Ok, I have just sent the following to the Cable & Wireless technical department, I also sent it to their customer services recommending that they may want to advice their customers of the incompatibility problems at the point of digital upgrade:
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I have recently had my Cable television upgraded to digital. The model number of the box is Di1000. Although I am very happy with the system, there is one area of the technology that leaves cause for concern: The incompatibility with universal remote controls.

This problem was first identified nearly a year ago in the North of England, where as you know, the digital upgrade has been underway for some time.

Users of the 'Philips Pronto' universal remote have been searching for a solution to this problem ever since, and a detailed account of their progress can be found here:

[Link: remotecentral.com]

As you can see, all parties involved have been very co-operative in trying to solve this matter, and the latest correspondence indicate an urgent need to test the Set Top Box model number Di4000, to ascertain it’s compatibility.

I would be grateful if you could advise me as to whether this particular model is available in this region, so that we may arrange a test.

I believe an answer to this question and a solution to this problem is in everyone’s best interest. As you may know, A universal remote control is the cornerstone of many peoples Audio Visual Systems, and although the majority may not own a unit as sophisticated as the ‘Philips Pronto’, the proliferation of the ‘One for All’ controllers is very widespread. I feel sure that Cable & Wireless (NTL) will have to field a growing amount of queries relating to this problem as the change over to digital progresses.

I would be very interested in any thoughts you may have on this subject, and more importantly whether you have a Di4000 we could test.
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I shall wait for a responce