Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

We DO deserve them - the majority of people were SOLD HD by Vrigin Media. Remember the ads? HD: VM1 : Sky0

Or is this another sweep under the carpet thing. Stop lying for VM - they don't give a damn, they are up for sale for crying out loud, they will NOT upgrade any channels they will sell up as they are.

Best thing that can happen is for Sky to buy them out - which won't happen as the only things in the UK that can have a monopoly are banks and Tesco!

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

I agree, but to be fair to VM, they only recently put on their web site that there would be HD channels coming in the future, and its not very prominent at that.

A lot of the speculation may have arisen from comments that I and others posted about what VM bosses say to the City financial people. Berkett has said and given quite specific timetables that HD would be coming by x time, but this was said only to the City and NOT to the public.

It's all been said before, but there isn't HD on VM for this reason, VM do not have access to it, Sky does and controls it, or most of it.

Sky control the bulk of HD in two ways. Firstly, they own the rights to the bulk of premiership football and other top sports in HD. They also own the rights to broadcast Hollywood films in HD. Secondly, Sky does have agreements with other broadcasters that their HD channels (like Ch4 and Discovery) will only broadcast on Sky's satellite platform and no other.

VM, BT and others have complained to Ofcom a couple of years ago now (things move VERY slowly...) that Sky will not sell to them their HD material at wholesale rates. The Ofcom decision on this is soon and Ofcom may force Sky to sell their HD material to VM, but they, Sky, will fight this. From Sky's point of view, why would they wish to give up a competitive advantage to other companies?

So, the situation has been that VM has not had access to the bulk of HD material, including the lucrative sports and films from Sky.

As for the network (don't forget that VM are billions in debt) they could've switched off analogue tv sooner and spend all the money. But, what would've been the point of that when VM have had enough bandwidth for whatever standard definition channels they wish to carry without turning off analogue. They would only need the enormous bandwidth freed up by analogue shutdown if they were going to launch HD channels, the same HD channels they didn't have access to in the first place...There is actually sense in their (VM's bosses) thinking.

Do people really think if VM could get access to Sky's sports and films HD channels, that they wouldn't launch them as fast as is humanly possible? They don't launch them, because Sky control them.

If I were to guess, I'd say that Ofcom will force Sky to share their HD stuff with VM, BT etc. But Sky will appeal, so it could be some time before we see masses of HD channels on cable. By a "strange" coincidence, VM made the decision to switch off all analogue tv by early next year... VM's bosses calculated when they would get access to HD channels and that's why the analogue switchoff will be completed next year as that's when they will get access to all the HD channels. (me thinks)

Instead, VM has been concentrating on broadband. Eventually, a long way off, even the tv channels (if there's still channels) will be "broadcast" down the broadband pipes. No other company can launch fast broadband like VM has to the masses. There's a few tiny companies with fibre optic speeds, but no where near the scale of VM's network. Even Sky got into broadband, because it knows where the future lies.

VM has just announced a unlimited music subscription downland service. It will only be a matter of time before a legal video download service comes too. By that time and with the recently announced levy on telephone lines, BT will be launching a whopping 2mb service to the countryside and perhaps 50mb in the city (I doubt it). Vm will be on 100mb and beyond by then. And of course, eventually, even HD will be coming down the pipes too, rights permitting.

If you want HD now, sign up to Sky. They have excellent bargains and you'll only be tied into a 12 month contract. I expect that by this time next year, this HD business will be sorted, one way or the other, so check back then.

By the way, if Ofcom do force Sky to sell their HD stuff to VM, Berkett has said to the City that the analogue shutdown could be speeded up and he could do a full HD launch within 6 months, a lot sooner to digital only areas.

Watch out for the Ofcom report on the pay tv industry to give a clear indication of the HD "issue" and when/if, it'll be coming to cable.

