Can I use NTL box for FreeView if I cancel NTL Contract ?

TokyoJoe

Hi Not sure if this is the correct Forum .

Currently paying NTL £21.50 for Set top Box which we only really use to Watch ITV2 , BBC 3 etc . A friend told me that as I have been with NTL for over a year If I cancel the contract they have to leave the box in place and it effectivly becomes a FreeView Box which I can still use to access FreeView Channels .

Is this correct ? I f i phone and cancel the contract can I continue using the box unmodified ?

I have been thinking of moving to Freeview but slightly put off becuase I dont think we have very good reception in our area even though I have a roof areail ( I cant get good Channel 5 reception) . If I cant use teh NTl box are there any recommendations for choosing a Freeview box.

Thanks

lipidicman

This wasn't true when I had ntl. They came to collect the box. However things may have changed since then

Woby_Tide

I cancelled a couple of months back after 3 years with them and they took the box, as per their T&C's unlike Sky the box is pretty much always the property of NTL/Telewest and they can pick it up if you no longer take their services. Whether they cactually collect is another issue

smcicr

i'd also be interested in finding this out as i cancelled a long time ago, tried to get them to come and collect the box and remote etc but despite assurances they would no-one has ever appeared so i have the box lying around doing nowt

lipidicman

With ntl, forget about collecting the box, consider yourself lucky if they stop billing you!

clayts

NTL boxes cannot be used for Freeview - the signal has to come from the rooftop aerial for Freeview, not cable.

There's a couple of supermarkets doing £30 Freeview boxes at present.

However, before throwing your NTL contract away, try ringing them and telling them you're thinking of leaving : chances are they'll do you a good deal : a lot of us on here have made savings (I saved £222 just by one 10 minute free phonecall)

lipidicman

I think the OP meant 'free to air channels' through the cable system (like you can get some channels with a sky dish but no subscription), rather than freeview. The way it was phrased did make it sound like that, but I presumed he knew the difference

Northtim

Theres folk selling ntl boxes on ebay for under £50 so even if they did collect yours you could buy a replacement. If you don't get channel 5 well i think freeview is unlikely to work without at least a new aerial.

TokyoJoe

thanks all for the advice. Just to clarify It was just the free over the air channels I was looking for ( BBC3, ITV2 , News 24 , Ceebeebies etc ) . If the box is still in place but the contract is terminated will I be able to access these Channels therough the NTL box as if it was a FreeView decoder ?

ioscorpio

My friend cancelled with NTL and when the guy came round to disconnect it, she made me coffe and croissants, flirted a bit and he left her with box and some of the channels intact.

Woby_Tide

Northtim wrote:

If you don't get channel 5 well i think freeview is unlikely to work without at least a new aerial.

I wouldn't rely on that, it's not true in quite a lot of places. The two signals are not related