Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Setanta Sports UK Full out: More Magners League coming to Virgin TV confrim.

NOTE: Highlights of Glasgow and Edinburgh game is on every Sunday on STV.

September
18th. Ospreys v Leinster - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 19:00.
19th. Scarlets v Munster - Magners League - S4C from 18:00.
25th. Glasgow v Ospreys - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 19:00.
26th. Cardiff v Scarlets - Magners League - S4C from 18:00.

October
2nd. Ulster v Scarlets - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 19:00.
3rd. Newport Gwent Dragons v Connacht - Magners League - S4C from 16:30.
3rd. Cardiff v Glasgow - Magners League - S4C from 18:30.
4th. Ospreys v Edinburgh - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 16:00.
23rd. Scarlets v Newport Gwent Dragons - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 19:00.
24th. Cardiff v Ospreys - Magners League - S4C from 18:30.
30th. Ospreys v Glasgow - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 19:00.
31st. Leinster v Cardiff - Magners League - S4C from 18:30.

November
1st. Edinburgh v Newport Gwent Dragons - Magners League - S4C from 17:05.

December
4th. Scarlets v Edinburgh - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 19:05.
5th. Ospreys v Munster - Magners League - S4C from 18:30.
6th. Newport Gwent Dragons v Leinster - Magners League - S4C from 17:05.
26th Scarlets v Ospreys - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 14:05.
27th. Glasgow v Edinburgh - Magners League - STV from 15:05.
27th. Cardiff v Newport Gwent Dragons - Magners League - S4C from 18:00.
31st. Newport Gwent Dragons v Scarlets - Magners League - BBC2 Wales & BBC Red Button from 14:05.

January 2010
1st. Ospreys v Cardiff - Magners League - S4C from 17:15.
3rd. Edinburgh v Glasgow - Magners League - STV from 15:05.

All Fixtures news from ''live football on tv''.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Berkett said yesterday that he expects access to Sky HD and the wholesale pricing to be sorted out within 12 months. (Personally, and as I've mentioned before, I'll believe VM will get Sky HD just after analogue is turned off on VM, the timing being by pure coincidence, of course...)

A few other titbits he mentioned at the Goldman Sachs conference yesterday:

280Mhz of spectrum will be freed up when analogue is shut down. There is around 750Mhz in total.

DOCSIS 3 takes up around 15% of spectrum. Once analogue is shutdown, some of that freed up capacity will be used to bond the upstream channels on DOCSIS 3.

(In English, this means faster uploads)

Berkett is raving about his 3 screens approach. You have what content you want, when you want it and where you want it, whether it be on tv, mobile or PC screen via broadband.

He expects within 12-24 months to launch an application that will enable users to pause a tv programme on one tv, then resume the programme on a PC in another room, as but one example of IPTV/next gen tv.

Berkett really hit home, that he believes "application" is key, rather than content. (well, he would, wouldn't he...?) The ability to search for content ie comedy, whether it be a linear tv channel, VOD, something on the internet will become seamless, he thinks. He intends to launch applications that will remove any such distinction.

(Note, I don't expect anything until 2011 at the earliest, because the contract with Liberate, who supplies the EPG to VM, doesn't expire until then. So, I don't expect to see Berkets's wonderful new IPTV/next gen applications until then. I'm happy to be proven wrong)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

On the one hand I want Sky HD and red button on VM but on the other hand I can see Sky's point as well, they took all the risk and made the investment which paid of and now they may be forced to supply content cheaper to their rivals? Are there any other industries where a similar thing happens? BT comes to mind with unbundling their exchanges but that was built with tax payer money.

The cable companies were happy to sit back and do nothing about investing in their future, although that was probably due to being crippled by the cost of laying cables. It is about time there was a fair playing field, but a lack of vision,the stupid idea of cable franchise has hindered the industry far more then Sky.

Horizon's post sound interesting but lets hope we don't have to wait for ever to see these new applications.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Cool! :cool: I really feel that we should have less asymmetry in the downstram / upstream speeds on cable broadband. So, maybe 10 & 2Mb/s, 20 & 4Mb/s, 50 & 10Mb/s and higher. Ideally it would lead to a VDSL-like service with upload and download speeds adjusting to demand but, as this would be more like a business broadband service, it's unlikely.

Cool! :cool: Let's go to bed and watch the rest of the movie upstairs!

I know we've been through this discussion with contracts for channels and their time-shift and High Definition variants but surely, if VM are ready to introduce ground-breaking advances in their delivery mechanism, they would already be in negotiations with their EPG supplier or with a new supplier for the new platform.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

"cheaper" = at a price where they actually have an incentive to sell the services, rather than one where they make nothing, very little, or lose money. Not to mention that it's not just about cheaper, but also comparable. The red button is non-price discrimination which is simply unacceptable.

As for other industries where a similar thing happens, every single utility, and for the mother of all "monopolies" go look at microsoft. There really is an example of a company that drove innovation and then got royally screwed over because they happened to be successful. Sky should think themselves VERY lucky that they're only dealing with ofcom and not the EU competition commission because they would split the company in two at the drop of a hat.

