Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

It's been suggested that this is the case, but I can't see it mys3lf.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

If you cancel broadband you would - as the V6 requires Virgin Fibre to work.

Not sure you can get the limited Customer Retention only broadband tier with TV due to way the bundles are put together.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

This is true... annoyingly even if you have a virgin business connection (which i know works with the V6 from experience)...

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

It's someone who is keeping their broadband, but wanted to downgrade to the lowest TV pack to escape the price rise. At the end of the conversation, he was allegedly told that the change couldn't be processed until he had received a new STB.

Maybe he has a V box that needs replacing?? Also, isn't there a rule that says a V6 needs a minimum broadband speed? Maybe he is reducing his broadband to the minimum and this is too slow for his V6??

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

Yes, you need at least M50 to have a V6

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

Hmmm if that's also the lowest speed available, that blows my possible explanation regarding his broadband out of the water. I actually thought the minimum BB for a V6 was higher.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

There's no reason a V6 wouldn't work with slower broadband. The highest bitrate downloaded is 4K on iPlayer which was 40 meg allegedly.

Virgin are being arbitrary.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

Well, as usual, you know best, jfman.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

As always - can you prove that it wouldn't?

The nearest comparable product in the market, Sky Q, works perfectly well without 100 meg (or 50 meg) broadband.

The limitations would be on streaming services - and being unable to stream HD or UHD content at slower speeds. You don't really want to be going down the line that UK broadband infrastructure is wholly inadequate for streaming services, do you?

Linear television is dead. Long live linear television.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

Considering M50 is the lowest new customer tier for Virgin Fibre available, it's mainly there as a requirement for older bundle customers. But those customers have also being targeted for speed upgrades so that Virgin Media can simplify the broadband tiers they have to support.

So it doesn't really actually matter - almost all customers with Virgin Fibre will have M50 or higher.

That's because they operate their On Demand services as cache service on Sky Q, so it's download first before streaming, and it just depends how much is downloaded first.

Virgin's On Demand that's delivered over the broadband connection is immediate streaming because the Virgin Fibre speeds are fast enough to allow it. Soon all of the direct Virgin On Demand will be delivered that way - the older On Demand that's been around since the V box days will be completely retired.

It's not just about single streams - you can have up to three V6 boxes per household. Have all of those going at the same time for On Demand or Streaming apps and you can easily get to 50Mb across the household - before you even factor in internet activity on other devices.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

I’m aware of the differences between how On Demand works between the two, and that Virgin don’t have a lower product than M50.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

You're probably right as TiVo only requires 10mb, which VM always claimed was good enough for HD streaming, unless they've changed their minds again. I'm sure it was 100mb for the V6 originally but they were probably just trying to upsell.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

I'm sure it's better for them that it gives them some aspect of quality control - knowing that a broadband service isn't being throttled by another provider.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

The speed is nothing to do with whether or not you can have a V6. If you don’t have VM broadband the V6 box cannot connect to the VM network. So you slowly lose all programme info, all on demand and apps won’t work. All you are left with are linear channels with no idea of what is on now or next.

Re: Do VM make you go back to a TiVo if you drop down to basic package?
 

In this respect the V6 is a bit of a downgrade from the original Tivo that can do all this without the need for a separate BB connection.