Need help upgrading to V+ as an existing virgin media owner!!

oc1994 · 10-07-2009, 8:48 PM

hi,
my grandparents got Telewest's cable tv service quite a few years ago now, and when telewest went they got changed to Virgin. its been a few years since that happened, and they still have the original Telewest set-top box. unfortunately they just bought a new HD ready tv, and the picture from the box is terrible! we have tried everything to fix it for them but the only way we can think to help is to get the new V+ HD box. they dont have internet connection or a computer by the way. looking through the website i cant find a way to upgrade their box but keep their existing subscription and monthly payments. can anyone help? thanks

*paulntia* · 10-07-2009, 9:08 PM

call them up and ask them

oc1994 · 10-07-2009, 9:21 PM

well i thought that, obviously

im just trying to find an answer for free before being put on hold for 20 mins when they charge you loads per minute anyway! haha thanks anyway

*paulntia* · 10-07-2009, 10:05 PM

I think or at least i had to pay an install fee when i had my V+ box installed and then depending on package box rental is £5 i belive also if you have a virgin phone call is free.

dante01 · 10-07-2009, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oc1994

well i thought that, obviously

im just trying to find an answer for free before being put on hold for 20 mins when they charge you loads per minute anyway! haha thanks anyway

Use the telephone numbers 151 or 150 and it is free to call Virgin Media on Virgin Media phone lines.

oc1994 · 11-07-2009, 7:10 AM

ok thanks, il give them a ring. I just had a look on website and the only way i can see to get the box is by takin out another subscription? If its the same one as they are on then thats fine

.↲Do they have to pay extra for the HD channels?

dante01 · 11-07-2009, 7:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oc1994

ok thanks, il give them a ring. I just had a look on website and the only way i can see to get the box is by takin out another subscription? If its the same one as they are on then thats fine

.↲Do they have to pay extra for the HD channels?

There is only one HD TV channel, the BBC HD channel and that is free. There is some additional VoD HD content which is free with the XL TV package and there are HD encoded films which you pay for regardless of TV package.

Anyone can get a V+ box regardless of which package or bundle they have. There are obviously better deals depending on which services you have or take when you get the V+ box. If yu take the XL TV package or already have it, you only pay a one off payment for the box and you are not expected to pay a monthly rental for the V+ box.

oc1994 · 11-07-2009, 8:06 AM

ok thanks, i just found something saying that if they kept the existing box (which they dont want to) they would only pay half price, but if they want to get rid of the existing box, its and extra £5 per month on top? and they would have to pay the full £150 as well? i might just get try to get them freesat, its a lot less fuss! (we have it and would reccomend it)

Ernie_C · 11-07-2009, 9:15 AM

Here is the answer. Anyone with an ordinary V box can have it replaced for an install charge of £99. You may be able to get this reduced if you ask nicely but no promises. You do not have to retain your existing V box to get this price.

There is also a question of ongoing charges. If you are on TV XL there is no change in monthly charges. If you are on TV M or TV L there is an extra £5 per month charge.

All documented here:

V+ HD - Digital TV - Virgin Media

oc1994 · 11-07-2009, 10:14 AM

ok thanks for that, u really cleared things up

does that include at least 8 year old telewest boxes?

Fred Fish · 11-07-2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dante01

There is only one HD TV channel, the BBC HD channel and that is free. There is some additional VoD HD content which is free with the XL TV package and there are HD encoded films which you pay for regardless of TV package.

Anyone can get a V+ box regardless of which package or bundle they have. There are obviously better deals depending on which services you have or take when you get the V+ box. If yu take the XL TV package or already have it, you only pay a one off payment for the box and you are not expected to pay a monthly rental for the V+ box.

Dante is absolutly right about there being only 1 HD channel (although there is talk about new ones coming - but the talk has been going on for ages).

Couple of things. Although there is only 1 HD channel I found that the V+ box does and execllent job of "upscaling" standard definition (SD) pictures so even on the main channels they would get a better picture.

Freesat HD will (I believe - dont have it myself so cant confirm) give you more HD channels at the moment, but I would guess that as time goes on VM will have signifacntly more HD channels than Freesat - for the forseable future Sky HD will have, by far and away, the largest HD content.

