Virgin Media TV alternatives

GSDog · 14 May 2020 at 20:54

My contract with Virgin Media is coming to an end and I'd like to move to another provider as the service has been appauling (we've had several outages over 24 hours in the last few weeks alone).

We don't have an aerial or satellite dish installed.

How is Sky Q, BT TV or NOW TV delivered? Is this still through a satellite dish/aerial, or can the TV service now be delivered through the fibre?

Thanks.

M1k3H · 14 May 2020 at 22:44

Used to have both Sky and Virgin. No complaint from either, although that seem to be location related. Sky needs a dish, not sure on BT although I believe is via cable, and Now TV is just over the internet.

We switched to full digital, i.e. we now pay Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Now TV when needed and watch through that. We also have the iPlayer, ITVhub, etc apps as well as pickup terrestrial channels. It's cheaper, we can customise what we can watch and no more faffing about negotiating every year.

lucid · 14 May 2020 at 22:52

No one other than Virgin has a full service cable solution.

Now TV is Freeview (TV aerial) + catch-up TV and some exclusive contract-only content streamed via internet

Sky Q is subscription TV via a satellite dish + catch-up TV and some exclusive contract-only content streamed via internet

BT TV is Freeview (TV aerial) + catch-up TV and some exclusive contract-only content streamed via internet

Freeview Plus is via TV aerial + ordinary catch-up TV streamed via internet

Freesat 'Plus' is via satellite dish + ordinary catch-up TV streamed via internet

There are ways to watch TV only via the internet, but none are as slick and comprehensive as SkyQ/BT/Virgin. It just depends how much inconvenience you and your family are willing to accept for reducing the cost. What are your priorities?

Captain · 14 May 2020 at 23:10

NowTV is just streamed through either the smart tv app or through a roku box, whichever one suits you.

Captain · 14 May 2020 at 23:11

lucid said:
No one other than Virgin has a full service cable solution.

Now TV is Freeview (TV aerial) + catch-up TV and some exclusive contract-only content streamed via internet

Sky Q is subscription TV via a satellite dish + catch-up TV and some exclusive contract-only content streamed via internet

BT TV is Freeview (TV aerial) + catch-up TV and some exclusive contract-only content streamed via internet

Freeview Plus is via TV aerial + ordinary catch-up TV streamed via internet

Freesat 'Plus' is via satellite dish + ordinary catch-up TV streamed via internet

There are ways to watch TV only via the internet, but none are as slick and comprehensive as SkyQ/BT/Virgin. It just depends how much inconvenience you and your family are willing to accept for reducing the cost. What are your priorities?

I’m not sure if it’s just me reading it different but you don’t need a tv aerial for NowTV.

doopydug · 14 May 2020 at 23:33

A lot of suppliers are having problems in these covid times, btw - internet and data transfer speeds are way off the mark because there have been so many people at home placing extra demand on their services

lucid · 15 May 2020 at 00:06

Captain said:
I’m not sure if it’s just me reading it different but you don’t need a tv aerial for NowTV.

You don't need a TV aerial plugged in to a Now TV box, but the older boxes had a TV aerial socket and an integrated Freeview HD tuner. For someone with a non-HD TV, it was an easy way to add Freeview HD without the cost of upgrading the TV.

For someone looking at alternatives to VM, it would be wrong to suggest that the internet-only service from Now TV is a wholly suitable replacement for VM wrt linear TV broadcasting. The catch-up channels don't stream live TV, and their catch-up services don't offer the full gamut of Freeview channel programming simply timeshifted to avoid the "I'm watching live TV therefore I need a TV licence" catch-all. In this respect then, the TV itself should probably have some facility to watch live TV if it's something that would be missed after ditching VM/Sky subscription TV.

varkanoid · 15 May 2020 at 14:10

BT TV uses aerial for Freeview channels and Fibre Broadband for the channels included in the BT TV Packages you pay for.

NowTV is now incorporated fully into BT TV. So if you pay for NowTV through BT TV the Sky Cinema, Sky Sports and Sky One etc now appear on the BT TV Guide as a normal channel. You can therefore record NowTV channels just like you can Freeview etc something that has not been possible before. The NowTV app on BT TV box can be used exactly in the same way and you can use this for Sky catch up TV and box sets.

Amazon Prime app has been available on the BT TV box for some time and again you can either buy it via a BT TV bolt on or use your existing Amazon Prime account. If you also have an existing Now TV account you can use this via the NowTV app on the BT TV box only difference is you can not get Sky Cinema and Sports etc as a channel/record it as you have not took up a NowTV Account via BT TV. Netflix has been on BT TV for ages. Good in a way as four different services are all now on the same box.

meths · 15 May 2020 at 16:53

My in laws have BT and from what I've seen of it I wouldn't recommend it.

Their set to box is terrible and takes ages to do anything.

varkanoid · 17 May 2020 at 20:13

meths said:
My in laws have BT and from what I've seen of it I wouldn't recommend it.

Their set to box is terrible and takes ages to do anything.

Depends which one they have. The UHD box and HD box is really quick on the latest software. Probably find out its not updated itself for ages.

Aladdin · 7 Jun 2020 at 13:39

Never been to keen on Virgin Media, over priced. I would pick a simple broadband only provider and then use the free streaming apps like iPlayer, ITVPlayer 4,5, etc. Then swop and change between subscripting for Amazon, Netflix, Britbox.