Well I haven’t actually noticed any obnoxious odours coming out of my ONdigital box, but it certainly does have some very unpleasant habits. Having said that it also has some 36GG assets, namely the extra channels.
The digital television age was much anticipated and when it finally ... Read review
Advantages: Extra variety of channels/programmes, not too expensive, it's the future! Disadvantages: Technical glitches, lots of poor channels and not that many good ones.
...odours coming out of my ONdigital box, but it certainly does have some very unpleasant habits. Having said that it also has some 36GG assets, namely the extra channels.
The digital television age was much anticipated and when it finally arrived years after the hype had begun (I think that begun with the release of digital watches) it was still hailed as the future. A few years on and it is time to consider the differences that digital ... ...(is it really that long?) ONdigital was launched, providing a terrestrial digital service at a reasonably reasonable price. After many months of “ah yes I must get ONdigital” I finally got my digital box and signed up about 6 months ago. Fortunately the box was completely free when I signed up to ONdigital; one does not own it, but you loan it for year-long periods as long as your subscription lasts. I’ll move onto prices in a minute ... more
Well I haven’t actually noticed any obnoxious odours coming out of my ONdigital box, but it certainly does have some very unpleasant habits. Having said that it also has some 36GG assets, namely the extra channels.
The digital television age was much anticipated and when it finally arrived years after the hype had begun (I think that begun with the release of digital watches) it was still hailed as the future. A few years on and it is time to consider the differences that digital television has made to our viewing.
For about a decade Satellite TV (namely BskyB) has provided a huge variety of channels at extortionate prices that have gradually stolen most worthwhile programmes and events from those of us who can’t afford more than our annual TV license. Sky have continually discovered new ways to make money, such as Pay Per View and of course, Skydigital, providing hundreds of extra channels that nobody ever watches, but every sky viewer pays for.
Like most I suppose the variety of channels appeals to me, but I am strongly anti-Sky as they began the trend that has forced us to pay extra to see important and even not-so-important sporting events and latest film releases. Therefore getting a satellite dish (and lets face it they are very ugly things) was never going to be viable to me. So how might I get that extra choice of channels (and hence programmes) that sounds so attractive?
Well about two and a half years ago (is it really that long?) ONdigital was launched, providing a terrestrial digital service at a reasonably reasonable price. After many months of “ah yes I must get ONdigital” I finally got my digital box and signed up about 6 months ago. Fortunately the box was completely free when I signed up to ONdigital; one does not own it, but you loan it for year-long periods as long as your subscription lasts. I’ll move onto prices in a minute (or a thousand words of waffle, whichever comes first), but for now children we will content ourselves with discovering what ONdigital offers.
First of all there are the free-to-view channels, the main terrestrial channels plus a few others. You can get all of these (except Welsh and Scottish only channels), these being BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 (even if you can’t get it through your standard aerial), BBC Knowledge, BBC Choice, BBC News24, ITN news, ITV 2, E4 and a few others. I was disappointed by the “extra” Beeb channels, except News24 which due to its nature is not repeats or budget programmes and includes some interesting, excellently presented programmes. E4 may be of interest to many, especially Big Brother fans (I still can’t believe that some people actually enjoy that programme)!
The ONdigital primary channels are available in varying numbers depending upon what subscription “deal” you choose. They include UK Gold (repeats of popular programmes), UK play (a comedy and music channel), UK Style/Horizons (two Sky channels merged into one), Discovery Kids/Wings (another merged channel and completely useless unless you are a strange kid or mad on planes, or perhaps both), Carlton Cinema/On Sport 2 (On sport channels show UEFA Champions league matches, Carlton Cinema is possibly the worst film channel ever), British Eurosport and some others, mostly women’s/men’s magazine channels. On sport 1 is a “bonus channel”; see later.
