Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I made a call to retentions earlier - unfortunately, based upon my experience, they won't offer existing customers the current £79/month offer for new customers.

Initially all he offered was ultimate oomph with 2 v6 boxes converted to 360 (i can make do without one) for £105. After a push he said could throw in 1gbps internet (instead of 600mbps) and amazon prime video for 12 months.

Obviously i already have prime so the latter doesn't help much.

After saying I would leave anyhow, he said he would call me on Monday again when agent discretion is allowed for the new month - could probably take £10 off per month more.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

just for info, we pay £96 for the normal ultimate oomph package. didnt need to haggle as im not in the mood for that, so just took it as it was still less than our old package.

360 box downstairs seems to lose the wifi and never get it back, happened twice today. good signal downstairs so its not that. needs a reboot to fix.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

You're being robbed mate.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

It isn't really being robbed - he is paying it without complaint.

A 'phone call at anytime would have likely reduced it be at least 20%.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

It's just a saying.:rolleyes:

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I know - it is just a lot of people complain about paying too much - but have never called to see why?

Same in every area of business - not just tv/broadband.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I've never known anything like tv/broadband where the prices are so flexible. Many don't realise you can 'haggle', or there is such a thing as being in/out of contract. Haggling isn't British and we don't like doing it, this is taken advantage of. Dread to think what my bill would be after 25 years if I'd never queried it.

Things like gas/electric the prices are transparent and switching easy. BB/tv less so. There isn't true competition, Sky and VM have a duopoly.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I have been with VM for well over 20 years and have spoken to retentions at least twice to my benefit in that time. :p:


As I said, another call is due.:)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

With Sky/VM - you can fight the two off against each other.

Many are stuck with Sky though with no other choice for tv.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Unfortunately you need to ring every year to stop the price spiralling. It probably works out as a good business plan as apathy rules with a lot of folk and they don't bother.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I cant work out if you can pad individual series links over 30 mins. you can pad individual recordings for up to 3 hours, the the default settings for series is maxed at 30.

which is a pain compared to the old box, the chase never over runs, but the darts has a habit of doing it. so I would just set the series link for darts to add on few hours but leave the rest at a few minutes padding.

edit: it actually does appear to keep the padding for the series link if you set when you first press record, so thats handy

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I have received a software update this morning which now allows you to record series from this episode onwards or all episodes meaning duplicate recordings are less likely.

Also you can keep at most either the last 3,10,25 or all episodes.

A very welcome update.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

It is indeed, and one less reason to avoid the 360.

I will look at it again when the bookmarking system is provided.

Thanks for the update, Steve. Hopefully, the missing streamers/players will appear soon.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I was a bit dubious after reading so many negative reviews and chats about it.

But overall our household is delighted with it.

It’s a lot fresher than the old V6 system and works very well.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

What addition to the current Watchlist function are you looking for?

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

There has been an overnight update to the 360 software from version 4.28 to 4.29. Just some fairly minor tweaks but if I understand it correctly it seems to go a little way to addressing some of the misgivings of the V6 users and the series link deficiencies. There's more info about the update over on the VM Community forum https://community.virginmedia.com/t5...e/td-p/4599120

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

We currently have 2 x V6 boxes and are on the OOMPH package which I'm pretty happy with. Usually very interested in a new box, but have been a bit put off by some of the comments in this thread.
Specifically, I manage to keep my disc usage below 30% by extensive use of bookmarks - for movies that I may watch some time and for series that I may pick up when there's a chance to watch all of it in one bite. I would therefore expect the smaller disc size on 360 not to impact us to any degree, unless this bookmarking facility has gone.

Any thoughts on my predicament would be welcome.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

There is a Watchlist facility. I use it to bookmark things I may want to watch in the future without recording it. Things that are on demand.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

You can even use Watchlist to watch rather than record current series. Great for those series that have all episodes On Demand from the start or those that have Catch Up for 30 days. Of course, you do have to be aware of when On Demand or Catch Up ends.
This approach does get you round the record/watch/delete issue where repeats get recorded.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

And if you already have 2 V6 boxes then you just need the 360 software, your disc size is still the same, so you don’t really have a predicament. ;)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I take it any new customers to Virgin are automatically on 360 software with only 1 x 1Tb recording box?

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Correct.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Thanks for the info guys, that's useful. I won't request the change but may feel better about it when it comes.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

The function that enables you to bookmark Netflix, Amazon and programmes from the TV channels and adds the content to ‘My Shows’.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

You can Watchlist programmes from Amazon Prime.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

… and you can Watchlist programmes on the TV channels.
Don’t know about Netflix.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Thank you, and does that ‘Watchlist’ get added to your recordings list?

