TiVo by Virgin

[andywaterfall]

I just got this installed yesterday, and it's brilliant! All the features I missed from my old TiVo S1 which just weren't available on V+ are back, and then some - suggestions, wishlists for actors, directors, or just keywords in programs, really good data that links series shown on different channels, an imdb-type ability to flick from a program, to an actor or director from it, to anything else they've been in/done. And when you press fast forward, then play, it winds back a few seconds so you don't miss the beginning of the program.

Highly recommended. Anyone else got it?

[page3]

No. But virgin are kindly bricking my perfectly good Series 1 on June 1st.

[IainZ]

page3 said:

No. But virgin are kindly bricking my perfectly good Series 1 on June 1st.

??? What's happening?

[andywaterfall]

They're turning off the programme guide data. Boffins are hoping to create an alternative though.

[andywaterfall]

For those who don't know what I'm talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eVYE9Qk72Y&fea...

[IainZ]

Bar-stools!! Had my S1 for ages, paid them for a lifetime sub & its been upgraded with 2 x 120 meg discs & has a network card in it. Its way better than the V+ box I've also got.

How much are VM charging you for the new box?

[andywaterfall]

It's a special early deal for those who pre-registered on the Virgin site and/or the tivocommunity site for S1 owners (I'm still not sure what triggered the call from Virgin) - £149 for installation, £3 PCM thereafter. I get the impression we're late-stage beta testers though, as there are a few glitches to iron out, but I guess that's why they wanted S1 owners to try it first. It's coming out properly in a month or two I believe, not sure what the costs will be though, sorry.

[NorthDave]

I'm looking forward to this. Only had a brief play with the Tivo of old but it was obviously years ahead of anything we have had since. £3 a month will make it very good value I think.

I pre-registered and got a mail shot a week or so ago warning me to expect it soon!

[IainZ]

Great, so they disable my perfectly good working box and expect me to pay to have another box .....which does exactly the same thing

.....barstools.

[andywaterfall]

To be fair, TiVo have kept the epg going for 10 years or so without actually having a product for sale in this country. It was only to be expected that part of the Virgin deal would be to turn it off finally. Anyway, there'll be a replacement epg somehow I'm sure. I take it you're on tivocommunity to keep abreast of that one...?

[IainZ]

andywaterfall said:

To be fair, TiVo have kept the epg going for 10 years or so without actually having a product for sale in this country. It was only to be expected that part of the Virgin deal would be to turn it off finally. Anyway, there'll be a replacement epg somehow I'm sure. I take it you're on tivocommunity to keep abreast of that one...?

I am now

[IainZ]

Just got an "offer" from VM

They want me to pay £150 for a box I never own, (+ £40 to install it) - then an extra £3 a month

and then......

"By having the TiVo service and/or by using it you are providing your consent for us to use your viewing information to personalise your experience of the TiVo service (in addition to the other purposes set out in our privacy policy). We may share with third parties information about your use of the TiVo service in an aggregated form which will not personally identify you. This aggregated data may be used by those third parties for their marketing purposes (e.g. to improve their targeting of advertising based on user preferences). "

Time for:


Then
--> Sky

[cjs]

IainZ said:

Just got an "offer" from VM

They want me to pay £150 for a box I never own, (+ £40 to install it) - then an extra £3 a month

and then......

"By having the TiVo service and/or by using it you are providing your consent for us to use your viewing information to personalise your experience of the TiVo service (in addition to the other purposes set out in our privacy policy). We may share with third parties information about your use of the TiVo service in an aggregated form which will not personally identify you. This aggregated data may be used by those third parties for their marketing purposes (e.g. to improve their targeting of advertising based on user preferences). "

Time for:


Then
--> Sky

No ones is forcing you to take the offer, just get a normal V+ box.

[Zod]

IainZ said:

J

Time for:


Then
--> Sky

Who do exactly the same thing.

[Oakey]

Zod said:

Who do exactly the same thing.

Maybe so but as a new customer he'll probably be able to get a HD box for about £50 and he'll own it. Sure, they're a piece of unreliable crap but having to pay Virgin for the hardware (even though you don't own it) plus installation plus monthly subs seems a litt over the top. I can remember the days when one of their selling points was that you didn't have to pay for the box unlike Sky. How things change.

[IainZ]

With the principle irritant being that I have a perfectly good working S1 Tivo which , thanks to VM, is going to get disabled on June 1

Its 8-10 years old and barring the fact that its only got one tuner, its STILL the best box around.

[pernod]

I got my 'special' offer today ('special' is right!).
And the sky box has packed up...
I think it's 'freeview' time for me!

[Mikey G]

Shame, I was really looking forward to this thinking VM would give a good deal. Not too botherred about the £3 extra per month but the upfront cost for a box you will never own is robbery.
I guess i'll just go for the HD+ instead then.

[andywaterfall]

Why do you want to own the box? My VM TiVo goes wrong, I phone them up, tell them to fix/replace their box, job done.

[Mikey G]

andywaterfall said:

Why do you want to own the box?

For £150 why not?