General : TV360 - pro and cons

[1701-e]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

Report that some customers have received the following email:



I imagine that this is a prelude to either premium sport or films being removed as they seek to wind down the TiVo and push people onto the 360.

As I don't take either premium service through Virgin, I will remain as I currently am.

Unless you know different, this relates to the TiVo box (pre V6) ..... They been weaning customers off it over the last year or two. They are going to be recycling centre fodder only very soon.

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by Mr K

Could they be referring to the old Tivo box rather than the V6?

If VM stop provifding the service then they break the contract and custoners can stop paying.

Good point. Someone called Virgin and was told that there isn't a deadline for the V6 to end, but of course what Virgin say and what Virgin do are two different things.

---------- Post added at 19:05 ---------- Previous post was at 19:05 ----------

Originally Posted by 1701-e

Unless you know different, this relates to the TiVo box (pre V6) ..... They been weaning customers off it over the last year or two. They are going to be recycling centre fodder only very soon.

Recycling centre fodder??

[gunner45]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

Report that some customers have received the following email:



I imagine that this is a prelude to either premium sport or films being removed as they seek to wind down the TiVo and push people onto the 360.

As I don't take either premium service through Virgin, I will remain as I currently am.

I'd like to see the email as this quote doesn't look what I'd expect as it has no deadline date, not like the one which informed the TiVo users that BBC iPlayer would no longer be available from 23 July.

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by gunner45

I'd like to see the email as this quote doesn't look what I'd expect as it has no deadline date, not like the one which informed the TiVo users that BBC iPlayer would no longer be available from 23 July.

But that's Virgin all over, wishy washy, no commitment slop. Then they can make it into whatever is convenient for them retrospectively ie they gave some customers a 'deal for life'. Some years later they put the price up and justified it by saying that 'life' meant the life of the offer.

Hopefully this is for the original TiVo boxes & not the V6.

[newapollo]

Originally Posted by gunner45

I'd like to see the email as this quote doesn't look what I'd expect as it has no deadline date, not like the one which informed the TiVo users that BBC iPlayer would no longer be available from 23 July.

I haven't received the email (am already on 360 and stream) however the following screenshot, and additional info was posted on facebook by a V6 user.

"You need to upgrade your TV box
It only takes a couple of minutes
Upgrade now
Hello XXXXX,
Your current Virgin TV box won’t be supported for much longer. This means it will lose functionality soon and eventually stop working altogether.
The good news is we can upgrade you to a new Virgin TV 360 box at no extra cost. But you'll need to take action to make this happen.
You've got two ways to upgrade....."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It clearly states it won't be supported much longer. It will lose functionality soon and eventually stop working altogether.
So you don’t have to update immediately/right this second to keep it working in the short term.

The losing functionality may refer to apps no longer being updated/supported (for instance the removal from tivo boxes of netflix and iPlayer due to system incompatability as the actual vendors stopped supporting older models) or newer apps only being added to the horizon based boxes.

A lot of people don't need VM's set top boxes to access apps as they may have smart TV's/roku's/firesticks etc which already carry most apps they may want to access.

The loss of functionality may align with the recent removal of F.A.S.T channels from the EPG on the V6, for example those in the 200 range. Again a lot of these are available via other methods, smart TV's, android boxes, streaming sticks etc.

It may be that in the long term (when VM do declare an actual cut off date) that people will be moved directly from V6 to VM Stream/Flex boxes. So possibly having the option to currently regrade/swap from V6 to TV360 would be a "smart" move for people wanting to retain the ability to record programs.

[gunner45]

The same user posted this information on Facebook which he got from VM:

"Thank you for clarifying, and I do understand what you're saying.
I appreciate that you do not wish to move to TV 360 and that you were advised at the time of renewing your contract that an upgrade wouldn’t be required.
The email you've received has been sent because the V6 box is part of our older TV platform, and upgrades to TV 360 are currently being encouraged. However, I completely understand your concerns and preference to remain with your existing setup.
If you're happy with your current V6 box and do not wish to upgrade to TV 360, you can continue using your existing box for the time being. There is nothing on the account to suggest that your services will be affected because of this.
I've checked the account, and I can reassure you that there is currently no date showing on the account for your V6 box to be switched off or for your TV services to be disconnected.
While Virgin Media is encouraging customers to upgrade to TV 360, there is nothing on your account indicating that you must upgrade by a specific date or that your services will stop if you choose to continue using your V6 box."

[nodrogd]

Just renewed my contract, and there was no mention during the conversation of changing my V6 boxes. Apart from YouTube & Radioline, I do not use any of the apps on the boxes. The game changer would be if the Sky Sports Red Button streams were removed as these are in use regularly during the football season.

[raging bull]

Current V6 user not wanting to change over to a 360, guided by current feedback here and noted the problems quoted by new users.
90+year old neighbour recently changed over to a 360, nothing but problems once installed.

[Dingbat]

Just got the email about “upgrading”. It will be interesting to see how persistent they will be with their dire warnings about losing functionality.

[Itshim]

Originally Posted by Dingbat

Just got the email about “upgrading”. It will be interesting to see how persistent they will be with their dire warnings about losing functionality.

Ok stupid question, I believe they can "force" the 360 on customers wondering if they would also offer cancellation as it's possible that these customers would leave when they can . Of cause "we" might just love it

[gunner45]

All boxes eventually get replaced regardless of whether anyone is willing. My V6 was migrated to a TV 360 (my choice and it works well) and I'm quite aware that this is VM's last set-top box, so we'll all be migrated to Stream boxes - it's a matter of when, not if.

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by gunner45

All boxes eventually get replaced regardless of whether anyone is willing. My V6 was migrated to a TV 360 (my choice and it works well) and I'm quite aware that this is VM's last set-top box, so we'll all be migrated to Stream boxes - it's a matter of when, not if.

It's not a hardware issue, so need to replace anything. If I "upgraded", all that is replaced is the remote.

[Media Boy UK]

The following has been given to me by a Virgin Media source:

There seems to be a lot of confusion about forced updates to 360, Tivo will still be available until at least june/july next year. - 35-40k migrations to newer boxes each month..