Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Well lets hope they don't take a few years OB.:)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Well, you know where that 'coming soon' phrase gained such notoriety, Den!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I had a second e-mail a few weeks later, along similar lines, but there was very little difference in the questions.

I am still confident we will get something for the price rises.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I did a survey along similar lines over the weekend so possibly still looking into it

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

And that is?.;)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Yeah another price rise knowing vm :p:

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

By heck Sir you are rather pessimistic today.:)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

No idea Den:) But I don't think it is too far fetched to think that Netflix and VM could find a mutually agreeable deal for XL (or whatever the equivalent is these days).

I certainly don't think it will be Atlantic!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Find it strange that the British channel Horse & Country is on UPC in the Netherlands but not the UK or Ireland.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I thought it was on Sky, Andrew. Have they taken it off the EPG?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Sorry, yes it's still on Sky but not on Liberty Global's British or Irish networks.
I find it strange that you can watch it if you're a Liberty customer in the Netherlands as a foreign channel, but not if you're a Liberty cutomer in the country where it's based, the UK!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Yes that would be nice Harry but sadly SA is something l cannot see happening currently unless there is a suddenly a big change in the current XL pack forced on them by others.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I think realist would be a more accurate description Den.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I'm not sure why people are associating the annual increase with new TV channels. The price goes up each February, but channels can be added (or removed) at anytime during the year - they don't wait till Feb to change them!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I agree den. But in times of war as we live in now bt vs sky you'd hope sky would be more open to allies.

If I haven't gone to sky already one lousy channel won't make me go so they're just costing themselves advertisement. But as the bible states "a Murdoch never admits defeat"

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Or is the reality vm are trying to get it on the cheap i think both parties are to blame vm don't want to pay the going rate for channels and Sky for asking too much, both are as bad as each other.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

That theory would be fine except that no other platform has ever had Sky Atlantic including Smallworld and UPC (even when independent from VM) plus TalkTalk, Community Fibre and Wight Fibre. Yet all these companies together with Virgin offer Sky 1.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I think they need to do something with their XL Pack. Apart from a few channels not in L, it seems this is VM's way around the "HD for FREE". THe XL Pack contains the HD versions of all the decent channels. There are only 11 HD channels in the L pack, but for around £10 to get XL, there are 43 HD channels.

I know the XL pack has more On-Demand Content, but even that is limited too.

They definitely need to buffer it with Netflix or something similiar and more content if possible.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

They should and quickly too. Virgin used to have the best OD content available (not including the Sky channels) but now, it wouldn't surprise me if they are falling down the pecking order.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Actually, theone, I think VM were genuinely aghast at what Sky were asking for this channel when it first launched. They actually expected VM to pay for some of the launch costs as I remember it.

The fact that no other providers have offered Sky Atlantic says it all.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I guess until the Premier League rights are known, Virgin won't make any long-term changes to the XL pack. Sky has identified box sets as being important so I could see VM addressing this area too.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I have a sneaking suspicion that VM's plan is to make box sets available by way of streaming services from Amazon and Netflix. I fear the On Demand selection will continue to decline. It's not that good any more.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Indeed they have hardly any ITV content apart from catch up whilst Sky have boxed sets coming out of their ears.:(

---------- Post added at 13:07 ---------- Previous post was at 13:03 ----------

Well they certainly need to address it Andrew and not sit on their posteriors doing nothing while others move ahead.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

We may see 4oD being axe from V and V+ Boxes in March and relaunching only on TiVo boxes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-29154860

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Yes, that's the way it seems to be going, MB.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I would be shocked if the new service wasn't on all the V+ boxes even if it had less functionality than the Tivo version. The article doesn't suggest it won't be available unless I've misunderstood it.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

there is nothing in that article that suggested it isnt going to be on V+ boxes

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

That why I said "We may see" for.

Still not confirmed what going to happen by Virgin Sources or Channel 4 yet.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

customers who have V and V+ boxes are already getting a raw deal with hardly any hd on demand so if 4on demand goes it will hardly be worth keeping. No doubt virgin will want us all to buy a second tivo box along with it`s costly monthly fee,`eh?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Media Boy HQ has just found the following on the Channel 4 press office web site:

http://www.channel4.com/info/press/n...-service-all-4

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

The Tivo fee is pretty high, £11.50 p/m...not sure that it warrants this amount.

I doubt there is anything on the cards to reduce this either.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

TiVo is at most £5 more than a V HD or V+ HD box. The other £6.50 of that £11.50 applies to all additional boxes.

