Virgin Media V+ Box (cable), any good ?

I'm thinking about getting the V+ Box upgrade from 'Virmin sub-Medium' but i'm worried that it'll be slower to boot up and change channels than my current box. Or that the interface will be more confusing and un-responsive.

Q: Has anybody got one and are they any good ? Pros & Cons ?

Q: Are they worth the 75 squids ?

I've got one. It's ok - Sky+ is better IMO, but I'm getting such a cheap package deal from Virgin for my broadband etc as well that to me it's not worth the extra money to get Sky. In your OP though it sounds like you already have the normal cable box?

Pros: It records stuff (obviously). It has 3 tuners so you can record 2 channels while watching a third. It also has a fair amount of HD channels now and also there's HD on-demand content. The UI looks & works exactly the same as the standard box, except there's an extra menu for the recording functions, so there's not much of a learning curve if you're already used to Virgin in general.

Cons: the UI is quite slow, though no slower than the standard Virgin cable box (I had one before getting V+).

I would tell them to shove the £75 installation fee if you already have the standard box though - it's a 5/10 min job at best cos all the engineer has to do is swap boxes and register the new box. I managed to blag them into installing it free, but that was because I'd already called them out to another fault - I had quite a few problems with my old-style box and I kicked up quite a fuss!

[phil24_7]

I'll let ya know on Saturday when they install my services at my new address! I have upgraded and the install is being done FOC, and they're giving me a tenner for a late install, as it was meant to be done this week.

I would tell them to shove the £75 installation fee if you already have the standard box though - it's a 5/10 min job at best cos all the engineer has to do is swap boxes and register the new box. I managed to blag them into installing it free, but that was because I'd already called them out to another fault - I had quite a few problems with my old-style box and I kicked up quite a fuss!

Same here!

The box is fine, im happy with it, the fact it has tuners is great.

[Bibio]

had one for a year now. couldn't imagine life without it. picture quality is only as good as the source they are transmitting.

one thing i will say though is that HD sound does not work threw the HDMI cable so you will have to get an optical cable too, then configure the box sound/vision menu to get it working right e.g. 'picture = HDMI' and 'sound = Optical'.

you will also have to reset the box about every 3 months or so to 'keep it working right'.

yes it was great..

I now dont have V any more and dont like being without it,

We've had the V+ for going on two years now and it's brilliant. It does crash occasionally (once every couple of months or so) but a quick reset makes it fine again. PQ on all channels is very good and the recent 'Life' programmes on BBC HD are about the best PQ I've seen on anything . We get ESPN HD now which has some decent stuff on - it's a pity that Virgin don't offer Sky Sports HD but my package through Virgin is about £30 a month less than the Sky equivalent so can't complain...

Yep mines fine too, bit slower through the menus then the other standard boxes I have in the house but does work like a charm. Plus the HD channels on the 40" TV do look just lovely, watching the BBC series 'Life' Sunday was just so clear.

I think the Virgin service is much better than Sky +.

Here's why:

You get HD channels at no extra cost and no need for a special HD box.

You get a small picture in picture when on the TV guide or menu so you can still watch your programme.

TV choice on Demand, no extra cost

Music on Demand, no extra cost!

All in all, much better than Sky and never had any issues with the service. Been with them over 2 years now.

Originally Posted by El Saxo

I've got one. It's ok - Sky+ is better IMO

Just curious why ? We are moving in to our new house soon and have to make the choice. It's looking like being Virgin but the overall costs are pretty much the same (broadband, HD, 2 boxes, no sky sports/movies). I had heard the channels are slower to change on Virgin but I'm ok with that.