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TV, Broadband and Phone in Providence Square.
TV services in Providence Square blocks A/B/C/E (Flats 1-156),
Providence Tower and Springhalls Wharf are currently provided by NTL
cable. Blocks J/K & Birdseed (157 to 206) have access to Sky and
regular terrestrial (BBC1, BBC2, ITV1, CH4, CH5) plus Freeview.
Phone services are provided either by NTL or BT. Note that NTL and
BT have separate telephone distribution outlets in the basements of
each block, so an engineer visit may be required to switch phone
services from one to the other.
With BT phone lines, ADSL broadband service is available from a
large number of providers (not just BT). As of January 2006, Broadband
is apparently also available via NTL’s cable service.
NTL Cable TV service – Flats 1-156
TV services in Providence Square blocks A/B/C/E (Flats 1-156),
Providence Tower and Springhalls Wharf are currently provided by NTL,
who provide free access to the main channels (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel
4 & Channel 5), which can be received on any standard analogue TV.
Depending on your TV, you may also be able to receive ITV2, BBC News
24, Sky News and Sky Sports News.
NTL also offer a variety of multi-channel subscription (digital)
services, which are provided via an NTL Set-Top-Box. For more details
see the NTL website (http://www.ntl.co.uk)
or call them on 0800 183 0123.
Note that for some reason NTL insist that you switch your telephone
line from BT to NTL if you take out a subscription TV package. Also,
note that there has historically been a lack of NTL broadband capacity
in the development, which has limited access to NTL’s interactive TV
and broadband services. Upgrades by NTL in December 2005/January 2006
have apparently rectified this. NTL’s website and their customer
services people do not always seem to be aware of the current
situation so make sure you check carefully when ordering services.
This means that to get broadband, you’ll probably also need to keep
a BT line. Each flat is wired to support at least two telephone lines
(and potentially up to four) so it is possible to have both.
There are 3-4 TV outlet points in each flat, each providing a
“Radio” and “TV” outlet. The TV outlet can be connected to an NTL
Set-Top-Box (to receive their digital subscription services), or
directly to your TV aerial socket (to receive the free analogue
services).
To receive the free channels, you will need an adapter or lead to
convert the screw-on “F-type” connector on the wall outlet to your
TV’s aerial socket. Suitable leads should be available from most
electrical shops, or can be ordered online from Maplin (www.maplin.co.uk,
part number QQ74R).
Note that the quality of the free analogue TV signals provided by
NTL can be patchy, and certain flats have problems with the picture
quality of some channels. Unfortunately, there does not seem to much
that we can do about this, although NTL’s engineering department are
prepared to come out and try to make things better, even if you are
not an NTL subscriber – just call NTL Customer Services on 0800 052
2000, use the telephone menu to go through to faults, and explain that
you are a non-subscriber in an NTL-wired development.
Tuning information for the free channels currently on NTL (June
2005) are as follows:
| Channel |
UHF 29 |
UHF 27 |
UHF 25 |
UHF 31 |
UHF 21 |
UHF 28 |
UHF 23 |
| Service |
BBC1 |
BBC2 |
ITV |
CH4 |
Five |
ITV2 |
NTL |
Sky TV service
Blocks J/K and Birdseed (flats 157-206) have both Sky and normal
terrestrial (analogue/Freeview) service available, although only one
Sky outlet per flat is provided.
Note that Sky+ [SkyPlus] service, which uses a hard disk in the Set
Top Box to record additional channels, is not available in Providence
Square, as it requires two connections between the Sky+ box and the
satellite dish – only a single connection is available.
To receive normal analogue TV or Freeview in flats 157-206, just
connect the aerial lead to the wall socket as normal.
We are investigating the possibility of making Sky available in the
rest of the development as an alternative to NTL, but this may not be
possible to implement economically, as the cabling from the individual
TV outlets to the basement distribution boards is not rated for
satellite signals.
Note that the leasehold of the flats specifically prohibits
individual residents from installing their own satellite dishes or TV
aerials, even on a balcony.
Freeview
Freeview is the name for the free-to-air Digital Terrestrial TV
service. This uses spare channels on the old-fashioned analogue TV
service (broadcast from Crystal Palace) to send digital signals, which
can be received on a low-cost Set Top Box or adapter, available from
around £50 in many shops. Approximately 30 TV channels and 20 radio
channels can be received on Freeview, and there is no monthly
subscription.
In flats 157-206, Freeview can be received via the TV outlets on
the wall.
In flats 1-156, Providence Tower and Springhalls Wharf, Freeview is
not yet available through the wall outlets, although there is a plan
in place to provide this option.
In the meantime, it should be possible to receive Freeview in all
flats using a portable (set-top) aerial; this does depend on what
floor you are on, and which way you face. You may also need a plug-in
aerial amplifier to get a good signal. For those wishing to
try-before-you-buy, you can borrow a spare Freeview set-top-box and
aerial from Jeremy Hendy, 97A Providence Square
(jeremy@hendy.com).
The analogue TV broadcasts in the London region will be switched
off in 2011, and replaced by Freeview.
Note that digital-ready TV sets with integrated digital Freeview
tuners are now available in the shops, and you may want to consider
this if you are buying a new TV. Look for the following logos:
Several manufacturers are now offering Freeview Set-Top-Boxes with
integrated hard disk recorders, which you can use both to watch TV and
record programs, replacing your video recorder. These are known as
Personal Video Recorders (PVRs).
Homechoice
As an alternative to NTL, Sky or Freeview, Homechoice is a
relatively new service being offered in London, which provides TV
services using a high speed broadband connection, over the BT
telephone line. In addition to regular TV packages, Homechoice also
offer a “video on demand” service, with a large library of films
available to watch on a pay-per-view basis.
Several residents in the Providence Square development have tried
Homechoice and it seems to work OK. Note that the Homechoice service
includes TV, Broadband & telephone. For more details, see
www.homechoice.co.uk or call 0800 072 4454.
Note that Homechoice provides both TV and broadband access to a
single box, which may not be the most convenient place for your
broadband connection. However, as with other broadband services, a
wireless network can be used to distribute the signal to your
computers.
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