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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 8036
Location: East Devon
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 Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2007 10:55 pm Post subject: BT Vision |
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This is a Freeview box that has a 160GB HD giving 80Hrs recording capacity, plus video on demand like footie, music and tv progs.
If you are a BT Broadband customer, this is just £30 connection fee and no other costs to pay upfront or monthly, so looks a good deal 
Need to agree to extending your BT BB contract, but if you don't intend switching, that is not too bad 
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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. |
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jason123
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Dec 2006
Posts: 1239
Location: Stellaville
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| Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 11:11 pm Post subject: |
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Do the online speed check Hoovie, thats when they tell you your line speed doesnt support the service, I get nearly 2.5Mb link and it wont work at that speed. The footy I dont know about all premiership matches, I think it will be in cahoots with Setanta, which is ok if your happy watching SPL.
I am keen on the service and what it offers, but alas, no 
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 8036
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:00 am Post subject: |
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Valid point, jason. I always got "line too slow" until yesterday
I am interested myself in the freeview recording aspect more then broadband -
I am very dubious about ability of BB to ever deliver real-time broadcast quality, but for Freeview, It looks a good deal. I'll post a reveiw after I got mine 
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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. |
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Welsh Decorator
Senior Member
Joined: 29 Sep 2007
Posts: 4063
Location: Cheshire
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 12:22 am Post subject: |
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Very seceptical 
Just done as Jas, got 3.34mb at best out of a pos, sorry aledged 8mb from 'Orange'.
It is crap! Wind in the trees....... forget it! Slighty moist? 'Oh.....there's a fault on your line'....... my ar e!
Untill so called Broad Band get's it's collective backside together, I will not bother, I would rather pay a little more and get a personal digital video player, or PDVP havae a look at Maplin, they have got twin tuner jobbies, watch one, record the other, very reasionable, so, stuff the 'Big' guns, untill they will gauraniue at least the same, 24/7/365 or better! Go indipendant! |
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 8036
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2007 9:00 am Post subject: |
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Hi WD.
Sounds like you are really pissed by Orange 
A quality twin-tuner PVR - oh yes The Humax 9200T is the dogs
Twin tuner with 160GB HD (I fitted a 320GB into mine ) - Magic
The BT vision is not as good but has a couple of great features that are only found on sky+ currrently and for 30 quid is a good deal if you are with - and intend staying - with BT. I was with Toucan before and they were shite - BT is way better and my speed goes up a little every week
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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. |
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 8036
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 1:21 pm Post subject: |
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The BT Vision arrived yesterday.
looks quite smart - also get some mains networking adapters (cost about £70 in PC world) and a pair of ethernet cables included in the box. Didn't need to use them - so may stick up on ebay
Set it up to record CSI automatically whenever it appears on the schedule (The Humax does not have that kind of feature - probably the key ommision in it).
Not tried the On-Demand service via Broadband yet - Interested to know how well that will work. Assuming that the data is compressed in some way and the box will uncompress it.
BT Vision box is also an HD one I think - got HDMI output and HD settable aspect ratios.
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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. |
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skiking
Senior Member
Joined: 13 Sep 2006
Posts: 3086
Location: Cheshire
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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| You might be interested in this as well |
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handyman
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2006
Posts: 2863
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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what are the costs........as i read it here, you pay your normal broadband subcription (how much and for what?) then £30 up front, and you get a sky + type box with all the freeview channels........is that correct?
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 8036
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:26 pm Post subject: |
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| handyman wrote: |
| what are the costs........as i read it here, you pay your normal broadband subcription (how much and for what?) then £30 up front, and you get a sky + type box with all the freeview channels........is that correct? |
That is about it, yes.
BT Broadband is needed, but any BT Total Broadband option ok.
I had BT Total Broadband Option 3 already - I think that is £25 a month but as far as I am concerned it is worth it in comparison to other ADSL broadband services and is unlimited at "upto 8Mb" - I did quite a search before I settled on the BT Service (I like that it does not have a 'Fair Usage Policy', has free helpdesks and also includes OpenZone access).
