Virgin Media Discussion Thread

Just wondering how people on here get on with VM regarding threatening to leave etc?

My Bill has just been upped from £29 - £45 as it came to an end the 12 mth deal I had when joining them last year. They won't budge on trying to get the price down to what's been going on this weekend, so I'm now leaving on the 28th December. The operator kept doing the usual baloney of disappearing every 5mins to see what could be done. All they would offer was £50.00 off the first bill.


So now i'm looking at alternatives
 
chroniclard said:
VM have me over a barrel really, nobody else can match the internet speed. :(
Click to expand...

Same, nobody else even comes close :(

tbf my VM connection has been solid for the last couple years since they seemingly invested in the local infrastructure, it's where it should be for the friggin money I pay.
 
Last edited:
Aware I might be in a minority but in Cheltenham my connection is rock solid at 220/21. At peak times it will occasionally drop to ~170/20. Ping is stable other than the slightly higher and more erratic results the SH3 gives.
 
Another person at VM is now telling me there is peak congestion in the area thats being looked at late December...

/patience...
 
Hi All, Anyone the wiser if VM’s new “gamer” broadband will suffer peak traffic even though it states no traffic management. Non the wiser myself, so I thought I’d be best asking some of you guys on here before I take the plunge.
TIA.
Av8
 
Av8 said:
Hi All, Anyone the wiser if VM’s new “gamer” broadband will suffer peak traffic even though it states no traffic management. Non the wiser myself, so I thought I’d be best asking some of you guys on here before I take the plunge.
TIA.
Av8
Click to expand...

Peak time congestion and STM (traffic management) are not related. Congestion is just a case of VM vastly over-selling the service when the network is old, under-maintained and groaning under the utilisation. Some areas are over 90% utilisation and speeds are dire. That won't change whether or not there is STM in effect, it requires investment in more newer, better network equipment.

STM is simply throttling of your speeds during 'peak' hours. For example there is no management on downstream*, and on VIVID 200 Gamer and VIVID 300 there is no upstream management, either. Whether the area is congested or not is a different matter.

* Newsgroup and torrent traffic is managed (slowed down) between 4pm and midnight on weekdays, and 11am and midnight on weekends. VM doesn't state whether this applies to 200 Gamer or 300 however, as the table only refers to lower tiers. I don't know whether the table is just outdated or the two higher tiers are exempt (unlikely).
 
Rainmaker said:
Peak time congestion and STM (traffic management) are not related. Congestion is just a case of VM vastly over-selling the service when the network is old, under-maintained and groaning under the utilisation. Some areas are over 90% utilisation and speeds are dire. That won't change whether or not there is STM in effect, it requires investment in more newer, better network equipment.

STM is simply throttling of your speeds during 'peak' hours. For example there is no management on downstream*, and on VIVID 200 Gamer and VIVID 300 there is no upstream management, either. Whether the area is congested or not is a different matter.

* Newsgroup and torrent traffic is managed (slowed down) between 4pm and midnight on weekdays, and 11am and midnight on weekends. VM doesn't state whether this applies to 200 Gamer or 300 however, as the table only refers to lower tiers. I don't know whether the table is just outdated or the two higher tiers are exempt (unlikely).
Click to expand...

Ok thanks, that helps. I’m guessing the area I live in is under invested and suffers congestion in the traffic at peak, I’ve had VM 200 vivid and it suffered or I suffered tbh.
Nearly 2 years I was telling them there was problems and oh yes we’ll fix it, terminated my contract before this “gamer” was available. Even though I suffered speed wise and traffic management, I miss the speed at other times too for downloading or streaming as I’m lucky if I get 25Mb with Sky and suffering with distance from/to the exchange etc takes an age to download or stream/buffering most of the time. :rolleyes:
 
The V6 box event is going on just now, from what i can gather so far:

-4K is only Netflix and YouTube, no Prime, football or anything else for now.

-Supposedly the fastest box in the UK for Netflix, bit of a bold claim considering other devices are pretty much instant on Netflix.

-Stream to other devices around the home, you can sync recordings to a smartphone or tablet to watch elsewhere - already known

-New Virgin kids app next year

-Virgin Media Store launching next month

-TellyTablet, personal smart TV tablet, whatever that may be


No announcement of prices or dates
 
Dont get what the point of the V6 box is if it can only do netflix and YT in 4K..most budget smart TVs already have this function and have for some time.

Bet that V6 box subscription is going to be a right ripoff,Not only that you have to pay Netflix too..whats the point.

I wonder if the youtube function of this TIVO will be somewhat decent this time,it was pathetic on the 500GB Tivo,Sooo slow.
 
Last edited:
Tummy said:
What sort of problems are you having? Where a bouts in Leicestershire are you?
Click to expand...

Mountsorrel, down by the leisure center..

Its been hit and miss since we moved into the new house, 2 years ago, slowly getting worse, I've been told that the box in the street was showing signs of it being hit by lightening, had the wrong cables in it, was fine, and that we've been moved to a different tap, moved WiFi to a seperate device, I've had a new superhub, put the superhub in modem mode, connected it to a Draytek and now, still in modem mode, have a PC running Sophos UTM, and yesterday I was told that our area is suffering from peak congestion thats being looked at in December apparently, congestion wouldn't cause disconnects, just slowdowns surely..
Its fair to say that the problem isnt anything in the house but rather in the infrastructure external to my property...
 