If you're on TV L or below then TiVo and the V+ HD box are the same price.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

What is the need for the additonal £5?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

You get TiVo

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Personally I hardly never use any of the features on my tivo box such as wish list or you tube. My partner uses you tube but she could just as easily use it on the media box we have. The extra 5 or 6 quid I pay is a waste of money for me. If I had to get another tivo box because say my v hd box packed in would I have to pay a second tivo monthly fee if it was replaced with a tivo box?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Haha Brilliant....
I was expecting something along the lines on why TiVo costs more.

If you said TiVo costs a lot more to run than the V+ boxes due to the amount of data thats fed into it, I could accept that a little bit better than "YOU GET TIVO" lol

Personally I love the TiVo box, but not sure the name TIVO warrants £5 a month extra :), just my opinion :angel:

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

It would be replaced with another V-HD box

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

You wouldn't have to get TiVo - if your V HD box stopped working it would be replaced by another V HD box.

If you chose to replace it with TiVo, then yes you would have to pay the extra £5.

---------- Post added at 16:14 ---------- Previous post was at 16:11 ----------

That's been discussed to death over the years since TiVo was launched.

End of the day it boils down to 'because it does'.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Thats ok, I just wondered if there was a more technical aspect to it.
Its much better than a Sky+ (spit) box anyway lol

Does that mean if VM release a new box (e.g for 4K content) will the current price go down or will the newer box cost an extra £5 more than £11.50?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I thought VM had to pay Tivo for using the epg?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

That would make sense :)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

To someone mentally unstable, seriously TiVo died in this country once, and it will probably do so again, my Smart TV can already analyse what I watch via set top boxes and make suggestions for me based on that info and it doesn't cost extra a month, in a few years time TiVo will be a dinasour and VM will have backed the wrong horse again.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Be careful what you say in front of your Smart TV if it's a Samsung ;)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

LOL!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Can your smart TV set a Wishlist, record to three separate tuners and automatically handle recording clashes across them?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Even if TiVo ended today, it would still have been a huge success for VM. And there's a few years in the old dog yet.

So which horse you think VM should have backed, and why?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Tell me SP will be Virgin be coming out with a newer more enhanced model of the TiVo?.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

What utter rubbish, does it record three channels??

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

crikey I have only just upgraded, is the old dog on its last few years of life left?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Tivo isn't going anywhere anytime soon, you will see it evolving over the next couple of years, more info when i get it.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

It'll be good when it connects to the cloud so you don't lose your recordings when it dies a death!

I still like my TIVO, but the speed and connectivity issues with the i-Player need to be resolved.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Would the amount of tuners still be an issue with recordings stored in the cloud ?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Are you're saying that Tivo was ahead of its time and its competitors have caught up in several ways and that the monthly fee is starting to look like an anachronism? If so, you would probably have a lot of people agreeing with you.
If you're saying that technology leaders come and go then again we'd probably agree with you and I'm sure Tivo will have its day the same as the Sony Walkman and the iPod have had theirs.
If you're saying that Tivo won't evolve and will look a dinosaur, well the evidence of its new products shows this is not the case.
If you're saying that VM has a habit of backing bad horses and Tivo is one of those horses, what horse would you have backed instead?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

There are only donkeys :D

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

But you have to record first then store in the cloud if this becomes available in the future. So the number of tuners is significant if you want to store up programmes for watching another time. I find catch-up and OD inadequate as alternatives as catch-up often does now have a whole series (like 6 months after it was shown) and you have to wait ages to see a whole series through OD. I want to control what I watch and when.

Having 3 or even 4 (USA models) is key for our family and the constant clashes we have with recordings we want all on at the same time. We also tend to watch series (not episodes) so like to build up our own "DIY" box set and the Tivo is perfect for that right now. Having 1 channel to watch and 1 chanel to record is simply not enough.

The answer to this could be to record directly to "the cloud", now that would be interesting!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

How do USA models of the TiVo work in the UK?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

So your suggesting you have to record to local storage (HDD) then upload to the cloud , I'd severely doubt that.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

They dont to my knowledge? But could be proved wrong?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

No it will only record 1 whilst watching 1 at the moment even though it has 3 tuners, but it can instruct my set top box to record as well, and given that samsung are about to launch a new smarter faster operating system this year it will only be a matter of time before everything you need is possible, I didn't say that smart TVs would replace set top boxes, just most of the best features for free.

