NTL don't squirt all channels?

[teabag]

Can anyone help please? I'm getting really confused by NTLs different digital services.

I live in Hampshire and have what they call 'triple digital'. Basically a phone line, cable modem and digital TV. Great at £20.99 per month + any extra for prime channels. On the TV side I get all the usual BBC1,2,ITV Carlton, ITV Meridian, Ch4, Ch5. I also get a couple of free junk channels QVC etc. I also get a cable channel which I can switch for Sky1, Sky sports etc. This means I can, for example, watch Sky1 while taping BBC and vice versa.

My brother in law lives in Hertfordshire and also went for a digital TV package. It has now been installed and NTL have just told him he has one channel which he can switch for Sky BBC or whatever. But to tape BBC while watching Sky he needs to install an aerial! WTF? Does this mean they are only squirting one channel at a time down to his settop box? What's the point in that? For this priviledge he pays more than me (I think). I was very skeptical but it actually mentions the aerial thing in his NTL instruction booklet.

[JimN]

All fo the channels are transmitter down the cable at the same time, but the Set Top Box is only capable of decoding one channel at a time.

Just like a TV can only "tune-in" to one channel at a time, unless you have a fancy one with Picture in Picture and Twin Tuners, of course :rolleyes:

If you want to record a terrestrial channel while you're watching a cable channel, you will indeed need an aerial.

Jim

[stoneranger]

my cable is split in two and has an RF output and the digibox output. means i can watch terrestial whilst recording dig.

isn't this normal for NTL?

[teabag]

Originally posted by JimN
All fo the channels are transmitter down the cable at the same time, but the Set Top Box is only capable of decoding one channel at a time.

Just like a TV can only "tune-in" to one channel at a time, unless you have a fancy one with Picture in Picture and Twin Tuners, of course :rolleyes:

If you want to record a terrestrial channel while you're watching a cable channel, you will indeed need an aerial.

Jim

How come I can record one while watching another? Are you saying this applies to digital set top boxes only? Am I not getting digital then? As I said I don't have an aerial so how am I getting all these other channels simultaneously? I'm still confused.:confused:

[werewolf]

i think as a cost saving measure they took out the pass through that used to be in the set top boxes and allowed you to get BBC/ITV/C4 through the box at the same time as watching one of the cable channels (if that makes sense).