The ONdigital “premium” channels cost a, well, premium. I didn’t deem them worth it, or at least not affordable, but they consist of Sky Premier (films), Movie Max (more films), Filmfour (speaks for itself really), Sky 1, Cartoon Network and Sky Sports 1, 2 and 3. And it says in smallprint that “adult” channels are also available, that is “The Adult Channel” and “Television X”. So there’s something for everybody, even sad perverts (sorry to anybody who stays up all night getting cheap- or not so cheap- thrills out of TV porn).
So then you can see for yourself that there are not many channels unique to ONdigital. They do have Champions League football (endlessly repeated) and some obscure tennis tournaments on On Sport 1 and 2, but most of the other channels are less well-known sky channels or not that great BBC channels (I was expecting more from BBC Choice and BBC knowledge). I do spend a lot of time watching BBC News24 and UK Gold (why were comedies so much better in the 70s?) and Brit Eurosport and Carlton Cinema at least provide options and occasionally have something of interest. ITV2 provides a constant football scores update programme on Saturday afternoons which although not sensational viewing is useful for footy fans.
The variety of channels is not as great as I originally made out, but this is still the main attraction of ONdigital, and at least the prices are not too appalling:
Option 1: All available free-to-view and primary channels plus Champions League football (not guaranteed after the season that has just finished) for £11.99 per month.
Option 2: 6 primary channels, Champions League football and of course the “free-to-view channels” for £9.99 per month.
Option 3: All the free-to-view channels and one primary channel (no Champions League football) for £6.99
You will notice at this stage that you cannot have just the “free-to-view” channels, so that you have to pay for them, somewhat defeating the object of them being “free”.
Premium Channels: These are in addition to one of the above options. Film four costs £5.99 a month, 1 Sky premium channel is £11 a month, 2 Sky premium channels are £15 a month, 3 are £18 a month, 4 are £20 a month.
At the time I signed up there was also an “introductory offer” whereby you could have Option 1 for the price of Option 2 for three months so that you could determine which channels you wanted. I’m not sure if this is still available and have not been able to find out!
This is still cheaper than sky and is on this basis a reasonable option for us anti-Sky protestors (perhaps we should be throwing stones in Gothenburg). The digital picture quality is much crisper than standard analogue and there is a widescreen option. BBC1 and 2 programmes also now sometimes have digital options (e.g. after the election you could access results and analysis by pressing the red button, and for the Wimbledon Championships this year you will be able to choose which match to watch by pressing the same red button). Digital is better than analogue and getting even better, but it comes at a price!
There are some unfortunate glitches though; sometimes programmes “freeze” for a second or two, which is most irritating. More irritating though is that the box “crashes” and you cannot change channels until you have turned the box off, removed the “smart card”, blown off any dust, replaced it and turned the box back on again. This would be OK if it only happened occasionally, but as it happens every two or three days then it is another irritating factor. So the morale of the story is, don’t turn on the digital TV if you are already frustrated because you may be held liable for any damage caused when you throw the box against the wall in frustration).
All in all a good service, but not excellent; I’ll recommend it, but only if you desperately want greater variety and Sky is out of the question for financial or political reasons. It is at least easy to set up (simple as phoning a number). To find out more or to sign up visit a local electronics store or visit www.ondigital.co.uk. Be warned however this site is not the best (it does not even tell you prices). However it does have some good sections such as technical support and jargon-busting.
Advantages: Portable piece of equipment Disadvantages: sometimes mosaics
ITV Digital, the new name for On-Digital is advertised by a right cheeky monkey.
I work at Boxclever TV shop and the posters of the monkey are attracting people of all ages.
So much so that we have signed loads of new and old people up to this newly launched product.
When I say newly launched , I mean re-launched under a new name.
Old On-Digital customers who came off the scheme have now come back to the company as it will feature a brand new ... ...Before you even think of getting a box, the assistant must check your postcode to make sure your transmiter can pick up these programmes, as some areas can't receive it.
This is because your TV aerial is plugged into the digi box and therefore the signal is received from various transmitters.
There are still some areas which can't receive it, mine included.
Therefore Sky Digital would be a better option for you, until the areas are updated.
