a few questions regarding sky versus virgin media

wijcc

wijcc

wijcc

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I have a few questions regarding sky and virgin media. I am going to get either sky or virgin media so I can get the sky sports channels at home. Which is better. I will get the basic package and add the sky sports channels to it.
Can you still use the virgin media box and receive the free channels after your subscription runs out? I know with sky you can?
Which do you think is the better option sky or virgin media. I can get virgin media at my hous I have checked online.
Thanks in advance guys :)
 
Was with Sky for over 10 years and switched to Virgin earlier this year. Can't see that I'll ever look back tbh.
 
wijcc said:
why is that?
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Not once have I lost the signal due to inclement weather. I still get the channels that are important to me but above all I'm saving money. However, I do have my phone and internet with Virgin too and I assume that this is why it works out cheaper for me.
 
i would get the 3 for 1 package.. but i get work to pay for my broadband so i need a BT line. If virgin media were able/willing to invoice me separately for the broadband.. I would go for a bundle package
 
Are you in a Virgin Cable area? Check that out first of all.

As far as I can tell-

Sky benefits:
Skysports HD and Sky HD (can't get these on virgin)

Virgin benefits:
Much fast broadband if you want it.

So if you want skysports in HD go for sky, but if quick broadband is most important go for the XXL virgin, if price is most important use a price comparison website, broadband genie, broadband choices etc- bingo.
 
Sky offers much better tv but the rest of the virgin package is better. My parents have virgin and the epg seems very slow and clunky compared to sky.
 
Gribs said:
Sky offers much better tv but the rest of the virgin package is better. My parents have virgin and the epg seems very slow and clunky compared to sky.
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My Sky HD box has just been upgraded with the new EPG. I have noticed that it is significantly slower (it lags by maybe 0.5 a second) which is actually kind of annoying. The old EPG was like lightening. Then again, I have been able to get ITV1 HD via the new EPG so I'm not complaining too loudly. If only I'd had it for the rest of the Star Wars films. :(

C.
 
I use Sky, never had any problems since the original. Still on Sky+ though.

I'm probably going to get shouted at for saying this but... BT Vision?
 
It used to be Sky by a mile but with their new disastrously slow EPG Virgin might be a better option especially with their superior on demand service.
 
weringo said:
It used to be Sky by a mile but with their new disastrously slow EPG Virgin might be a better option especially with their superior on demand service.
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their far superior on demand service, don't think sky have anything even close to compete with it. i never watch live tv any more due to iplayer, and virgins fantastic on demand servce.

i find virgins epg to be much faster then sky's, but it appears to be lucky for each person?

also i much prefer their epg as you can watch the tv whilst looking through the full epg, where as sky you either have to view one channel at a time to watch your current tv, or stop watching (listening) to the current channel to get the full epg. it may seem small but when you get used to being able to continue watching tv, it's horrible without it.
 
IIRC VM are looking to impliment their next gen boxes starting in the next year or two which should be much much better than the current one (from what i've heard for one thing they are teaming up with TIVO for the EPG/UI).
But yes, current boxes tend to be pretty poor on the EPG front/speed of operation :(
Partly I think because the EPG software has to be compatible with boxes that are nearly 10 years old (the Pace sets) which means they can't move the newer boxes to more efficient EPG's without risking major problems.

For me the VM on demand and BB speeds more than make up for the lack of Sky's HD channels, and faster box speeds.
The EPG on VM also, I beleive is better in regards to seeing what is on a channel without having to move away from your current one (I often look hours ahead at the listings for one channel without moving away from what i'm watching, something that would drive me nuts if I couldn't do it, now i'm used to it).
 
Virgin has excellent broadband though its TV leaves much to be desired in the way of HD channels and box speediness, V+ box in particular is very sluggish compared to its Sky counterpart.

As for the on-demand service, I used it a lot early on but quickly stopped using it much at all as most of the programs are easily watched online via 4OD or such. Sky's version called Anytime will never be anywhere near as good as Virgin's on-demand since the technology simply can't support it. Anytime programmes are downloaded on to your Sky box harddrive, with Virgin it's simply beamed down the old fibre optics, whenever you want it.

Going back to Sky soon though I wish I could keep the broadband as its gonna be hell to get BT to replace to phoneline as it's caused no end of problems with the ADSL. Lag spikes, disconnections; done everything I can short of messing with the line.
 
Werewolf said:
The EPG on VM also, I beleive is better in regards to seeing what is on a channel without having to move away from your current one (I often look hours ahead at the listings for one channel without moving away from what i'm watching, something that would drive me nuts if I couldn't do it, now i'm used to it).
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Can do that with the new epg on Sky. Defo on the HD boxes.

Personally, I have SKY HD for my TV, and virgin phone and BB. Do not like Virgin's TV service, I have one of their boxes for the freeview and it is crap compared to the
sky hd.
 
anticonscience said:
Agreed. My V+ box is awful, it runs dog slow and is always crashing. I do wish they would do something about it.
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Have you told them about it? Are they even aware that you're having problems?

I phoned Virgin for the exact same problem and they sent out an engineer with a brand new Samsung box the next day.
 
wijcc said:
I have a few questions regarding sky and virgin media. I am going to get either sky or virgin media so I can get the sky sports channels at home. Which is better. I will get the basic package and add the sky sports channels to it.
Can you still use the virgin media box and receive the free channels after your subscription runs out? I know with sky you can?
Which do you think is the better option sky or virgin media. I can get virgin media at my hous I have checked online.
Thanks in advance guys :)
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Sky claim to be cheaper than virgin which simply is not true... sky do not include line renatal from BT in their pricing, which is required to have sky, BT`s line rental is more expensive, and their calls cost more than Virgin.


secondly if your going for a package, the broadband system Virgin media uses is the fastest residential broadband service in the united kingdom. you will not get better. Again all this bumf recently about BT building a fibre optic network for the future... Virgin`s systems have been fibre optic for the last decade(I used to work for them). so credit where credits due, virgin media are cheaper to rent, cheaper to have installed, cheaper to have a HD virgin plus box and offer faster net than anyone with 200mb/s cable lines coming on line at the end of 2011.

The only people who get sky are those who cant get virgin media, have two much money, or who simply don't know better.

I get a phoneline with free evening and weekend land line calls, 10mb cable internet (free upgrade to 20mb in january) and the basic cable TV pack with access to on demand and iplayr/4od/itv replayer ect ect, all for £26.50 a month.
 
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