P.s I think VM should have backed their strong Internet and launched a "Netflix" or a "Amazon prime" but been pro active in acquiring initial rights instead of sloppy seconds, if they had got into bed with the big American tv companies back when sky was withholding basic channels the landscape could now have been totally different.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

That's great for 'bleeding edge' TVs, however there will always be a need for add on boxes (whether from Virgin Media or others) that bring those services to cheaper / older TVs.

When the Sky basic channels weren't on Virgin TV, Virgin owned their own set of channels such as Living, Bravo, Challenge etc which did have a lot of original content from the US.

However these were sold in return for a more secure content agreements for the Sky channels http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...media-channels

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

They would still have needed a good PVR/on-demand solution though and back in 2010, Tivo was seen as this.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

And they created two new channels to replace them- Setanta Sports News and Virgin 1

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I thought the USA used a different broadcasting format and a different electrical voltage to the UK's PAL and 240 volt.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Virgin 1 was sold to Sky as well as the other channels like Bravo and Living. It became Channel One under Sky's ownership before closing down.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

They go bang! (And, no, it wasn't me who tried :))

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

An interesting discussion here about the possibility of your telly gossiping about you

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2051021

Lets hope that TiVo and V+ haven't collaborated together to tell tales :D

Yep, I think that it was called Channel One for a short time before closure because Sky didn't want to pay for the licence to use the Virgin branding.

Lol, I wasn't thinking about it's electricity supply, but they are different aren't they. Was thinking more about the technical aspects, i'm assuming that as an unregistered V Box wouldn't work on the VM system, an American TiVo probably wouldn't. Perhaps some people use them for DTT or satellite??

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Depends what the cloud would be used for - primary or offline/backup storage where local stored recordings are transferred to the cloud where you could have a 3TB allowance say and pay for even more if you wanted.

All guess work of course and the best concept would be to have recordings directly stored in the cloud (so VM actually keep one recording of many 1000's users "recording" of a programme?), it wasn't me who actually mentioned the cloud so not really sure what VM are thinking of in this area, but the only thing I have ever heard of is it being mentioned for backing up your Tivo in case it fails.

Perhaps they could follow the same concept as my iPhone where I have downloaded apps/songs on my phone but can also download additional apps/songs previously bought (or recorded for Tivo?) on my account so not everything is actually on my phone - so you could have 2TB of recordings using a 500Mb Tivo box? Pure guesswork of course! I guess I am talking about a "personal" On -Demand service for your own recordings.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Off the top of my head
- They don't support DVB (lots of different aspects here)
- They don't support SCART
- They don't support VOD as implemented by VM
- They don't support Nagra smartcards
- They don't support RC5 remote controls

And probably one or two more that I haven't thought of.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

This article confirms both Sky and VM are working toward this hence my comment about tuners going forward.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

There appeared to be one less channel in the EPG when I was flicking through this morning.

Have we lost a channel? If so, what was it?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Thanks for the link. Notice comment "Virgin Media is also testing a cloud-based recording system along the lines of Project Ethan with its set-top box provider TiVo" so yes looks like something is being investigated.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Theirs already a service that does this called very tangy TV, record up to 9 channels at once I think

https://marcus-lange-8xe4.squarespace.com/shop/

Only thing with cloud is if you're internet connection is down no TV, unless if virgin have its own dedicated modem in the set top box which they probably will.

But what then, be charged for certain storage space, yep.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

VM Pop has gone

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

My grandkids won't be pleased :mad:

---------- Post added at 12:20 ---------- Previous post was at 12:19 ----------

Then came Sky Atlantic....:rolleyes:

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

It's only the access channel, you can still get the playlist by going to On Demand > Music > Playlists > VM Pop

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Ah, thank you, Ben! :)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Is there any reason why VOD portal barker channels are removed? To me it seems pointless to remove something that advertises VM services and takes up negligible bandwidth; it isn't as if there is a shortage of EPG slots like Sky :confused:

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Media Boy HQ thinks maybe Virgin Media has signed an new deal with Viacom so maybe the following is set to happen due to Virgin on Demand Pop channel being axe from Virgin Channel 306 last night.

306. Virgin on Demand Playlist (Moving from 309)
308. MTV Live
309. MTV Live HD (Moving from 311)
311. MTV Classic

What channels are Virgin Media missing but is own by Viacom?

•Nick Jr. +1
•Comedy Central Extra +1
•5* +1
•MTV CLASSIC (Broadcasts in UPC Ireland areas right now).
•MTV LIVE
•MTV +1
•Spike TV (Channel set to launch later this year).

