Virgin V6 box announcement

Vertigo · 30 Nov 2016 at 13:02

https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/30/virgin-media-v6/

Is it just me or is this a hopeless load of rubbish compared to Sky Q?

I was fully expecting them to launch a very similar system, with streaming satellite boxes and so forth, but all they've announced is a slight breathed-on version of their old junk.

Looks like they won't even be doing broadcast 4K either, instead touting it as a 4K Netflix solution, yet anyone with a 4K TV will already have Netflix built into it so what's the point?

Utterly hopeless VM.

Vertigo · 30 Nov 2016 at 21:11

They made a big deal earlier this year of how they'd neglected their TV service in their push of Internet connectivity and that they were going to remedy this situation.

If this is all they can come up with then they're totally lost and I bet Sky are rubbing their hands with glee. Virgin seem content to keep pushing an inferior service and relying on cheaper prices to retain their market share rather than actually competing on functionality and features.

Vertigo · 30 Nov 2016 at 21:13

Journey said:
Which is desperately needed because of all of the HDR content available.

I really don't understand why there isn't more of a push with HDR. No word from Sky on if or when they'll support it. Netflix and Amazon Prime both tout it but the former hardly has anything using it and the latter's HDR stuff is all paid-for on top of the base subscription.

It's a shame as, done well, it's amazing. I've been watching X-Men Apocalypse in 4K HDR and it's utterly stunning.

Vertigo · 1 Dec 2016 at 16:38

jpaul said:
not 100% clear if Virgin TV Anywhere app allows TV box recording to be watched on any tablet, if so they could release an app for smart tv's too - this strategy would do away with Q mini idea

Except any TV app is going to be very shoddy compared to the experience of a Q mini. They may be much maligned but, provided the connectivity is solid, the mini boxes are a very neat and quite powerful solution. I doubt any TV could run anywhere near as slick an interface.

Interestingly, they're also the only streaming solution I've ever used which can actually fast forward and rewind properly. Every other system I've tried breaks down rapidly when you try to do this, but the minis operate exactly as the main Q box does and is perfectly usable.

Vertigo · 1 Dec 2016 at 22:10

jpaul said:
On the Q-Mini front : apparently it is the original broadcast stream (except for 4k material) that is sent to the mini boxes, with transcoding for tablets - curiously could not find many discussions on this though, or a q box teardown

Of course it will be. The hardware in the minis is very similar to the main box so can easily deal with the original broadcast stream and avoids any transcoding issues.

You can see this by tuning in the same live channel on a mini and a tablet or phone. The latter lags a few seconds behind due to the transcoding delay.

Vertigo · 1 Dec 2016 at 22:11

bemaniac said:
Image quality is poo though. It's like watching a 576p video from a ps2 media player with macroblocking everywhere.

Utter rubbish. Image quality from my minis, both of which are connected to 1080p screens, is perfect and just as good as the main box.

Vertigo · 2 Dec 2016 at 08:59

FurryLemon said:
Because people with HDR enabled sets are still very much in the minority. Poll 100 people on the high street and the vast majority wouldn't know what HDR is or does...

But then content usually pushes technology rather than the other way around. Provide more HDR content and delivery options and it'll increase uptake of HDR sets.

Besides, in a year or so, pretty much every TV sold will be a 4K HDR one.

Vertigo · 2 Dec 2016 at 11:27

VincentHanna said:
Not because Virgin will suddenly broadcast HDR content over their cable network.

Most new UHD TV's already have Netflix/Amazon with 4k/HDR support anyway.

They're not even going to broadcast 4K content over their network, let alone HDR, it'll all be on-demand stuff.

Granted the vast majority of Sky's 4K content is also on-demand but at least they're doing some football broadcasts in 4K and F1 is coming next year. The irony is that VM have total control over the delivery system, rather than having to deal with customers having all manner of Internet connectivity, so are in a far better position to provide high bitrate broadcasts.