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Watchlist is a separate section of Saved.
For example, here is an Amazon Prime Video series in my Watchlist:

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I see, thank you for this.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Does anyone know if you have to pay extra monthly to keep a third v6 converted to a 360? (I know it requires a visit)

I only ask since my upgrade pack was supposed to arrive yesterday but of course virgin just sent the hub4 and forgot the new remotes.. I then phoned up and the guy initially kept saying I was only allowed one 360 and a mini - he eventually went away, came back and confirmed and then the IT system wouldnt let him order remotes for me! Still awaiting the promised callback...

Ohh and my £96.50 a month new contract suddenly led to an email saying my next bill will be £159 per month.. I do love Virgin!

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

You need to get that sorted asap, that's extortionate.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

glad to see they are updating the series link stuff with the ability to change padding per series link once its been setup, very handy for the darts and other sports.

wonder if the wifi dropping issue has been fixed on the main box downstairs.

Im a big fan of this new software

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

If you originally had 3 V6 boxes and are moving to 360 then there shouldn't be an extra charge.

I had 3xV6 and now have 1x360 main plus 2x360 minis - my price hasn't changed.

If they don't send the remotes you should try calling and asking to be put through to the 360 team - they should be able to sort you out.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I have 3 x V6 boxes, but not had any contact about the software update as yet.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Same here.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Sorry I wasnt clear - I was asking if there is still an extra monthly charge for a 3rd box or 2nd mini in your case (think it was £7 per month for the v6s)

Were you not able to upgrade the software on all your v6s even if requiring an engineer? i would have a strong preference to keep the extra storage even if it meant losing one of the v6s.

I lost 3 hours of my day going around in circles of insanity with every team imaginable at virgin today (customer services sent me to retentions who sent me to faults who sent me back to customer services each time requiring full security checks and 30mins waits). it turns out the guy that upgraded me never seems to have ordered the switch to 360 boxes and none of the teams seem to be able to technically do it for me or just order the darn remotes.. half the time they try to order me a replacement v6 remote (but strictly only one!!) and ALL of them including supervisors say there is no way I can technically upgrade the v6 software and keep my boxes.. (remember they disabled one already so i currently only have 2 v6s)

I finally asked to have the guy who did my contract call me - after the adviser taking no less than SIX attempts to get my phone number read out from screen correctly, I still havent heard a word since!!

completely at a loss as to what to do..

Ie they have to send me a 360 plus mini since it is different hardware

I am now at a complete loss as to what to do and would love to leave virgin right now :-)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

There is a normally charge for extra boxes. However, the deal I negotiated with Virgin (while still with V6s) waived the cost and I kept the same deal when moving to 360 (only my hardware changed - mine was swapped completely and wasn't a software change).

Try calling Virgin early on and speak to retentions (thinking of leaving - options 1-4-4 on the phone IIRC) and ask to be connected to the 360 team. That's the route I've followed with 360 issues and it's usually been reltively painless:)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Thanks will try that - made the mistake of even trying the hub 4 with its magical auto activate.. nope, flashes white for a while and then solid red (tried rebooting/resetting etc and of course phone lines shut)

not impressed

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

When I first updated to TV360 on my 2 V6 boxes the main box in the lounge had a minor problem with the indicator light not showing at times. This seemed to rectify itself and has worked perfectly for many weeks now, White light when on, blue when in standby a yellow when rebooting.

Since the 4.29 update a couple of days ago it is happening again. Our second box has never had this problem and is working fine but the indicator light on our main box has gone off completely once again even though the box itself appears to be working OK.

If I reboot the box I get the yellow light, then the white light once it has rebooted fully. If I then put it in standby the light goes blue. When I next power the box up it comes on but the indicator light goes out and then stays out at all times, fully on or on standby?

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Clearly, VM needs to fix that, but it would not be an issue for me. It's just lights!

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

It’s not a major issue for me either, will possibly correct itself like it did last time, just reporting it that’s all.:angel:

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I know, I wasn’t criticising you by any means - it’s just one of those things that VM need to put right if they are to be regarded as a professional outfit.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I think I have sorted my indicator light problem.:cool:

Rebooted the main box in the lounge a couple of times but indicator light still went off completely. However on the last reboot I got an onscreen warning of poor ethernet connection. We live in a bungalow and the Hub3 is in one of the bedrooms. The V6 boxes are in the lounge and another bedroom. The main TV box in the lounge is/was connected to the hub via a VM supplied Netgear Powerline adaptor. I double checked all the cables and had 3 good lights on both plug in adapters.