Nevakonaza said:
Dont get what the point of the V6 box is if it can only do netflix and YT in 4K..most budget smart TVs already have this function and have for some time.

Bet that V6 box subscription is going to be a right ripoff,Not only that you have to pay Netflix too..whats the point.

I wonder if the youtube function of this TIVO will be somewhat decent this time,it was pathetic on the 500GB Tivo,Sooo slow.
Click to expand...

It seems the 4k part is more about future proofing than right now, although you can bet they'll use the fact it's 4k capable a LOT when marketing right off the bat. Unless they give me it free i won't be rushing out to get one at £99.95.

There's more info apparently been posted elsewhere. Copy/pasta from cableforum :

This was posted earlier on SpursCommunity:


Unwrapping our Virgin TV V6 box

By David Bouchier

November 30 2016


Today we’re taking the wraps off our new Virgin TV V6 box.

Edit: Person received info in an e-mail.


Our smallest, smartest, fastest box yet is half the size of our previous TiVo box with 10x the power and packed with loads of extra features…


Record six shows

The V6 box allows people to record six programmes while watching a seventh recording or stream from services such as iPlayer or Netflix. This increases to 12 simultaneous recordings with two V6 boxes.


Watching live TV

on demand programmes or recordings doesn’t stop in the living room. The new set top box is completely compatible with our TiVo box meaning that existing Virgin Media customers can keep recordings and transfer settings. It is also designed so that recordings can be accessed and streamed on other TiVo boxes around the home.


Streaming

Recordings, Box Sets, catch up live TV can be watched in one room, paused and continued in another seamlessly through a V6 or TiVo box. Recordings and live TV can also be continued on a mobile device with our TV Anywhere app. This means existing customers can enjoy a multi-room connected TV experience.


Future proof TV: 4K and HDR

All V6 boxes support 4K Ultra-High Definition (UHD) TV with Netflix and YouTube available in 4K from launch and more programming coming soon. The V6 box is also High Dynamic Range (HDR) compatible so that as more HDR content becomes available a patch will be downloaded and Virgin TV customers can enjoy the very best 4K picture quality on compatible HDR TVs.


A smart, quick interface, reassuringly familiar & built for apps

The V6 box is powered by our very latest, intelligent TiVo software and has been built for apps which, in combination with the powerful technology inside the V6 box, mean that its image-based menus are superfast to navigate. It also means apps such as iPlayer, Netflix and Vevo will open with lightning speed. Features include Smart Search and Series Link+, allowing customers to easily access the great range of programmes on Virgin TV wherever they are hiding.


Find my remote

The V6 remote is smaller than the existing remote but will be instantly recognisable to TiVo users so there won’t be any barriers to getting straight to the best TV. A new search button on the remote instantly fires up the TiVo brain meaning there are fewer clicks to the TV users want.

The remote has a lot more oomph - it’ll now work even when the V6 box is tucked away in a cupboard. Plus, if it’s ever lost there’s a button on the V6 box which will make the remote beep so it can be rescued from the depths of the sofa.

Storage The Virgin TV V6 box comes with 1TB of storage allowing 500 hours of SD recordings or 100 hours of HD recordings. Every additional Virgin TV V6 box installed will add another 1TB to the overall storage in the home and the ability to record six more programmes simultaneously.


Pricing

Pricing for the Virgin TV V6 box is simple, transparent and will not incur additional monthly subscription fees.


The new state of the art box will be available to existing customers on a Mix bundle or higher, before the end of the year. Existing customers will not need to change package to benefit.


New customers joining Virgin Media will be able to order the Virgin TV V6 box when choosing their TV bundle from January 2017.


The standard price of the Virgin TV V6 box is a simple £99.95 one-off upfront cost.


New and existing customers with a top-tier Full House or VIP bundle will benefit from a promotional price of £49.95.

A company wide effort

Many people have been involved in working to bring Virgin TV to this stage and in particular the V6 box.We have had over 1000 staff involved in testing and trialling the new box, giving their feedback and working with us to improve the experience.As we moved into technical pilot with customers the teams have been there to help guide them through any questions they have had.
Click to expand...
 
I hope the monthly price is the same or cheaper than the current tivo, in fact we should not have to pay monthly prices to rent a box anyway.

I also hope its a lot faster in the menu's so I can then do away with my fire TV to watch netflix.
 
At the moment the ability to stream stuff was the main thing I was interested in.
I often want to watch a recording from the main box in another room but cannot.

Downsides:
Looks ugly, though I have heard from an engineer the box looks bigger than it is. I thought it was Xbox one size but its small.
However odd dimensions not good for the media rack.
Edit: There is a good photo on another site showing it on top of the current box. I wonder if it can be used upright...

No 2tb.
No mention of live 4k that I can see.

Comes down to monthly price I guess.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom