News articles and discussions in the forums here on DS will often refer to a variety of terms that apply to two different ntl service areas.

Here we offer a guide to what the terms mean and some quick starter facts that should be of some help.

Ex-CWC, Ex-CoCo, Cable and Wireless, Bromley
- These terms refer to the cable systems ntl acquired when they purchased Cable and Wireless ConsumerCo.
- 'Bromley' is becoming a more regularly-used term to describe the network for two reasons; as the Cable and Wireless ConsumerCo drifts further back into the realms of cable history, terms such as "ex-CWC" now seem irrelevant or worse still, confusing; Bromley is the location of the Super Headend for these systems - for example, digital television services are played out from here.
- The Bromley digital TV platform uses different software from that found in other ntl areas. It is based on middleware from Liberate Technologies, and various releases are known as CR1, CR2, and CR3.
- CR1 is basic non-interactive software; CR2 adds support for "walled garden" interactive sites; CR3 adds support for enhanced interactive services that can be synchronised with live television broadcasts. CR3 is based on version 1.2 of software from Liberate Technologies, and frequently the terms "CR3" and "Liberate 1.2" are used interchangeably.

Original ntl, old ntl, Langley
- These terms refer to the franchises ntl had already acquired before the acquisition of Cable and Wireless ConsumerCo.
- Although the terms are used collectively, the franchises were once a variety of systems owned by different operators, such as Comcast and Diamond Cable. An extensive integration programme has helped bring disparate billing systems and channel lineups into uniformity across the various areas. This is particularly the case with digital television and broadband services, which are charged at the same prices and offer the same lineups in all areas.
- Langley is used to describe the system as it is the location of the super headend for these areas. The super headend plays out digital TV services across the network - check out our in-depth report on the technical infrastructure of the Langley system.
- The Langley system uses distinct software from that of the Bromley system described above. It is known as the "ntl Platform", made up of an OS - VxWorks, an EPG system written in C, and java-based interactivity is provided by Liberate Technologies. Digital Spy provides a software version tracker for those interested as to the level of functionality now available on the service.
- At present, the Langley system does not support enhanced interactive services as available in CR3-enabled Bromley areas, although a programme is slowly progressing to provide these services.