General : Virgin TV (2026)

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by Legendkiller2k

Tbh i'm quite happy with toob as my isp and sky stream.
But from what i've seen on yt the vm stream tv box is pretty decent so anyone on vm bb has that option.

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Have you looked into freely?

Yes, the new Humax box was said to able to receive & record Freeview, the free satellite channels and IPTV. When it came out it turned out that it couldn't receive satellite and cannot record IPTV channels.

[TimeLord2018]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

Yes, the new Humax box was said to able to receive & record Freeview, the free satellite channels and IPTV. When it came out it turned out that it couldn't receive satellite and cannot record IPTV channels.

Said by who ?

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by TimeLord2018

Said by who ?

The reports/write ups about it. Not a problem really, just been looking at a box fir about £70 rhat can do all this, the GTMEDIA GT COMBO 4K Android 9.0 (Hybrid.)

[vincerooney]

Originally Posted by Paul

Worse in what way ?

i'd be intrigued to hear this too. its got good reviews from what i can see!

[Legendkiller2k]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

Yes, the new Humax box was said to able to receive & record Freeview, the free satellite channels and IPTV. When it came out it turned out that it couldn't receive satellite and cannot record IPTV channels.

It was never said it'd be for satellite, just freeview and freely and yes only records freeview at the moment.

[Taz2k]

Originally Posted by Legendkiller2k

It was never said it'd be for satellite, just freeview and freely and yes only records freeview at the moment.

It records in Freely via aerial mode. If you're looking for the Freeview channels numbers you will get very confused very quickly.

You are right about satellite, Humax DTT recorders haven't traditionally included satellite tuners.

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Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

Just found out that those who pay a little extra for Now TV (Boost) to obtain the channels without adverts (and other benefits) also get HBO ad free.

I had thought that, as the extra hadn't been paid for to HBO, that accessing HBO via the Now app would have resulted in ads being shown.

It acts the same way as other Now streams. Without any form of "Boost" it will run at 720P with ads, with "Boost" you'll get 1080P or 4K depending on the level, both without ads. If you activate the HBOmax app option, watching via that app will show ads whether you have a Now boost or not.

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Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

The reports/write ups about it. Not a problem really, just been looking at a box fir about £70 rhat can do all this, the GTMEDIA GT COMBO 4K Android 9.0 (Hybrid.)

Be careful with that, it looks interesting but check the specs. Does it have a hard drive or simply record to a USB stick? (as some TVs do). Chinese Android TV boxes are notoriously full of malware, I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

[Itshim]

Originally Posted by Paul

Worse in what way ?

Type in virgin streaming box reviews. They question , note I am not ai having to have virgin bb ( so it's a long term contract) . Performance is poor, . Just suggest that others are better value, nothing new in that.

[TimeLord2018]

Originally Posted by Taz2k

It records in Freely via aerial mode. If you're looking for the Freeview channels numbers you will get very confused very quickly.

You are right about satellite, Humax DTT recorders haven't traditionally included satellite tuners.

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It acts the same way as other Now streams. Without any form of "Boost" it will run at 720P with ads, with "Boost" you'll get 1080P or 4K depending on the level, both without ads. If you activate the HBOmax app option, watching via that app will show ads whether you have a Now boost or not.

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Be careful with that, it looks interesting but check the specs. Does it have a hard drive or simply record to a USB stick? (as some TVs do). Chinese Android TV boxes are notoriously full of malware, I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.

And very clearly designed not to devalue to Sky Cinema since it doesn't include new Warner films via HBO Max on Now as they will continue to be shown on Sky Cinema aswell e.g Wuthering Heights on 1st May alongside Universal, Paramount and Sony (until 2027 ?)

[RichardCoulter]

Yes, it's only a shopping channel, but is this a further sign of the difficulties faced by linear channels that don't receive a cut of the subscription fees?

Ironically, when it started, QVC was a pay channel!

https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026...future-of-qvc/