I knew that I would not get 8Mb as I live in a village in a fairly rural area, but I do expect to be able to use speed I have whenever and for whatever I want
I have no cable option available to me, otherwise I would almost certainly be down that route
So - you have to have BT Broadband as a pre-requisite.
After that, Box is free, one-off Connection fee of £30 (the box is conencted to router and is registered with a BT server - no doubt so BT can charge the right person for the On-Demand Services).
Then you have a single-tuner Freeview box that lets you record programs, and pause & rewind live TV, etc, just like Sky+ (I think - never had Sky+ personally).
You have the on-demand things like films for £2.99 a go, 4OD programs for 99p - same as on the C4 website, etc.
Interestingly, you also got things like on-line phone book and broadband status checks.
There are various subscriptions available - like Sky, but I guess provided down Broadband, and there is a slot for a Santanda(?) card for Footie.
I only really wanted it as an extra Freeview PVR so in my eyes, got that for £30 and the extras are interesting future potential that I don't have to pay for unless I use them
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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. |
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handyman
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2006
Posts: 2863
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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so you pay no more for the freeview tv stuff, and a free(ish) recorder box, thats good.
Going to look when my package finishes and change over
You say you would go for cable. I have cable here, but hear loads on the bad service from virgin, whats your thoughts on this?
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 8036
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:52 pm Post subject: |
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I had NTL Cable phone and Analog TV from 1998, and the Cable Broadband from about 2000 I think it was.
I found NTL Customer Support terrible (renowned for it at that time) but the actual quality of service fine - I had 3Mb when the typical BT ADSL service was 512K still.
I use my Broadband for work and need as fast as I can get - without usage restrictions or FUPs (fair  useage policies) - and Cable is still the fastest at the moment. The guys on here with cable seem happy enough with it generally, it seems - apart fron the FUP.
If you are into the footie, the options are actually good on BT Vision - something like £5 a month for time-delayed premiership matches, and there is an option for live Scottish and - I think- English Premiership games (I'm not into footie enough to pay for it!)
I am also too tight to pay for a sky subscription! End up by paying £40 a month or something for loads of channels I have no interest in - no thanks Plenty of choice on Freeview (IMO)
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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. |
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handyman
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2006
Posts: 2863
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 2:56 pm Post subject: |
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have sky plus on a bsic package (and for some reason they dropped the £10 sky plus charge), so just pay for a basic package.
I like the idea of this bt package.......broadband i pay for anyway, so why not pay the same and get a freeview recorder as well. (and would also save me fixing the arial )
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Go on, adopt a greyhound http://www.dgrescue.org.uk/ .......................................................................... |
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Hoovie
Devon DIYer
Joined: 27 Jul 2007
Posts: 8036
Location: East Devon
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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More info here http://www.btvision.bt.com/vision/
check your projected speed as well - as I originally mentioned, need a minimum BB speed and they won't provide it unless it is fast enough.
so you don't pay the £10 charge then? I did look ages ago at the Sky+ (I do really like the concept of that) but thought £10 for listing info was OTT unless you upgraded to a full package (obviously what they wanted people to do)
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I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, "Where's the self-help section?"
She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose. |
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handyman
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Jan 2006
Posts: 2863
Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:08 pm Post subject: |
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i got a letter out the blue saying it was because i was a valued customer.........it, of course, had nothing to do with my house being in a cabled area, and virgin had just taken over the network
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skiking
Senior Member
Joined: 13 Sep 2006
Posts: 3086
Location: Cheshire
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| Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2008 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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With VM I have BB (4Mb, but due to go up) + full TV package (inc free Sentanta) inc VOD (4OD, BBC etc programmes, plus 500 instant movies at anything from 1p to £4) + Sky sports + free HD PVR and second box both with a lifetime gaurantee + phone inc free evening and w/e calls. £80
And I don't suffer with the FUP, in fact I agree with the policy |
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