We've been with Virgin for a number of years. Phone line, broadband (150Mb) and TV inc. Sky Sports and paying around £80 per month. I consider this a lot of money!
My son pays for the Sky Sports as he's the one that watches it, but he is moving out soon, so I'm considering our future relationship with Virgin. We only really watch the terrestrial channels, but do make a lot of use of the Tivo box recording programmes to watch later without the ads (Bake Off included now!). Virgin as a supplier have been OK, probably give them 8/10 overall. The Tivo box works reasonably well although the picture can freeze or pixelate occasionally. I don't think we'll need the 150Mb in future either, if indeed we ever really needed it.
So I'm thinking of dropping Virgin and getting a DTV recorder. I know some of you have Humax recorders, but has anyone moved from Tivo and can recommend something which works as smoothly? I'm thinking of the ease of pausing live TV, recording with just the push of a single button, series links etc. Online reviews of Humax and Panasonic DTV recorders aren't always favourable.
It may of course be that Virgin slash the price when I come to leave, but I need to have an alternative lined up before I have the conversation.
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Do you need to record at all these days with catch-up TV being what it is?
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iPlayer is good, but the others don't have all shows on them and they don't stay there all that long. I also find it's much easier to pause/rewind/fast forward on TiVo than on iPlayer etc. We will record films and may not watch them until weeks later when the mood takes us.
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>> Do you need to record at all these days with catch-up TV being what it
>> is?
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Ok if you only watch the BBC, but on the commercial channels you can't fast forward the never ending ads on catch up.
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>> I don't think we'll need the
>> 150Mb in future either, if indeed we ever really needed it.
Have you checked to see what you are actually getting? We are with Virgin and pay for 200Mbps. Most days we are lucky to see 30Mbps, and often we're down into the mid teens. In other words, despite the advertising and claims, the real world performance is no better than the other options out there. It also proves that you don't really need 100+Mbps even with four people online at the same time (as we often are)
Last edited by: DP on Wed 30 Aug 17 at 15:51
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We get the advertised speed on devices plugged into the router but not on WiFi, even when they are close by in the same room. I'm not techie enough to know why that is.
Have you chewed Virgin's ear about the poor performance?
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Every year at renewal time I have a look round to try to find a way of leaving Virgin. Only because I think it costs a lot, for what is mostly free-to-air TV. I can't find a decent alternative to their internet at a reasonable price.
A less-tech-savvy mate who was always proud of his top-end Virgin package has gone to Humax and digital TV in the past few months. I don't think he really used the bolt on packages (Sports and Films) but he says he isn't missing it at all. He reckons Humax has the functionality of TiVo, but couldn't say if it had an equivalent to series link, so I don't think he will have tried all the capabilities, or discovered the shortcomings.
But then - he only watches live TV, in real time. My viewing is almost exclusively recorded TV.
So I haven't got any suggestions for you but will watch this thread with interest.
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A humax (type) box will easily replace a TiVo and yes they have series link, and yes they are internet connected and will "catch-up" on most of the main terrestrial channels.
If you go BT (or sky or talk talk or plus net or whoever - because they all use the same circuit to your house) you have no idea what your net speed will be. The BT home Hub is however a fantastic wireless router and will probably fix any wireless issues you have. Virgin Hubs are universally useless.
Here its - Ex Talk Talk, Ex BT, Now Virgin. Phone line and Internet only,(200meg service get 90+ solidly) Internet smart TV, (native netflix and amazon prime support/apps) Humax free view recorder, & Humax Freesat recorder.
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... the latest Virgin box records 6 channels at the same time. I don't need that but three is good - does the Humax do that?
I had the 200mb, it was so reliably fast that I've gone back down to the 150mg broadband as it consistently provides 160mb.
I am coming up for renewal again soon so will do the usual...
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One of the issues with Virgin when I had it (NTL franchise area) is contention.
They like to claim it's fibre broadband and imply it's to the home. But the last leg of the connection is coax cable (better than BT's connection) from the cabinet on the street. The cabinet then connects back to the head-end.
When I had this from 2001-2009 I was lucky that the contention in the area at the cabinet level and head-end was good for me (not Virgin I suppose). But if you all expect 200Mbps at all times for every house connected to a street cabinet and then back to the head-end, then do the maths for many homes trying to get peak bandwidth.