I disconnected the ethernet cable from the main box, went into diagnostics settings and reset the box to the WiFi signal and the indicator light fault has cleared.:)

It would appear that the wifi connection is better than the powerline ethernet one.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

So are they doing over the air upgrades for the V6 now and sending the new remotes?

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

What does fast forward look like . Ie as tivo or more like netflix ,itv hub and sky go ? :confused:

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

not sure what this means exactly, but it shows the video frame image at set intervals as you fast forward. guess thats more like netflix?

seems to skip one minute at its top speed. although of course you can just ask it to skip 15 minutes or whatever for longer stuff

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Thank you .for me another reason not to switch. Not a fan of screen shot by screen shot fast forwarding . Do not watch anything live always record 15 minutes or so . So l can skip dead time . in sport stoppages, half time etc in shows , cars chases etc and if watching a quiz show all the waffle . :D

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

You can also say fast forward 3mins into the remote and it does just that

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Only if you choose to upgrade.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Nice thought but cannot often know how long to fast forward for ! Really need to see not guess :)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

ha, funny, my dad literally calls the start of quiz shows "jibber jabber" and loves to skip it all.

I dont think this is any huge incentive to upgrade if you have a happy service your used to with things like that. I know my parents would be very unhappy if anything they are used to changes!

personally I dont mind so much as some of the benefits outweigh the issues, but I love being able to switch profiles from my partners animal channels to my sports in a click of a button

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Can I just clarify the profiles option? If I add programmes I like to my profile and those my wife likes to hers, do I just see my programmes on mine and can she see just her programmes on her profile?

I think someone said you still see all the programmes whatever the profile, which to me would make the profile pointless.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

You will only see the channels you have selected on your profile and your wife will only see hers on her pofile. In fact, you do not need to limit the profiles to individuals. You can create a profile for anything - such as moods or seasons.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Recordings are shared across the profiles. Channels in the guide and watchlists are per profile

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Most people aren't interested, in apps profiles or talking to their remote as they have no friends....

They just want to watch/record tv. As this will end up with many having less recording space, can't see the point

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Some want more recording space.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I agree with you Denphone - I can only assume Virgin bought a huge job lot of 1Tb disc drives and have yet to use them all.

2Tb should be the minimum, 4Tb should be easily achievable.

I wonder if anyone has tried replacing the drive with a larger one - if so was it successful?

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

IMHO 1TB is more than enough for the purposes of watching recordings at a convenient time.
Anyone wanting a bigger storage capacity is archiving material they will never get round to watching.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

You seem to struggle to understand anyone who has different uses and circumstances to that of your own.

1TB isn't massive recording capacity when you factor in UHD and HD in large family households were the whole family use the box.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Exactly.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Quite agree . personally my v6 rarely moves pass 6% :erm:

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Given VM started introducing new encoders in October last year (thanks spiderplant again for that) which greatly reduces the space used for recordings, the problem isn't anything like as bad as it was. My storage indicator barely moves these days, except down when I delete old (pre-new-encoder) recordings.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Thank you, heavyside. That clears that up!

---------- Post added at 18:53 ---------- Previous post was at 18:52 ----------

Got it, thanks Ben.

---------- Post added at 18:58 ---------- Previous post was at 18:53 ----------

It depends on personal preferences, Mr K. My wife wants to watch a lot of reality shows (which I detest) but our recordings and bookmarks are quite extensive, so some of her programmes fall down the list quite a long way and she never bothers to look beyond about the first dozen pages or so. If all her stuff was under her profile, the whole display would be for only her stuff and it will be much easier for her to find them.

I’d probably go for three profiles - one for me (the more gritty stuff I watch after my wife falls asleep late at night), one for my wife and the other for us both. This would make life a lot easier!

---------- Post added at 19:02 ---------- Previous post was at 18:58 ----------

That’s only true if you spend a lot of time watching live scheduled TV, which is a poor use of your time.

