View Full Version : Pace Digital TV adapter £99
The Pace adapter for free to air digitial channels is being launched in March, it's pretty small and just plugs in apparently. Well done to Pace but this is still too expensive. It needs to be £50.
Anyone planning to but one at £99?
ZX
I might go for one if ITV digital come and collect my digibox (my contract has just ended)
These must be very similar to the regular ITV-Digital boxes , because you are supposed to be able to use the boxes for subsciption channels too (if you pay subsciption).
Its worth £99 to me for the peace and quiet BBC choice gives me (keeps my 4 yr old quiet with kids programs :D )
Yes, I'll be getting one when my current ITV-D subsription expires in June. I only use it for widescreen FTA's anyway (mainly) and I will be more than happy to cease paying for on-screen logos and intrusive adverts.
I saw it on the news ealier, looks different but nice. I guess £99 isn't too much if theres no subscription but I'll be staying with sky digital.
Let's hope they plug in via scart rather than coax!
I would expect that these will soon be had for 79.99 and 69.99 - with the right publicity people will hoover these things up. Considering you will get;
ITV2
Choice
News24
Shop?
Digital teletext (I hope)
ITN
and probably a few others from the BBC to come it isn't bad at all.
Confused
18-01-2002, 15:55
Info and pictures here :Pace DTR500 (http://www.pace.co.uk/paceproducts/product.asp?section=DT&product=170)
Looks good.
:confused:
Originally posted by Just
Let's hope they plug in via scart rather than coax!
The one shown on the news used a scart socket, and the aerial coax plugged into the back of the scart plug, which is good. The one I saw was nothing like the DTR500 though
I may well get one but I'm concerned how well it might work straight out of the box without any adjustments to my arial. It also bothers me that when analogue is turned off, millions of small second / third sets in spare rooms, bedrooms etc. will be obsolete unless each one is upgraded. I have a 20 year old 14 inch Amstrad (sorry about that, it was bought as a monitor for a spectrum and was the only suitable cheap option at the time) that is still giving faithful service and would probably do so for another 20 years if it were allowed to.
BlueDwarf
18-01-2002, 20:17
Originally posted by Just
Let's hope they plug in via scart rather than coax!
They should do both - there must be hundreds of thousands of old T.Vs out there without a SCART connection on them.
Originally posted by colin
It also bothers me that when analogue is turned off, millions of small second / third sets in spare rooms, bedrooms etc. will be obsolete unless each one is upgraded.
I wouldn't worry too much, I suspect when they finally switch off the analogue tranmissions the government will have to give away the adapters. Thats if the government of the day plans to be re-elected!
ZX
AndyWilson
19-01-2002, 10:45
Originally posted by ZX81
I wouldn't worry too much, I suspect when they finally switch off the analogue tranmissions the government will have to give away the adapters. Thats if the government of the day plans to be re-elected!
ZX
Everyone's talking as if this was the first time the TV system in the UK had totally changed. UHF TV transmissions were introduced in the UK in the '60s, firstly only for BBC2 colour, and when the old VHF system was finally withdrawn - in the late 70s/early 80s I believe, all the old VHF only TVs were left obselete. Of course there were nowhere near as many of them...
i wonder if the itv digital kevlar cards work with it???????????
very interesting
jason
Cable Monkey
19-01-2002, 20:39
This is precisely what I have been looking for, both from a personal point of view, and because it'll give ITV Digital that slap they need to wake up to some harsh realities. I understand the BBC were the driving force behind a digital alternative to ITV and fair play to them I say! As an ITVDigital customer in my second season, I am apalled at the standard of service they have provided, and although I may be a little sad to see the Pioneer set top go, the Pace looks as it will be easy on the eye and will hopefully provide me with a product that will work well with a £2000 tv.
norman32
20-01-2002, 21:07
In the lead up to the 405 line switch off all new TV sets from the early 1960s were dual standard 405/625 (some of them dreadful things - I had to repair them!) so by the time the switch off came in the 80s there were very few 405 only sets still working.
Compare that with today when a 'dual standard' digital/analogue tuner TV is near impossible to find in the shops. I think we have a long way to go before analogue switch off.
Norman
I don't own one, but presumably hand held sets like the casio range will be useless after the switch off. Also it seems to me that only top of the range wide screens are digital. Can you by a bog standard small / average set with a digital tuner?
Having not seen the news when, the pace device was on, my friend that it just plugs into the back of the tv and the ariel goes into the device.
But I was wondering how will it work without Tv's with remote controls or teletext, how will "PRESS THE RED BUTTON" now if you haven't got it to press, to gain access ton interactive features.
Maybe my friend was wrong, because surely the device will have yo have a remote of its own, is this so.
Andy_Hurst
21-01-2002, 13:27
To try and answer a few of the last questions as best I can.
errr yes it will have a remote of it's own.
handheld uhf analogue tv's will be pretty much knackered when they turn off analogue, there are'nt that many integrated DTV's because manufacturers only make things people want, basically the demand for DTV's has not been high, manufacturers (and consumers) are still waiting to see if ITV's service is viable.
This will not give ITV "the slap that they deserve" it will in fact make them very happy as a vast amount of the cash they're haemoraging at the moment is because of the hardware that only they are supplying. If people like the new platform and subscribe to ITV's services as well as just using FTA ITV will be very happy indeed. Although i agree that the BBC deserve a lot of credit for getting a FTA box made and available for retail.
