I am not related to Branson, nor do I work for Virgin (or anyone right now, come to that!)
But I was the first UK non-staff to get the new device, it was installed last Wednesday. Most UK installations don't start till 15th, and full UK launch isn't till March.
tivo.virginmedia.com/
For any of you familiar with S1 (UK) TiVo, this is quite a large step forward.
For anyone with V+ from Virgin, or (even worse) Sky+, the functionality of this box will blow your socks off, if you like PVR technology.
Highly recommended, and will be even more so once full triple tuner capability and network connectivity comes along later in the spring.
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I am surprised the functionality at launch in terms of tuners is a step back from V+. Only two tuners? The UI cannot be worse or slower than Virgin Media's other V and V+ boxes.At least Sky+ HD boxes are responsive. But lack three tuners and have only one decoder.
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Interesting idea but there's a couple of things about it that make it unlikely I'd go for it. For one thing I need hdmi and scart output at the same time, which my V+ box does. Don't want to lose that.
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The UI is very similar to the old S1 TiVo, with enhancements and in Virgin red. I don't find it particularly slow.
I understand that they ended up with all the launch dates in place and were unable to get the firmware going in time to enable all tuners - so I'm told there will be an upgrade shot down the line in March to enable all tuners.
The TiVo does output both SCART and HD at the same time. (The V+ box didn't - plugging something into HD supposedly disabled SCART and RF).
Last edited by: smokie on Mon 7 Feb 11 at 20:38
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The big weakness with this box must be the lack of content to record.
A bit like having a Ferrari on the Isle of Wight (Sorry Spammers, but you know what I mean).
If houses is location, location, location, then pvr boxes is programming, programming, programming.
Sky has it, Virgin does not.
Last edited by: Iffy on Mon 7 Feb 11 at 21:11
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I don;t have a Tivo box, so I have to bow to smokie's knowledge, but I definitley read this morning the Tivo doesn't do scart/hdmi at the same time, so I guess that was wrong.
I do however have them both outputting on my V+, so I know that works. I have the SA box, not the newer Sammy.
As to content, iffy, one of the reasons I don't want a tivo is that it will simply record way too much for us to ever see - we never catch up with the V+ as it is!
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... it will simply record way too much for us to ever see...
I keep my Sky+ box firmly in hand for that reason.
Picking things to record is a big sifting exercise, but for quality and choice - particularly in sport and movies - Sky is the only game in town.
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Tbh I find I don't watch a lot other than the standard terrestrial channels. Quite what watchable content Sky has which Virgin doesn't I'm not sure. TiVo does some amazing stuff with predictive recording, and handles series linking much much better than V+ and Sky. The predictive stuff is sometimes useful as it will throw up a programme you hadn't been aware of which may be of interest. There are also features like Wish Lists, where anything containing, say, a favourite actor will be recorded. (Mind you, it handles not re-recording repeats very well)
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>> handles series linking much much better than V+ and Sky
The Sky+ HD box does series linking and programme searching a lot better than V+. Unlike the older Sky boxes, the HD box from Sky downloads the TV listings locally. I have to admit I find Sky+ HD a better box than the slow V+ box. But the new Virgin Media Tivo box looks a lot better.
What's missing from Sky+ HD vs. V+ that was handy:
- Three tuners
- On demand programmes
But the slicker UI wins it because we usually don't even need two tuners and the on demand stuff can be downloaded and then played on a PVR box from a memory stick most of the time.
As iffy says content is important but Virgin has most of the Sky channels. Are the movies all in HD yet? And does Virgin have Sky Atlantic? I wonder if that channel is not on Virgin to spoil the Tivo box launch?
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V+ and TiVo boxes are two completely different beasts, they aren't comparable. TiVo search is v powerful. You can also go back a week in the guide and if there is something you've missed that you wanted to see just click for it to be shown in catchup (if available, which most mainstream stuff is)
I think Virgin do have Sky premium channels in HD, don't watch movies meself. No Sky Atlantic yet though.
I didn't really intend this to become a Sky vs Virgin thread, it was really to draw attention to the new box. Don't mind it going that way though, but not being a huge TV fan I won't have a lot to say on teh programming content!!
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Smokie I think it is a heads up to the new Tivo service from Virgin. The old V+ box was crap in terms of UI and response. So many places to find Catch Up TV type content IMO.
But the Sky+ vs Sky+ HD differences are big too. The UI is good. But you can't look back at old programmes in the TV guide and there isn't (yet) an ability for most of us to get TV on demand. That's around the corner for Sky broadband customers though. The Ethernet connection on the back will be used.
So the big question is how much more is VM Tivo vs VM V+ HD?
And the timing of Sky Atlantic now makes sense. Sky were sort of forced to give VM Sky 1... now some of the programmes that would be on Sky1 are on Sky Atlantic.
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I stopped taking it seriously when the voice over kept saying "We give you...". Give???? VM give sweet fanny adams.
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SO whats special about any + (PVR, TiVo etc) box that you get from Sky or Virgin over the commercial freesat and freeview PVR boxes you can buy?
Nothing, apart from the fact you have to pay through the nose for them. You are all being ripped off for your TV. How much can you actually watch? If you look at what you actually mange to watch, the price per program is astronomical (over what you pay for now for your mandatory license).
I blame Sky for the astronomical and obscene wages paid to premier league football players, and I blame all you Sky Sports subscribers for allowing it to happen.
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Zero,
As a football fan you know very well what any Sky box has that a Freesat or Virgin box doesn't - decent coverage of your team's games.
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It would have, if you didnt pay sky for it. You quite happy paying for Colleens Bentley?
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...You quite happy paying for Colleens Bentley?...
I am prepared - rather than happy - to pay Sky for the service they currently offer.
What Sky do with what is now their money is of little interest to me.
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You, thats Iffy of Iffy Towers, Leafy North Yorkshire, pay for Coleens Bentley. YOU and all the other subscribers are directly responsible. Not Sky - YOU.
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... YOU and all the other subscribers are directly responsible. Not Sky - YOU...
Zero,
Relax, you know what happens when you get over-wrought on here.
You talk as if Sky subscribers are responsible for something genuinely bad, such as famine in Africa.
I don't find footballers' wages as offensive as you do.
Anyone who goes to the game is also contributing, far more directly.
Do you suggest fans should stop going?
They are less important to the clubs than they were, but still account for around half of the income of an average Premier League club.
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I am not overwrought, I will however quote a passage from Pulp Fiction at you.
"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you"
What that means iffy, dont you dare, on here, ever make any more disparaging remarks about the excesses of any Premier League football player, you can not imagine the scorn that I will unleash in these pages.
with a wink of course.
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...ever make any more disparaging remarks about the excesses of any Premier League football player...
Their large wages are all the more reason to make disparaging remarks about them.
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Sorry Iffy, I wont allow, even you, to be that hypocritical.
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...Sorry Iffy, I wont allow, even you, to be that hypocritical...
No you're right.
I despise boorish behaviour by any individual.
It matters not if they are rich or poor, or where their wealth came from.
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I have recently purchased one of these little beauties:
tinyurl.com/4h7w4fp
Which has made me reconsider paying for Sky Sports when it allows me to watch all my team's games for free, although when we're playing a glory hunter's team there is a bit of buffering to put up with so I'm not going to cancel just yet.
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Virgin Media TiVo - rtj70
