Virgin Media UK Makes New TV 360 Service Available to All
As expected, cable broadband ISP Virgin Media UK has today made their new Virgin TV 360 service (platform) available to all existing customers – irrespective of their TV package – via a quick over the air firmware update on existing v6 boxes (Horizon software), which saves a box swap, but there’s still a one off payment of £24.95.
Previously you could only get the Virgin TV 360 service if you were either a new customer or an existing subscriber who takes (or upgrades to) their biggest Ultimate Oomph bundle (here). But initially existing customers needed to have their v6 box swapped out for a TV 360 box and mini box because the software update wasn’t yet ready for their older v6 kit.
The platform includes new features such as Voice Search and Control, as well as profiles, a more intuitive User Interface (UI), 4K + HDR support and a “new” mini set-top-box (STB) among other things. The system actually comes with two STBs, although the main box is broadly the same hardware as the existing v6, except the Virgin TV 360 boxes are built by different suppliers and the user experience is different under the Horizon software.
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Likewise, the Virgin TV 360 Mini box is the same hardware as the 360 box, albeit without the hard disk (smaller) and a second Mini box can be added to boost the availability of content into additional rooms (i.e. the first Mini box costs £10 a month and the second £5 a month).
Annie Brooks, VM Executive Director of Product, said:
“Virgin TV 360 is paired perfectly with our ultrafast connectivity, offering a fantastically fast, modern and more personal user experience that all of our customers can now enjoy. With Virgin TV 360, we’re making it easier for our customers and their families to kick back and enter a world of entertainment, whenever they want and wherever they are.”
Customers wanting to upgrade to Virgin TV 360 should call or go online. They will then be sent a new voice activated remote control. Existing v6 customers will be upgraded via a simple over-the-air update, so there’s no need for a new box. As for customers with a much older TiVo or even earlier set-top-box (STB), Virgin Media will send them a new one.
Apparently the £24.95 upgrade fee will be waived if existing V6 customers re-contract when they upgrade to Virgin TV 360. The fee rises to £49.95 for TiVo customers, but it will be reduced to £24.95 if you agree to re-contract as part of the upgrade request.
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Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook, BlueSky, Threads.net and Linkedin.
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Don’t suppose you know where to find the online upgrade link?
https://www.virginmedia.com/offers/skyUHDregistration
I think that’s a different thing isn’t it?
https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/tv/virgin-tv-360
£24.95? No thank you. Will stay on Tivo.
You don’t own the equipment…
Look at comments on the VM forum, loads of people saying basic features not in Horizon software, so hardly a good selling point until resolved, though most say the GUI is better.
The fact you don’t own the equipment means Virgin have the power and authority to brick the device from their network so once they decide TiVo is no longer supported, they will block you from their network.
Agreed. Why would anyone want to pay £24.95 for a downgrade. What is this payment actually for – no equipment is being sent (apart from a remote control), you don’t own the equipment and presumably this is going to save them money as they no longer need to pay for the TiVo service. You would think they would be trying to offer an incentive for people to switch.
Mark – So at which point Virgin will upgrade customers boxes for free.
I really wish Virgin and to a lesser extent BT would just concentrate on offering highgrade internet than worrying about TV services. They seemingly cannot do Both as the amount of people who complain about issues with Virgin broadband is unreal.
What? Really? Some people would say the their broadband is fine so lets forget about everything and just focus on making it cheaper, or someone else might say they don’t need broadband but would like a clearer phone line so lets abandon fibre and re-invest in copper lines.
Come on people, think about others and not just yourselves for once.
Give me one reason for paying for linear TV in 2021.
For the Content that is not available on On Demand
Update still no 1gbps.!
For VM would be very nice if they concentrate more on their Broadband s ervice quality as it is worse tthan just terrible. it works more less well after 11 pm until 09 in the morning. They ignore any complaince and just send you, we tried to call you but didn’t reach you. F.. s..k
On my first complain on broadband quality, i’ve received few days later – we added new channels. What? I’d aseked about broadband, I don’t need more and more and more channels, I need just stable internet connection.
Even Ofcom application standing next to VM Hub shows – You can’t play on-line games, you can’t make voice calls!!! Voice calls not even video, but I can watch UHD content. I’m very glad. I don’t need to watch, I wish to be heard when I work without drops.
I can’t believe they launched this 360 TV platform without fulfilling the the roles the V6 plays.
The money grab makes me laugh because there is idiot customers that are basically buying into a rented service.
I’m glad to have put this all behind me.
They want me to pay for a software upgrade on their own equipment?
No thanks, the value of Virgin’s services has reduced to almost nothing for me in the last few years due to competition for TV and broadband from other providers, it will take a bit leap forward if they want to keep my £100 a month after my contract ends.
I like Annie Brook’s nonsense comment from VM stating:
“…we’re making it easier for our customers and their families to kick back and enter a world of entertainment, whenever they want and wherever they are.”
OK, where is the Smart TV VM app then, or ability to cast from the Virgin Media app on my tablet to a TV screen for convenience when I go to my parents who do not live in a VM area and miles away (when out of lockdown that is)?
It’s not the best of quality on the tablet VM app, so why an issue casting to a TV or provide a smart tv app that you can log into and gets counted under “device count” allowed in the app like the tablet app already uses?
When the “swathe” of people paying £24.95 for the remote/upgrade wanes, VM will realise its costing them more in support terms for both software types, and then give a “free” upgrade enforcing it on the remaining with a usual yearly 10% price hike in subscription costs.