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/

The report is "coming soon", as we like to say on here.:)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

I will probally get a warning for this, but hay i will only speak the truth, anyone who believe what a sales person tells them are daft, plain and simple sales lie all the time. virgin from the go said they whre nt comete with sky on hd they used the vm1 sky 0 for one reason advetrtising they have itv hd which was good sale, but there ceo has always said until december theyw here not interested in hd.

regardless i say again we do not deserve them it not a god given right that virign must suply them

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Hello everyone

This is my first ever reply on cable forum.

And yes, I have been waiting patiently for Virgin to cable up HD channels in addition to BBCHD.

Bad enough waiting for a train or a bus these days.

Soon perhaps??:D:D

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

:welcome: to the forums! We're all waiting patiently (or not so patiently!)...

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

I'm just waiting for the people who have fairly 'ordinary' HD TV sets - eg 32" LCD which may be best viewed at 720p, who already use a V+ box, commenting that the much vaunted 'HD' channels don't really offer much more than the upscaled SD the V+ has offered for ages.

Bigger displays, especially 'full HD', fair enough should be better, of course, especially at broadcast 1080i quality.

Just with my cynical hat on I can envisage the 'waited this long & its no better than we already had' type of comment from those with lesser equipment??

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Well it if broadcast in 1080i it will be mince he he ;) better in 1080p

but i can see peopel complain with the tpye of hd channel added and the quailty not being as good as sky bla bla bla

people say i defned virgin to much but if people are going ot be like what i jsut said above then i see a good reason to because if you are goign to moan and complain about something then you get it but still complain and moan then someone has to defned the other side, it like 5 people attack one person it just unfair fight.,

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

there are no broadcast 1080p services I am aware of from Sky or Virgin?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Yep you are correct on that one sky only delivers HD @ 1080i but hey better than nothing i suppose ;)

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

my point is that a smaller screen may be better viewed at 720p - and that the HD picture may not actually be that much better than SD upscaled using a Virgin V+ box.

- upscaled SD applies to all channels, not just the HD ones, hence my theory that some people waiting for the 'real' HD are going to end up disillusioned with what they actually get in future, compared to what they get now ???

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Tbh only time i have seen native HD icon is on eurosport Hd. Then it looks awsome on a 47 inch lg i got but then again it is only broadcast in 1080i so only time you will get true hd is through blu ray and i cant see virgin or sky broadcasting true hd channels in the near future so are we getting conned by the tv companys about the hd channels?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

Sky broadcast their HD channells in 1080i also, as far as I'm aware, they just don't display a 'Native HD' icon, so i'm not sure why you think only Eurosport HD do? Perhaps your simply confused by their logo that appears on Europsort HD when they are showing proper HD as opposed to upscaled SD?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

But will there be three along at once?

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

I agree with Frogstamper, it is the lack of meaningful information that annoys. I live in the real world and yes I understand that things take time, I realise that negotiations take time (sometimes longer than anticipated) but I also realise that the same mechnisim that is used to release these nuggets of "mis"information could be used to placate an annoyed PAYING audience by being honest and upfront. I may be wrong but to date the only explanations of why these promises are not being kept have been from inside sources, never from the horses mouth and through the official channels that released the information in the first place.

To those people that have repeatledly said (and I am paraphrasing) "Its simple if you want HD go to SKY and if you want decent BB go with Virgin". Well perhaps I am being greedy but actualy I dont think it is too much to want both..... After all it was what we were promised.

I watch SD channels, and truth be told if and when we get some more HD channels I will still mostly watch SD channels. To date I am sure I havnt lost as much as a minutes sleep over the fact that we havent got HD. If it takes another year I will be annoyed, but my life wont suffer.
BUT that shouldnt absolve Virgin from the responsibility to keep me - as a paying customer - meaningfuly informed.

Re: Coming Soon to Virgin TV (2009)
 

I always thought Sky was only at 720p and all broadcast HD was 720 although the STBs can upscale that to 1080p.

Anyway we all seem to have gone OT here as none of this is coming soon. I did setup a seperate HD discussion thread ages ago so might be better to move that there or to a new thread