If an area is popular for Virgin connections, you are more likely to experience lower bandwidth at peak times.
To think when I first got broadband it was with NTL using the set top box... When they got to 10MBps the STB could not cope and you got a separate cable modem.
I do realise some of the gains in more recent years is better modulation for the connection.
Back to the original question, we like the UI on Sky HD better than the previous (poor) UI on Virgin. But we swapped around 7 years ago. The UI on any alternative would be a big factor in swapping provider to us. Not so much me but the household as a whole.
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>> ... the latest Virgin box records 6 channels at the same time. I don't need
>> that but three is good - does the Humax do that?
Yes, the HUMAX FVP-4000T 2TB SMART FREEVIEW PLAY has three digital tuners.
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Can't imagine we'd ever need 2TB as we have never filled the 500Gb of our TiVo. JL have the 1Tb version for £219 and say it can record four programmes whilst watching a fifth, that's against three for our TiVo.
Three possible options, without having done a lot of homework:
Plusnet will do 38Mb fibre + phone for £25 or 76Mb for £30. £25 activation fee in both cases.
Virgin (for new customers) 50Mb fibre plus phone for £27 for 12mths then £40. £20 activation.
TV would be Freeview plus Humax or similar for both the above or;
Virgin (again, new customers) 100Mb + phone + basic TV and TiVo 500Gb £33 for 12 mths then £48.
If a call to Virgin gets anywhere near the low/mid thirties, they keep my business, for 12mths anyway.
FWIW just done a speed check. Hard wired 164Mb, 5G WiFi 126Mb and 2G WiFi 59Mb.
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>> JL have the 1Tb version for £219 and say it can record four programmes
>> whilst watching a fifth, that's against three for our TiVo.
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.....though that number of recordings depends on programmes being transmitted on the same multiplex.
I.e. It can only tune 3 multiplexes simultaneously, but it can record two separate broadcasts off each of two of those multiplexes, whilst you are watching a live programme on the third tuner/multiplex.
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What's a multiplex? Keep it simple please
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A multiplex is a single frequency, upon which a number of digital channels are transmitted
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 30 Aug 17 at 21:07
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ran out of edit time....
For example, BBc1, BBC2, BBC3 BBC4 ae all transmitted on the same frequency, 522000MHZ, multiplexed together. The tuner, being tuned to one frequency, can receive and record all of them, tho clearly you can only view one of them live
so if you have three tuners you could in theory record 12 channels, but hardware horsepower and bandwidth clearly makes that not feasible in consumer hardware
Last edited by: Zero on Wed 30 Aug 17 at 21:14
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...prior to digital TV, in the UK the old analogue programs were each transmitted on a separate frequency (AKA channels 21 to 69) for each TV "channel" (BBC1, BBC2, ITV, etc).
One frequency, one frequency channel, one TV channel.
Since the implementation of digital TV, the same range of frequencies (AKA channels 21 to 69) are used but each of them may now carry multiple (digital) TV channels, "multiplexed" (i.e. combined) into a single broadcast stream. Your TV or Humax box is tuned to a multiplexed channel, and then de-multiplexes (i.e. it selects only the relevant part of the signal for) the TV channel/program you want from that combined stream.
Each frequency channel/multiplex now carries possibly tens of different TV/Radio channels on a single frequency.
In a given area, you may now be tuned to, say 8 of the channels 21 to 69, which with analogue television would have given you exactly 8 TV channels. With digital, you get several hundred TV (and radio) channels from that arrangement.
Since a Humax box has only 3 tuners, it can only tune simultaneously to a maximum of 3 of the frequency channels (21 to 69), but the circuitry included allows it to de-multiplex up to 2 TV programs from those frequencies. Hence, you can record more programmes if they share a multiplex.
Whilst I can't guarantee it is up to date, this link gives a view of what is transmitted on each multiplex.
ukfree.tv/transmitters/multiplexes
...and demonstrates, for example that (with a Humax box) you are able to simultaneously record BBC1 and BBC2 utilising the services of only one tuner, as they are on the same multiplex.
