees)

Omertron

alexjohnson wrote:

To be fair, no I wasn't! I was saying it was possible, but clearly stated it was theft of service.

Point taken.

The channels are free to air, but that does not mean that the OP has a right to use ntl's cable network to receive those channels without paying ntl to carry the channels to them.

Omertron

twogoodtwo wrote:

Looks like NTL may be getting my money into perpetuity. Sigh. (No Sky either due to the trees)

It sounds like you are on the basic package with ntl, I.E. have a phone line with them too? Considering that BT charge you £11ish for a phone line, your cable connection is "only" costing you £4/month.

twogoodtwo

Alexjohnson makes a valid point - apologies, I was not insinuating that you suggested I actually break the law.

I don't actually use the phone line. My company pay for my 2 BT lines and will not pay for the cable one (even if I get rid of the BT one). You are right that it technically only costs c.£4 extra for the cable but I don't use or need the phone line sadly so its cost to me is the full £15.