Question Alternatives to Virgin media......Help please

Saddle Tramp

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Hi all,

I'm afraid that all this tech` has pretty much passed me by, so please be kind
Let me explain what I have and what I would like......
We have Virgin media for all our services in the household
TV, XL package
PC, tower, no wi-fi, no lap-top, tablet etc
House phone
2X Mobile phones
I think its all getting rather expensive, and Virgin have thought it a good idea to increase the TV again this year.
What would my options be if I cancel the TV? But I would want to obviously want to keep the internet for my old tower
We don't use the house phone at all these days, so I think I will cancel that
And our mobile contracts finish in September, when I will be looking elsewhere as the connection mostly is awful
But I would really like a decent selection of TV channels
We don't have an aerial, but that doesn't matter if I need to fit one, or can the existing cable be used?
Like I said, its all very confusing with all the free-view companies and Amazon, Netflix etc...

Thanks in advance

Tim
 
This is a tall order!

First of all I can say that the existing Virgin cable you have is of no use unless you are subscribing to Virgin Media services. You can of course cancel their TV service and retain the broadband service. Together with this unfortunately comes you home phone service which most of us seldom use. There are moves to abandon this 'line rental' obligation but this is not finalised.

If you want to abandon Virgin altogether then you may have to pay a hefty 'end of contract fee'. You should certainly look at one of the sites that identify broadband speeds in your area. I doubt if any one of them will match Virgin for speed. That may decide you as to whether to hang on to VM or not.

You say you have 'no Wi-Fi'. Unless you have a very old basic box the chances are you do have Wi-Fi whether you use it or not. I use my broadband wired into my desktop (tower) and use Wi-Fi for phone and tablets.

My first option in your circumstances would be to re-negotiate with Virgin, telling them you are thinking of leaving. The XL package, although still fulfilled is not one they offer to new customers. They now have bundles, with silly names. I downgraded without any problems and did not miss the many channels which I seldom watched anyway whilst making a significant saving. Going to Sky might be an option, and an attractive one with introductory offers, but in the long run it may not save you anything at all.

If you are looking to get your TV services from elsewhere then you need either to install a rooftop aerial for Freeview or a dish for Freesat (not Sky). All the channels received as Free, are free. If you have a modern TV then Freeview should not be a problem, and current models (with a Freeview HD tuner) will bring you HD versions of the main channels. For Freesat you will have to invest in a Freesat decoder box.

If you want to record programmes to play back at your convenience then you need to invest in a recorder which can be quite expensive, but it is still a free service. Humax is the major manufacturer. Panasonic also manufacture boxes. 'You View' boxes are basically Freeview boxes which also access streamed channels to enable you to 'catch-up'.

You say you want a 'decent number of tv channels'. Hard to know what you mean by this but it will inevitably involve 'streaming' additional channels over the internet. This is where Netflix, Amazon etc come in. They provide entertainment services and movies. If you are a football fan then you need to access predominantly BT streamed services. All of this will cost you money in subscriptions. Of course you will be offered introductory offers, but 3 months down the line you will start to pay. Depending on what you want these charges can soon add up to the amount you may have been paying Virgin (or Sky) so things don't seem so attractive.

To receive these services (Netflix,Amazon, Now - a Sky internet sevice etc) you either need to have a SMART TV with Apps that connect with them (via the internet) or a plugin device, recorder or box. The trouble here is not all devices will receive all services. For example a Chromecast plug in device is only £30 and will get you Netflix as well as free services like BBCiplayer and More4, but not currently Amazon. It is a minefield. Certain recorder boxes will also give you access to additional channels and catch-up services. I can access some streamed services via my Sony Blu-ray player.

The absolute main thing to consider if you are going to 'stream' channels, no matter what device you use to do so, is whether you have a decent broadband service. Anything under 2-3Mb is probably going to give problems. Of course Virgin, and BT areas, where they have fibre optic cable, are going to be the best. Refer back to my earlier point about doing a bit of research. It is no good setting yourself up with a load of kit and finding you have a stuttery unreliable service.

As far as your mobiles are concerned they you will have to shop around outside of the TV market. What you pay has no guarantee of how good the reception is. The main operators seem to be merging all the time and the subsidiary suppliers use them. For example Virgin uses O2 as far as I know. The link that Virgin provide between TV and Broadband services and their mobiles is that, on certain phone packages, you might get a small discount.

Hope that answers some of your questions.
 
Last edited:
I've been with virgin media since before it was virgin media
Until a few weeks ago I was paying £48 month

Decided to tell them to do one

Bought humax 4000t with 3 tuners and catch up tv guide. luvvin it so far and don't miss TiVo and don't miss a single channel

=TV is now totally free

Signed up with Talk Talk for 18 months
17.70 month including FREE caller ID
Includes totally FREE unlimited broadband for 18 months
FREE wireless route
FREE reconnection to BT
FREE evening and weekend calls
Calls sound the same and I have 7 devices using internet (including my new Humax and TV) and every device shows talk talk signal as stronger?

Decided to buy their anytime calls for £3.75 month which includes FREE calls at anytime of day, FREE calls to mobile and FREE calls to most 08 numbers

Decided to pay line rental up front for 18 months to save another 15% leaving my monthly fee of

£3.75 for TV, broadband and anytime calls

Good riddance to VM I'll never go back

Hi all,

I'm afraid that all this tech` has pretty much passed me by, so please be kind
Let me explain what I have and what I would like......
We have Virgin media for all our services in the household
TV, XL package
PC, tower, no wi-fi, no lap-top, tablet etc
House phone
2X Mobile phones
I think its all getting rather expensive, and Virgin have thought it a good idea to increase the TV again this year.
What would my options be if I cancel the TV? But I would want to obviously want to keep the internet for my old tower
We don't use the house phone at all these days, so I think I will cancel that
And our mobile contracts finish in September, when I will be looking elsewhere as the connection mostly is awful
But I would really like a decent selection of TV channels
We don't have an aerial, but that doesn't matter if I need to fit one, or can the existing cable be used?
Like I said, its all very confusing with all the free-view companies and Amazon, Netflix etc...

Thanks in advance

Tim
 

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