And they would have the significant benefit of the multiple decoders in the same box, meaning they could record 2 channels whilst watching a third.

dante01 · 11-07-2009, 11:29 AM

Yes there are benefits other than HD. The V+ box has an inbuilt PVR and three tuners. You can watch one channel while recording two additional channels. THe box is very good at upscaling with a maximum output of 1080i for all channels and not just HD content. It beats SKY HD with its upscaling abilities.

Freeview is planning on becoming the primary source of HD content. It is directly targeting SKY and aims to have at least 30 HD channels within the next twelve months.

oc1994 · 12-07-2009, 5:26 PM

okay thanks for all your help, but we have decided to get them Tiscali TV. we have that as well ( =freesat is built into the TV) and even though we get tv talk and broadband for just over 30quid, they are paying over £36 for just tv and talk! this way grandad can get a laptop now as well with broadband. it might not be as good as picture quality but its definately better than the picture they are currently getting. thanks everyone!

oc1994 · 14-07-2009, 6:45 PM

actually we have changed our minds. my grandparents are now buying skys HD package, which should be great. now can anyone help me to close the thread? i dunno how :P

Boostrail · 14-07-2009, 7:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dante01

Yes there are benefits other than HD. The V+ box has an inbuilt PVR and three tuners. You can watch one channel while recording two additional channels. THe box is very good at upscaling with a maximum output of 1080i for all channels and not just HD content. It beats SKY HD with its upscaling abilities.

Freeview is planning on becoming the primary source of HD content. It is directly targeting SKY and aims to have at least 30 HD channels within the next twelve months.

I agree with your V+ benefits in addition to which you can replay a fourth prerecorded programm to another TV at the same time!

However Freeview will NEVER have 30 SD channels in the far foreseeable future as it does not have enough bandwidth even if all channels were DVB-2! However today I understand that they have said that due to satisfactory tests they will deliver 5 HD channels by 2013 ( Even then have my doubts that they are restricting bandwidth to a reduced quality that they think Joe Public will accept).

To the OP:-

For older folks Sky is defo the wrong choice. What do they watch? I bet mostly BBC1/2 with C4 ITV and C5 following a fair way behind in that order. Apart from the odd programme these channels are available only in SD. Sky +HD SD is awful, V+HD SD is fantastic.

oc1994 · 15-07-2009, 3:55 PM

haha yes they do watch the stereotypical channels but the most watched channels are Nat Geo, Living, Discovery, Animal Planet etc etc.They watch a lot more channels than we do! I know virgin have announced new HD channels but there are a lot more HD channels with sky like Real Lives HD and all the other HD channels., and when they come around here Dave or the rest of the UKTV channels are always on. they want all 6 sky packs if that gives you an idea how much tv they watch! they also want their first broadband connection, and where it is free with sky you have to pay for it from virgin. (yes i know its only 2mb with sky but what would they be downloading apart from the odd PDF with some pudding recipes on? )

if they decide to not change anything at all, we still want to get them a new set top box. the one they have is very old and they are using SCART socket connections, and the TV is a 42" sony bravia hd ready beast, so the picture is vomit-inducing to say the least.

oc1994 · 15-07-2009, 3:59 PM

sorry for double post, but this "Virgin Media and their shockingly bad service" thread doesnt inspire much confidence... and i know they have had problems like it before with the picture blacking out for hours at a time. also when the cables were bein installed (or whatever happened to them) they laid the cable less than 2 inches from the ground in their garden! so much so that they have accidentally cut the cable with the lawn mower beforehand!

Boostrail · 15-07-2009, 5:05 PM

I on the other hand I have only twice in 10 years on cable had a TV outage once was due to something in the box in the street and once due to water getting into a splitter on the side of my house. I both cases got next day service. Phone has been 100% and in the 5 years I have had Broadband I have had 3 faults none of which resulted in engineer visit and all except one were rectified same day. One was due to the modem power supply failing and a new one was delivered by express delivery next day. Unlike Sky you dont pay for engineer visits anyway.

oc1994 · 15-07-2009, 5:36 PM

this is happeing very often, sometimes just a few seconds, then minutes or hours. screen goes black, but sound continues as normal, but when picture resumes sound and picture are out of sync and needs channel changing to ghet it back in sync.