Last Viacom deal was signed in May 2013.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

spike tv
Is this confirmed to be coming to virgin media or confirmed to be coming to the UK

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

.....it's launching on Freeview in the next few months and replacing Viva.

Viva will remain on cable and satellite but I don't think Viacom have confirmed whether they will launch Spike elsewhere yet. They may decide to do the same on satellite and cable too, but nothing confirmed yet.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Media Boy HQ has just found out that Virgin Media has also move "Virgin on Demand Rocks" from Virgin Channel 306 to Virgin Channel 304 in the last 24 hours.

---------- Post added at 22:58 ---------- Previous post was at 22:39 ----------

Only confirmed as coming soon to Freeview at time of posting.

No confirmed news on coming to both Virgin and Sky.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Mtv classic will be good. Still want trutv can't believe its on freeview but they can't do a deal for cable. Ridiculous!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

MTV Classic is not confirmed as coming - just my views.

But I feel something is in the wind with Virgin Media working on some Virgin on Demand channels on the EPG last night.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Thank for the info

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Trutv is on all platforms except for virgin, makes you wonder doesn't it.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

What was reported last year was "VIMN is also aiming to secure distribution for Spike on Virgin Media and on the UK’s digital satellite platforms. Spike’s launch on Freeview will be made possible by the removal of VIVA from the platform. The free-to-air UK TV rights to Viacom content previously owned by VIVA will now be made available to 5*, while VIVA will continue to be available to cable and satellite viewers in the UK and Ireland."
http://advanced-television.com/2014/...nel-5-forever/

---------- Post added at 23:54 ---------- Previous post was at 23:54 ----------

Totally agree.

---------- Post added at 23:55 ---------- Previous post was at 23:54 ----------

Well spotted. :) I shall keep a beady eye on this thread over the next few days.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Maybe but it's hardly a "must have" channel.

---------- Post added at 03:23 ---------- Previous post was at 03:20 ----------

It would be nice to see Viacom's full UK portfolio of channels on VM. Unfortunately, this rumour seems to be rehashed far too often and, so far, has come to nothing.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I guess they have to balance the channels they take with what people are prepared to pay. There's an outcry every time the price goes up!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Tbf you're not missing much anyway trutv is pretty pants the usa version is miles ahead of it atm.
I hope you guys do get it on vm in time but if anyone really must watch it it is available via tvplayer.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I think people who want it are so minded because they haven't got it. Whether they would watch it if it came to VM is another question.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

We may not get it until Turner's deal with Virgin Media is up.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

True, I would expect all channels on Freeview to be on a TV service that I pay for.

Nothing further to report on TruTV coming to VM. It was all set to go and then for some unknown reason VM refused to carry it. I do know that they weren't happy with the channel owners for advertising inclusion on VM cable (complete with EPG number) before any carriage deal was formally signed.

---------- Post added at 14:05 ---------- Previous post was at 14:02 ----------

True, but things have changed. There are less and less people watching music channels and Viacom need VM more than VM need Viacom.

It would even be in Viacom's interest to let VM have the missing channels for virtually nothing in order to bolster the serious decline in viewers (and consequent advertising revenue).

Over the last year Viacom have been signing distribution deals and started streaming some of their output.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Any idea when that is mate?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Last deal was signed in January 2013 when TCM2, TCM HD and Cartoon Network HD was added.

If the deal was an three years one TruTV will not launch on Virgin Media until January 2016.

---------- Post added at 14:18 ---------- Previous post was at 14:15 ----------

http://mediaboyblog.blogspot.co.uk/2...view-2013.html

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Thanks for the info.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Don't VM actually want to be paid to carry these channels? So letting VM have them for free wouldn't do the trick.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Couldn't put it better Richard. I'd expect to have all tv channels on freeview and it makes no sense to not have those channels on virgin media.

As for music channels again spot on. Dying breed so I can't see how they can even or want to withhold channels from virgin. Seems to be illogical ignorance

"Virgin don't have mtv classic? Who? Oh. They don't? What? "

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

I just want Scuzz as all the pop and dance fans are catered for and the Metal heads are left behind, Pees me off

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

Can't say I understand the need for the music video channels, the radio does a good enough job for me. I guess some videos might enhance some songs, but I have rarely seen it happen. Still, each to their own.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2015) Vol. 1
 

....I agree to a point, but the right song with the right visuals can create a very powerful mix. Can't comment on modern songs as I don't know any, but think of Madonna's "Like A Prayer", very powerful and controversial for its day. Or, Aha's "Take On Me", which was a revolution in music video in its day.