There ...
belinda9 06.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of OnDigital
Advantages: We got the monthly subscription half price for a year and thats it Disadvantages: Rubbish compared to Sky Digital, some channels only when when they feel like it, most channels are rubbish, and you dont get as many as sky, picture quality isnt very good
We got On Digital at the start of November last year, only because my mam got the monthly subscription for half price (it was an offer for the staff where she works). We were going to get Sky Digital but thought we might as well get On Digital for the 12 months to see what it was like since it was cheaper.
Firstly the box came quickly, we phoned on the Friday and it was delivered on the Sunday, they told us just to plug it into the back of the TV, ... ...the card. Well we done that phoned them up and they told us they had sent a signal through to activate the account and the smart card. They told us this could take upto 10 Mins, and if we didn’t get any channels after ten minutes to call them back, well after 10 mins we got no channels, not even the normal BBC1, BBC2 etc (we did but only if we switched back to analogue TV) So we phoned them back again and they told us to wait 20 mins a phone ...
sww2k 30.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of OnDigital
Advantages: cheap, extra channels, interactive features Disadvantages: not such a great choice of channels as Sky
Left alone in St Andrews after my exams - all my friends had sensibly gone home for a bit whereas I wasn’t allowed :-( the boredom rapidly set in. I work for the local museum but there’s not much work about until July and August (then there’s loads) and so consequently I have very little to do. Anyway, it was this feeling of boredom that led me to purchase On Digital – I figured that with a few more channels to choose from, ... ...something I wanted to watch. I’m a bit of a soap addict, love sitcoms such as Men Behaving Badly, am a huge Friends fan (had a crush on David Schwimmer since I was about 14!) and I figured that even if there wasn’t an actual programme I fancied watching there would always be 24 hour news, live Big Brother, or MTV. Living alone, sometimes it’s nice just to have the TV on in the background.
So why did I choose On Digital? Well, for ...
weebagpuss 10.06.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of OnDigital
Advantages: No dish required. Disadvantages: Too few channels.Poor signal in many places.
Didn't I do well??!!
I won a prepaid On box on a QXL auction, and paid £46 for it. I was dead chuffed. Oh, and I then paid On £2 a month for six extra channels. Great! Except the channels were rubbish. (Have you seen Discovery Wings? And why are Horizons and Style sharing a channel space? Yep, limited space available. Unlike digital satellite ...)
In fact, I already had Sky Digi, and was very happy with it. But you can't whip off your dish and ... ...be great for the 'van. No dish needed, etc.
Huh! No dish, true, but no signal either. Wherever we went in our 'van (lots of places in England - didn't venture into Wales or Scotland, still less cross any water), there was only one place where I got a signal strong enough to get the full range of channels.
On summer holiday in Sussex, the box started a software update. Trouble is, it didn't finish it! Box useless. Wrote to On when we got home - ...
droopsnout 30.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of OnDigital
Advantages: No waiting for installation. No Dish. Can be up and running the same day you sign up if you pick up your set top box from a retailer. Clear, crisp pictures and sound. Good quality channel line up, with unique service such as Internet access. Pay-per-view. Disadvantages: Can require an aerial upgrade if it is damaged or old.
***I have asked for this opinion to be removed as i have posted it in the ITVdigital section under this category. Please rate that opinion, not his one. Thanks!***
ITV Digital (previously called ONdigital) is Britain?s only Digital Terrestrial Television platform. Basically in simple terms, if you hook up a set top box or Integrated Digital Television to your aerial, you will get ITV Digital. With ITV Digital you get free to air channels such as ... ...funding from your TV licence. Other channels are also available free to air such as the ITN News Channel. ITV Digital offers a wide range of programming from entertainment, old movies, new movies, lots and lots of sport, factual channels, kids, lifestyle and Music channels. These are available as either Primary or Premium channels, with premium channels being the more expensive. Also available is a pay per view events service, which offers blockbuster ...
anthonycoleman 05.09.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of OnDigital
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