Boostrail · 15-07-2009, 8:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oc1994

this is happeing very often, sometimes just a few seconds, then minutes or hours. screen goes black, but sound continues as normal, but when picture resumes sound and picture are out of sync and needs channel changing to ghet it back in sync.

Please be coherent - what is happening ? Cannot relate this to your previous posts??

oc1994 · 16-07-2009, 3:54 PM

well it does tie in, a little: that is one of the reasons why they want a different provider, as virgin wont fix the problem.

dante01 · 16-07-2009, 5:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oc1994

well it does tie in, a little: that is one of the reasons why they want a different provider, as virgin wont fix the problem.

You give little if any information regarding what the actual problem is. You seem to have skipped from one topic to a completely different one without giving any kind of background information. Is this set up any different to that which you've previously oulined? The issue sounds vaguely like it may be one due to HDMI handshaking between the VM STB and the TV and if this is the issue then it is beyond Virgin Media's remit to resolve and would be a problem with the TV and not with the Virgin Media cable network and their STB.

Change the order in which you power up both the TV and STB from stand-by. This resolves some HDMI handshaking issues, but not all.

I doubt VM have refused to try resolve any problems you've had and I'd imagine that they would have already sent an engineer if you have reported a fault?

oc1994 · 16-07-2009, 6:18 PM

thats the thing, its so old it doesnt even have HDMI so it wont be that causing the blackouts. il sum up the overall problems in order.
1.using old set top box that gives terrible picture on the 42" sony tv as it only has a scart out.
2 service will black out on certain channels for no apparent reason. virgin wont help because they say it is a problem with the connections to the tv being loose, but this isnt the case.
3. paying the price of a tv, broadband + phone for just TV and phone service.
4. want a good selection of HD channels.
5. they want to be able to record tv shows but dont want to get virgins because of dismal offers for current customers.
6. from what i personally have read and heard, sky seems a better choice based on cost, channel variety and HD channel selection (you may disagree, but thats what i found out)

i hope that covers it, sorry if i have been vague but i dont live with them, so i dunno many figures or set top box manufacturer, etc etc. all i can say is that they are not happy with virgin.

oc1994 · 16-07-2009, 6:20 PM

im not jumping topic when i talk about problems with service; im just highlighting reasons that they want a different provider.

dante01 · 16-07-2009, 7:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oc1994

thats the thing, its so old it doesnt even have HDMI so it wont be that causing the blackouts. il sum up the overall problems in order.
1.using old set top box that gives terrible picture on the 42" sony tv as it only has a scart out.
2 service will black out on certain channels for no apparent reason. virgin wont help because they say it is a problem with the connections to the tv being loose, but this isnt the case.
3. paying the price of a tv, broadband + phone for just TV and phone service.
4. want a good selection of HD channels.
5. they want to be able to record tv shows but dont want to get virgins because of dismal offers for current customers.
6. from what i personally have read and heard, sky seems a better choice based on cost, channel variety and HD channel selection (you may disagree, but thats what i found out)

i hope that covers it, sorry if i have been vague but i dont live with them, so i dunno many figures or set top box manufacturer, etc etc. all i can say is that they are not happy with virgin.

Fair enough, why haven't they gone to SKY then?

Not sure what the purpose of this thread is????

oc1994 · 16-07-2009, 8:05 PM

i was asking whether it was possible to upgrade the box at first, but then it got more about changing provider so they could get broadband + maybe HD. i probs should have started new thread but.. they havent gone to sky because im trying to find the best solution for them before making a decision that they mite regret

dante01 · 16-07-2009, 8:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oc1994

i was asking whether it was possible to upgrade the box at first, but then it got more about changing provider so they could get broadband + maybe HD. i probs should have started new thread but.. they havent gone to sky because im trying to find the best solution for them before making a decision that they mite regret

They'd get a better picture/output from a V+ box than the SD STB, but SKY would be a better option if they want more HD content. The SKY HD box is not very highly rated though and the V+ box is better.