It has a built in CAM AFAIK so seca mediaguard smartcards will presumably work in it.
PS when they finally do switch off analogue the digital signals will be soooo much easier to recieve. At the moment the main problem with recieving digital terrestrial transmissions is the analogue signal being so strong.
It outputs from a scart (guessing RGB, as thats the standard) and from an RF coax socket.
Ron Hill
22-01-2002, 14:54
Only the one scart I note. That means it would have to go through my DVD player to get to my one and only RGB capable scart. If I had a DVD player with no RGB passthru i'd be forced to demote one or the other to composite video. Perish the thought!
Confused
23-01-2002, 14:29
The picture I posted above is wrong, but I have found some more photos on the Pace website:
Pace digital box + packaging (http://www.pace.co.uk/images/pictures/dtvaukandpackblubg.jpg)
Pace in hand (http://www.pace.co.uk/images/pictures/dtvaukandmodelco.jpg)
Pace digital box + remote control (http://www.pace.co.uk/images/pictures/remoteco.jpg)
On the first picture the packaging clearly says, "Pay TV Upgradeable". Hopefully that just means a card, and not more hardware.
Looks okay to me. It'll look good on top of my Panny 28" WS.
:confused:
Ron Hill
23-01-2002, 14:46
.. and as usual, they're marketroid pics. No connection shots so we are all back in the dark as to how this thing connects and what the options are.
Confused
24-01-2002, 11:25
I saw this on another website forum:
On the day this was announced to the press and tv, the item was featured on BBC Working Lunch programme.
The presenter explained you could use it for ITVD pay channels by putting in a viewing card. He had a box in his hands and showed the card compartment, which had a removable cover, directly under the unit on the bottom of the cabinet. The contacts to connect with the card were clearly visible.
Curiously though, I saw that there seemed to be TWO sets of contacts, set a little way from each other, as though to fit different card contact formats/positioning.
A few more details there.
:confused:
The Pink Flamingo
24-01-2002, 12:30
This look like it could be a market-leading product to me. I was gonna buy a second-hand ITV digibox but now think I'll wait for this. ETA, anybody?
TPF
PS That bit of totty in the 'Pace in Hand' pic is a bit tasty IMHO. Great name for the pic, BTW! :D
Confused
24-01-2002, 12:37
ETA : End of March.
Originally posted by The Pink Flamingo
ETA, anybody?
Will be in shops from 30th March. See more here (http://www.pace.co.uk/content.asp?id=549&template=0).
Ian
Apparently Nokia are working on a similar sort of box according to HCC. (http://www.homecinemachoice.com/cgi-bin/displaynews.php?id=1414)
http://www.pace.co.uk/home/main.asp
There is a new article up and a picture of the unit.
http://www.pace.co.uk/images/dtvasmall.jpg
These are the available channels
BBC One
BBC Two
BBC Choice
BBC News 24
BBC Knowledge
BBC Parliament
BBC Text
ITV 1
ITV 2
ITN
ITV Text+
UTV2
Channel 4
FourText
S4C
S4C-2 – S4C2
TeleG
Channel 5
Teletext
TV Travel Shop
Shop! Value channel
Amd the option to subscribe to pay tv. (don't know how this works or how soon it will be implemeted?)
Pat Riot
16-04-2002, 18:52
So, anyone using one??
John_bones
16-04-2002, 21:59
There selling through Comet in 1000's with at least 1500 coming in each week we are still selling out. Not many problems yet so quality control at Pace must be good aswell.
They could do with having a bit more information on their site though. People still don't realise that signals and aerials may not be good enough, they obviously don't come here.
SwinnyDon
17-04-2002, 09:54
These are the available channels ...
Are these the same channels that you would get free if you had a sky box with no sky subsription but a BBC viewing card? Is E4 free? Only channel I really watch!
A full user guide is available through the website at http://www.pacefreetoview.co.uk/DTVAUserGuide.PDF
The website seems to make it clear that it is not upgradable to Pay TV - a pretty major drawback, IMHO.
Originally posted by jfarr
A full user guide is available through the website at http://www.pacefreetoview.co.uk/DTVAUserGuide.PDF
The website seems to make it clear that it is not upgradable to Pay TV - a pretty major drawback, IMHO.
Its not a drawback if ITV Digital folds !!!!
There won't be any pay TV to upgrade to then.
ed rooney
18-04-2002, 10:28
Originally posted by Simes
Its not a drawback if ITV Digital folds !!!!
There won't be any pay TV to upgrade to then.
What are the chances of someone else taking up the terrestrial franchise. The government can't be happy that Sky would have a monopoly in non-cable areas.
I don't want $ky - I just want Paramount and E4. :(
Cowboyjas
18-04-2002, 12:20
Originally posted by ed rooney
I don't want $ky - I just want Paramount and E4. :(
Yep, me too, those two channels exactly. Surely all involved can work something out?
Not much use to me as I'm nowhere near any receiver for digital, um.. receiving.
Area code SS0
I had a look when Argos were selling the OnDigital boxes and the laminated directorys that listed all the available areas for digital had S.E. Essex removed. Poop.:(
Boink!
Kwazemowdoe
23-04-2002, 11:54
Has anyone actually bought one of these yet?
SwinnyDon
23-04-2002, 11:58
Originally posted by Cowboyjas
Yep, me too, those two channels exactly. Surely all involved can work something out?
I take it these aren't free then! :(
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