In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by Ignitionnet:

Nothing to do with broadband service. The STBs installed in FTTP homes are the same as those installed in hybrid network homes.

Makes sense, but obviously there is a FTTP to Coax conversion going on to plug a TV6 box in to. Broadband I would hope is different, but expect a standard coax connected SH3 - just the physical plant is fibre rather than coax in the street.

At the moment it's using a standard Superhub, yes, but obviously this can be changed easily enough to use RFoG for the TV service and EPON or similar for broadband. This solution isn't uncommon, Verizon for example used to use RFoG for TV and GPON for broadband on their FiOS product.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Its fibre right into the home, and a simple converter that the fibre plugs into and pushes out a DOCSIS signal over coax all ready to work with all the existing hardware they use.

the sales presentation from virgin that I saw has the fibre to the outside of the property,
then converting to coax on the outside of the building,
then internally to ethernet.
so while it is true fibre to the property (and to the building),
it isn't quite right into the home.
apparently the reason they do this is that coax is far more robust (than fibre) in a domestic enviornment.

In reply to a post by ggremlin:

apparently the reason they do this is that coax is far more robust (than fibre) in a domestic enviornment.

Well i have a fibre optic 'EZ bend' cable installed by Openreach in my home and it looks fairly robust to me. Unless you have a rottweiler or rats who love chewing cables you've got absolutely nothing to worry about. The white indoor fibre cable is actually also exposed outside my home and it has survived wind/rain/hailstorms without any loss of service.

http://postimg.org/image/dlu6nmoyn/
http://postimg.org/image/57ejzjnxb/
http://postimg.org/image/r412zx13z/
http://postimg.org/image/y8iw8y8db/

yep, it was a sales presentation

In reply to a post by ggremlin:

apparently the reason they do this is that coax is far more robust (than fibre) in a domestic enviornment.

and saves them money having to support two different types of hardware in a consumers home. TV6/Tivo boxes and SuperHubs are already a known quantity to the support organisation. This will be quite important.

In reply to a post by Ignitionnet:

At the moment it's using a standard Superhub, yes, but obviously this can be changed easily enough to use RFoG for the TV service and EPON or similar for broadband. This solution isn't uncommon, Verizon for example used to use RFoG for TV and GPON for broadband on their FiOS product.

Good the technology supports the alternatives - but unless VM build a significant proportion of their homes passed with fibre versus Coax, then I can't see the support organisation wanting to support multiple different products.

They've only just (relatively) managed to harmonise hardware from the former ntl, telewest, and c&w areas !

VM finished cabling my area last week, apparently more than six months behind schedule. They're very keen to get people connected, everyone who registered with them seems to have got phone calls and at least one personal visit. Interestingly the rep who came round says they are only offering 200Mbit, strange given this is brand new build and not infill. No phone service available, either.

I was pretty firm they wouldn't be getting my money until the latency and DoS problems with the SH3 are fixed. But most of the street is stuck on ADSL2+, so no doubt they'll get a lot of people signing up.

I presume this converter is powered, so how does it get its power?

Interested how it's all going to be installed into the house, as they are currently doing our area.

In reply to a post by R0NSKI:

I presume this converter is powered, so how does it get its power?

Interested how it's all going to be installed into the house, as they are currently doing our area.

They drill a hole in the wall and feed the cable through into a splitter box on the inside - same as BT have done for decades.

And power comes from plugging it in inside the home, just like people do with a superhub