Sky's position also seems to be one of pointing at VM and going "well they didn't invest, so they lose!" but it ignores the fact that the cable franchises in the early days were predominately just broadcast platforms, and only picked up TV channels later to try to compete, at a time when the market for premium content was already wrapped up, and with Sky's market penetration and content lock-in it's near impossible to actually compete with their channels, as setanta did a great job of showing.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

But weren't all the utility companies built using tax payer money? Sky had to invest private money into the venture. Comparing MS to Sky is like apples and oranges. Would you be so eager if the government forced Virgin to open their cable network to rivals so they could all deliver broadband or TV over fibre?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

True, but there are no cable franchises now, albeit a few other tiny cable cos, so that's now a past issue. The playing field is more level now, because VM is a big company and the only one with a quality two-way network just as everything is going on the internet, even tv.

Although I agree in part with the "Sky have invested heavily why should they share argument", you need to look at how Sky got to that position.

No idea how long you have been following media issues, I've been following Sky and the cable cos from the beginning. But just like Microsoft, Sky has used ruthless tactics to get where it is. It's by no means whiter than white. Look up the Sky/Travel Channel spat from around 15 years as but one early example.

There's a reason why today, Sky owns 50% of many of the main channels that are carried on its satellite platform...

What will happen if Sky are forced to sell premium content at wholesale prices to competitors, is obvious. They'll pay less for it in the future.

Sky currently pays well over the odds for the premiership football rights and Hollywood films. That will stop, it will pay less. VM/BT et all will pick up some future film/sports rights and instead of paying one price for all sports and film channels as supplied by Sky. We'll have to pay for multiple channels to see all the sports/films in the future. It's competition and it's good for everyone, isn't it??.....erm.:erm:

Well, VM already announced they're buying a load of Cisco hardware, but this is for the networks, rather than stbs or software. Of course VM will need to have agreements in place before/if they switch EPG suppliers. But they've still got 18 months to sort that out, then it all needs to be tested. So I think my post the other day about we wont see IPTV/next gen tv on VM for another 3 years is realistic.Actually, the V+ is capable of multi-room functionality if it had the right software. So you could've paused the video downstairs then carried on watching it in the bedroom. Sadly, this was not implemented by VM.

Have a look at the American cable cos web sites, some of them have been doing this for a few years now.

---------- Post added at 20:41 ---------- Previous post was at 20:18 ----------

And of course Microsoft/Gates never did anything to hurt their competitors, all of whom are all still in business today....Of course Microsoft, just like Sky, are whiter than whiter, pure as the driven snow - albeit with a "few" splashes of red in there too.:)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

All big businesses get to where they are with ruthless aggressive tactics unfortunately that is the capitilist way, play nice and the big guy crushes you. I am not saying Sky is in right and want to see all platforms carry all channels and bring down the price.

What I would love is being able to watch stuff that I have recorded on my V+ on my V box in the bedroom, it is usually when I am in bed that I think i would love to see such and such.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Cable is not national so there is no competieotn issues there, but i acutally think virign should open there network up as they make mroe money and we get mroe channels as the channels pay for the bandwidht and the epg.

I agree sky invest so should get money back like BT are for Fibre, but bt isnt allowed to get it at there price forever i hikn it for about 3-5 years. so sky should be no different they get the money back which they have for the investment in red button and hd then there price are set at regulator price not sky price, but the problem is sky does nto want anyone to compete they want the totally domiance and that why thye hould be forced.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Short version, for a change, because it's the weekend, I'm tired, being forced to watch 'Strictly Come Dancing' etc. etc. etc.

I dunno where to draw the line between fair competition and 'Nanny State' but I don't want too see too much 'big whip' competition and not too much inapropriate regulation either.

If we all had Cable TV and Broadband to our doors like BT 'phones then things would be on a more even footing between Virgin Media and BSkyB (formerly British Satellite Broadcasting and Sky). I highlight 'more' because I appreciate that it probably isn't cheap to pay for satellite rental but it's probably not fair for the rights to all the sports etc. to go to one broadcaster when they are not the free or cheap or even best option. If cable were everywhere, probably more people would have cable than Freeview and way more than Sky. The VM Cable service has the advantage of two-way interactive, broadband internet and telephone, as well as mobile if you want the full monty.

You choose but if one party or cartel had the monopoly on something as basic as petrol/diesel (OPEC / The Milk Marketing Board) and put the competition out of business they would have a pay-per-fill-up monopoly. Then they could charge what they like for oil / milk and we'd all have to suck it!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Brilliant thread! Thanks a lot for all the info. Wow, 20-30 HD channels? Sounds good to me :P

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Where has this 20-30 idea come from. This will not happen until after analogue switch off. this is the kind of issue that the VM sceptics latch onto

---------- Post added at 23:37 ---------- Previous post was at 23:33 ----------

and now my apology to mikkyh, i forgot how old i was the other week and now it appears i have forgotten what year we are in. So your comment stands and i retract mine oops:

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

New here:) Being of asian background I know that sky has number of asian channels in its "free to view" lineup but I don't see any on Virgin network.Are there any plans to add them to its lineup?
Regards.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

The hilarious thing is that some Indian channels are actually free to air on satellite, but Virgin makes then premium channels on cable.

Oh the joys of a closed network.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Living HD not coming untill October according to a post on Nialli's blog:

http://vmhd.blogspot.com/