I record or bookmark everything we are likely to watch so we can see our programmes at times suitable for us and to skip through those pesky commercials.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Much like 640K of memory ought to be enough for anybody :D

That didnt work out so well. ;)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Indeed

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

It's clear that memory recording size should bear some proportion to household size and consumption of linear channels.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Independent of family size, there are only 24 hours in each day. How many hours of recordings can you watch in one day.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Isn't it trendy with some generations to watch films with sub-titles at double speed? So more content than you might think! :D

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

what a weird conversation. Personally 1tb is more than enough for us, but I can fully imagine that isn't the same for everyone. Apart from anything, as soon as you see things going over a certain point, you then start to think about it and that alone can be a pain. Main reason I buy phones with amazing battery, just dont need to think about it.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Totally agree with you, I know we are restricted due to the Chinese flu :D, but when we eventually get back to some normality then maybe some people should get out a bit more than be sitting watching TV all day...;)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

the internet brings the worst out in people ;)

my bro has 3 kids, they all like different stuff. they all like to watch stuff over and over, I dont do this, I am not 9 years old.

its called "different experiences" and zero need to use every opportunity for people to feel superior by judging;)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Am really confused now.. Virgin delivered me new boxes afterall and they are labelled humax but are exactly the same as V6s (of which I already have 3 but presumably updated 360 software) and both say 1tb hard drives underneath? Obv got no activation text and just get an error message saying account not found on the screen!

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Except, the more you go out the more you need to record as you are not in to watch it live.

It's all about time-shifting and removing the need to watch adverts.

I agree 1Tb is probably enough for some - however for others it is woefully inadequate.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Try connecting the other box up and see if it activates. Some boxes are auto-activating now.

They do seem to be sending 2x1TB boxes to some people. Maybe they are short of minis.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Hence that post...;)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I had to phone up but the adviser was able to (reasonably!) quickly activate both and they seem to work thus far.. even set a recording on one and was able to then watch on the other albeit with a bit of lag to get started

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

For some reason the main box in the lounge has rebooted on first switching on this morning. Thought it might be an update but the other box came on straight away.

The affected box went through the Welcome, Bienvenue etc, etc screen then went blank with light turning blue. Switched on again and it went into reboot mode again. This time I waited until screen went blank and before indicator light had gone from yellow to blue I pressed the power button again and this time got it to fire up correctly.:confused:

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I keep getting channels not working with a 'we are setting up your channels' error.. they don't seem to know how to fix it! Not even all channels

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I actually think that this is a deliberate move to ween people off recording programmes & using VOD or cloud recordings if/when this becomes available in the UK.

As streaming (or cloud recording) becomes more the norm, they will be able to stop us FFing through adverts and time limit how long we can timeshift matetial for.

I seldom use VOD as it's inferior in my experience.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Agree with all your points - not sure why people feel the need to fix something that isn't broken, change for change sake

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Except for the BBC iPlayer. There are (admittedly only a few) shows on iPlayer in UHD and HDR neither of which are currently available on broadcast BBC TV. They look stunning.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

True. My personal belief that VOD is inferior is also because:

- It often doesn't have subtitles.

- It's time limited before disappearing.

- You can't use QuickView.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Being deaf the 'no subtitles' limits my choice of viewing.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

It really is unacceptable in the modern age - all VOD services should require consistent subtitling features with a global on/off setting.

Virgin finally improved the text beyond Ceefax quality but still haven't learn about transparent backgrounds / netflix style!

Definitely a topic as many people as possible should continue to raise complaints about.. my wife is foreign so certainly finds it useful for ease of interpretation of some of the more complex accents on TV in particular!

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

It's deliberate. Many people who need subtitles also have poor eyesight.

"For subtitles to be readable they need to be high contrast. Pre-prepared block subtitles are the best approach to providing accurate, easily legible and well-synchronised subtitles. Recommended colours are white, yellow, cyan and green against a solid black background as these provide the best contrast. "

(From ATVOD subtitling guidelines. Ofcom have a similar recommendation)

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

I admire the way Amazon Prime implements their subtitles with a choice of sizes.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

One of our boxes has had an onscreen message about a new software version 5, pressing the OK button to accept this just clears the message but no update takes place.

Both boxes are still on V 4.30 but this warning message only comes up on one box, first noticed yesterday morning?

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Could be a software update for the TV or another connected device.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

:dunce: Should have gone to Specsavers, it was the TV. :angel:

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

V 4.30? When was this rolled out?
Both my boxes still on 4.29 after only recently updating from 4.28. What's new?

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Not noticed any obvious changes, auto updated about a week ago. According to the What’s new page ‘squashed some bugs and improved performance and stability’.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Has the series link situation been sorted out yet? Don't want to upgrade until this has been done.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Not from what l hear.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Very wise. They haven’t got all the apps on there yet either.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Yeah,I wanted to watch something on Pluto but had to swap to the Nvidea Shield.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

Wow that's quite a trip for a TV show.

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

It’s the future of linear, you know. :D

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

At 7 light hours away, the response time on the "play" button would be frustrating

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

….

Re: Virgin TV 360 users (Horizon)
 

When searching on the epg, what's the best way to change the 'ALL' section to individual categories because I have to keep scrolling to the top of the epg to get to it.