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Thanks for keeping it simple. If only there were enough decent programmes to want to record simultaneously.
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Quick update.
Stayed with Virgin. After a bit of a moan I got them down to £44 fixed for 18mths. Thats for 100mb, basic phone and basic TV. Phone include caller ID and anonymous caller block. Also got the latest router thrown it.
Maybe not over the moon, but happy enough.
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>> Also got the latest router thrown it.
Oh dear, never mind every ointment has to have a fly in it.
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Sounds good to me, well done.
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>> Quick update.
>>
>> Stayed with Virgin. After a bit of a moan I got them down to £44
>> fixed for 18mths. Thats for 100mb, basic phone and basic TV. Phone include caller ID
>> and anonymous caller block. Also got the latest router thrown it.
>>
What is "basic" TV in Virgin's world?
Are there more channels than available on Freesat or Freeview?
My Humax box(on Freesat) is over five years old now and has a rotten GUI.(From new)
My Samsung smart TV (on Freeview) is 4 + years old and is heaps better in that respect and also is much superior on using iPlayer, ITV hub and All4.
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The channels in each of the 4 main Virgin packages are listed on this page.
www.virginmedia.com/shop/tv/channels.html
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>> The channels in each of the 4 main Virgin packages are listed on this page.
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>> www.virginmedia.com/shop/tv/channels.html
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We have had basic Virgin/broadband/phone for a few years.
I am stuck with it as SWMBO just watches cable and not Freeview ( don't ask).
I feel sure there are many more channels than on the cheapo list
e.g cycling, some Eurosport etc.
I will try to have a look tomorrow ( outside normal hours)
I have to view basic Freeview on my TV.
Maybe I will get a set top box or similar with Freeview HD as the TV will accept HD .
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I didn't particularly look at the list I posted, but now I have and you are right, there are channels which I get which aren't even on the list (Vintage & Sky Arts for example). My bill says I'm on Mix, the 35 channel offering.
I thought I was on the lowest available package. I have a vague recollection that if you ever had cable then discontinued it, a few channels were still delivered on your unsubscribed set top box. Maybe that's what their Player TV is. (OTOH I can also recall a conversation with SWMBO about losing Sky 1, which is where many of the "Scandinavian Noir" dramas are, and my offer was declined, so maybe I went up a level).
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For me, the main disadvantage of Virgin seems to be that to an extent you are locked in.
I understand you have to give up your normal land line, with consequent hassle and cost if you want to switch to a land line based provider.
Have I got that right?
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Hmmm that's questionable,. I read somewhere a year or so back that you no longer HAD to have their phone. However when I spoke to them about it they said true, but that the package cost would be higher without it.
You can get the phone line cost discounted by paying a year in advance, but it is the one thing that I resent a bit, as I could happily live without a land line nowadays. (Yes, I'm aware it's more "robust" than mobiles.)
the contract us usually a year, at which point I always negotiate with them over the coming year's costs - and usually I'm successful at getting a reduction of some sort (and/or faster/better services).
They are usually quite good and quick at answering sales calls, try them.
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I've just had an on-line chat with Virgin. They can't provide a phone line anyway! "Still rolling out the phone service", they say. Odd, as the street was cabled, only a few weeks ago and we've had two canvassers plus a posted brochure pack since then.
Anyway they want £35 a month for 12 months, plus a £20 activation for broadband and their Mix TV. Seems only a few second rate channels over my Freesat & Freeview availability.
I'd have a phone line to pay for too, as SWMBO is highly resistant to relying on our mobiles.
No deal!
Last edited by: Roger. on Fri 15 Sep 17 at 22:38
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>> I understand you have to give up your normal land line, with consequent hassle
>> and cost if you want to switch to a land line based provider.
>> Have I got that right?
>>
We have a traditional BT telephone " land " line, a wire from the house to a BT pole across the road and we have a cable too.
The land line has been in use for 30+ years .
Many years ago cable was installed in the street ( still many scars of the shoddy pavement and road restoration )
When we decided to have cable broadband a new cable (wire) was installed from out of the house under the front flower bed, through the front wall to the existing plastic pipe in the pavement and on to a local " cable" box in the street.
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Alternatives to Virgin Tivo - Hard Cheese