This below is what Virgin media sent me about this story when I asked about it – Hi Sean, sorry to hear about your service issues. At the moment it does look like you would need to upgrade. The one off payment of £24.95 is not accurate. You can give us a call on 150/ 03454541111 for more information about a package upgrade. ^PZ
Apparently each 360 box needs its own Virgin coax cable, whereas Sky Q can run over Ethernet? In that case, no thanks. I don’t need any more ugly holes in my walls.
Just to confirm, that’s not true. Not saying you should get it, but you definitely don’t need another coax, the second box connects via WiFi
Not what Virgin told me when I asked. Second box still needs to be cabled.
“Apparently the £24.95 upgrade fee will be waived if existing V6 customers re-contract when they upgrade to Virgin TV 360. The fee rises to £49.95 for TiVo customers, but it will be reduced to £24.95 if you agree to re-contract as part of the upgrade request.”
This is not true. Upgrading from V6 to 360 with or without upgrade cost £24.95 and £49.95 for TIVO to 360.
Here’s the upgrade page for existing customers:
https://www.virginmedia.com/shop/customer/virgin-tv-360-upgrade
Whether this page will continue to work if many people hit it…..
Has anyone phoned virgin media and asked for this? I’m just off the phone and they told me they aren’t able to do upgrades to 360 as they are encountering problems. Not sure how true that was though
Ask to speak to retentions team
I’ve been on the phone to them 6 times this week trying to organise this upgrade to my current 3 V6 boxes. I’ve only had one partly successful conversation with a female retention agent who was trying to put the upgrade through but was hitting a system brick wall saying I needed engineer visit because I have more than 2 boxes?,
After being on the phone with her over half an hour, she Apologised for the length of time I had been on the phone and told me she would call me back when she had sorted it, to save me hanging around
Guess what? – no callback – surprise!. Now they are telling me there’s an error in the system, preventing the upgrades and to call back Friday?
How can something that looks so simple on paper be so hard to put in practice?,
If I don’t get any joy on Friday they can stuff the upgrade I will stay on TIVo software. It really shouldn’t be this complicated
Virgin media will not upgrade without you recontracting. This article is highly misleading. I have spoke to Vigin today. This is not available to me without recontracting to a higher cost package. I have only been with them 2 months!They are a shambles. Nothing more than a thinly disguised effort to ramp up people’s contract costs. Suggest you issue an update to your article.
I’ve just got a TV360 upgrade for my V6 box. Cost £24.95, leaving my existing (and heavily discounted) package unchanged.
The new remote is 1,000,000% better than the original V6 lump and the TV360 interface is great. It feels like something from this decade, unlike the old V6 appalling shambles.
Voice search seems OK, which is nice. Remote also controls my TV without any complex set-up. Now better than my BT box.
£24:95 though?, your an existing customer?
I think it stinks that their charging customers to upgrade to a UI that they are charging to eventually anyway!
Hold your horses, they’ll be giving this for free – they’ll have to, because not everyone’s willing to pay £25 – and if they want all tv customers on Horizon software, they’ll need to offer it for free!
Upgraded to 360 did not have to pay any set up fee or recontract.load better than V6, broadband has still got a mind of it’s own.have hub 4 which keeps turning it’s self off and disconnecting the wi-fi.
So, they wanna charge existing customers just short of £25 for early access to an upgrade of their tv services UI that every tv customer is going to have eventually anyway?
Isn’t that a bit of a cash grab?. What happens to all the existing V6 customers on the TiVo software, that don’t want to pay £25 for an update? – Mark my words, when Virgin eventually drop the TiVo software completely in favour of Horizon, they’ll give the over air update for free,
Really can’t see how they can charge for a U I update to begin with, especially when new customers get this automatically!
the voice control was good to start with but I use a universal remote so don’t make the best use out of it. Having had it for a few weeks if you got TiVo stick with it. TV 360 needs a huge upgrade to make it as good as before
Can you not just buy a brand new 360 off ebay .to work with your tivi box and much cheaper
FFS… All these complaints about £24.95. You get a new piece of equipment, a remote control. You expect to be given this for nothing? Try asking Amazon to give you a new Echo Dot for free because you want one with a clock on it. Much the same idea. You can talk to this remote. New feature, new hardware, paid upgrade.
Yes this is fair comment. They are a business when all is said and done. But existing customers are being informed they can upgrade for free, and unfortunately this is not the case.
If Amazon were to offer that equipment for free and then they asked you for £24.95 and a £35 activation fee I feel you would also take issue.
When trying the upgrade page all I get is Bad request
Having logged into my VM account I was informed I could choose 2 upgrade offers. 1. Sign up to a new 18 month contract and receive the upgrade to TV360 for free and receive a new remote and superhub 3. Or 2. Keep my current contract and pay £24.95 and receive the new remote and software update.
Obviously when I clicked this offer I was told I had to call. Not prepared to wait I tried my luck with live chat instead and somehow spent an hour haggling UP to £88 a month from £54.
Apparently by signing up for services you don’t use, you qualify for a discount. It’s not really a discount in my eyes when it will end up costing me an extra £34 a month. When I politely declined this attractive discount, I was told I could have the new remote for £24.95 plus a £35 activation fee.
Then a new offer magically appears out of thin air. Receive a completely new TV360 box to replace my V6 and only pay the £35 activation fee and £24.95 for a new remote. So if you order a new box the new remote doesn’t come with it?
When I pointed out the offer I was was given to upgrade for free I’m informed this was an offer for new customers like when I first signed up.
Do VM enjoy asking for complaints? Completely bewildering and confusing conversation!