Virgin Media O2 UK Slowly Phasing Out TV 360 Mini Boxes
Customers of broadband ISP Virgin Media (O2) may like to know that the provider recently began the slow process of phasing-out their old TV 360 Mini boxes, which are usually deployed to support for multi-room systems. But the company is now increasingly working to replace these with their modern ‘Stream’ set-top-boxes (STB) instead.
The change, which was spotted by Cord Busters, appears to have started around November 2024 and marks somewhat of a shift from how the ‘Stream’ boxes were initially only being targeted at new customers. Similarly, until recently, the TV 360 platform wasn’t fully compatible with Stream at all, but that’s no longer the case.
In short, customers with a TV 360 box have, in recent weeks and months, started receiving Stream boxes with new multi-room orders instead of the TV 360 Mini boxes. The exception is if you already have TV 360 Mini boxes in your setup and wish to add more, then you will still get a TV 360 Mini instead of Stream. But a spokesperson for Virgin Media did say that this too will switch to Stream boxes “in the near future.”
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Naturally this also means that Virgin Media’s Stream boxes are now able to properly sync with the main TV 360 box for features like video recordings and watch lists etc. Virgin Media also argues that the move to adopt Stream allows for more boxes per household (up to 6 per account), can be delivered via self-installation (TV 360 Mini’s required an engineer visit) and do not require new cabling as they work over your existing broadband link.
But there is a rather unusual aspect to all this. Virgin Media has confirmed that multi-room is still not available with Flex, which is the service that runs over their Stream Box. This means if you’re on their newer Flex service, rather than TV 360, then you’re limited to just one Stream box. This creates an awkward situation where customers on the older TV 360 platform now have access to more Stream boxes than those on the actual Stream/Flex platform itself.
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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” The exception is if you already have TV 360 Mini boxes in your setup and wish to add more, then you will still get a TV 360 Mini instead of Stream.”
What if you currently have the 2 max extra tv360 mini boxes? Will that restriction stay in place in particular when it comes to streaming recordings?
What you refer to is known as Apollo. Apollo is the replacement for multi room. Apollo is on a contract where as stream now known as flex is month by month service and limited to 1 box. Apollo is what is available on the XGSPON network as the main TV product and now HFC/FTTP/FTTO as the secondary TV product. However that is soon to change too with Apollo being the main/only product to be sold to all new TV customers as of April’ish. Same route as Sky in regards to main product is Sky stream/Glass
The Stream / Flex service can support more then one Stream box, well it certainly can over XGSPON network as I’ve got it myself, but then 360 boxes aren’t even an option. Perhaps limitation of one only applies on HFC network, but would be strange as like you say it’s all only over WiFi, so no different than having multiple Firesticks.
The device pictured isn’t a TV 360, it is a Tivo V6, an entirely different piece of kit.
They’re the same box, though possibly different manufacturers – my latest one is Humax but the previous one was Arris; exactly the same hardware. The difference is the software (TiVo is on the V6 – Horizon on the TV 360 (and the Stream box also)). I think the plan is to essentially have one box with one software (Stream with Horizon). Cheaper to produce boxes, less carbon emissions (less techs required, less coax required for installs), easier for customers to manage, no licensing agreements to pay for TiVo (who are going their own way with their own OS for TVs) etc. etc. IP is the future!
We renewed our contract about a month ago, and as part of that required a new Hub 5 router. This was duly installed. The installer also wanted to upgrade the V6 boxes, but they refused to take the install, so he ended up replacing all three boxes with TV 360 boxes. I suspect they’re using stock up where they can before a full switch.
It’s all to do with the upcoming switch from QAM to IP. That’s supposed to be completed this year. I’m not sure how that will work for those who already have 360 or V6 (or even TiVo) boxes. E.g. can V6 / 360 boxes take an IP-only feed via WiFi. If so, will it depend on the software on the box (TiVo versus Horizon)?). Or will they just mail everyone new Stream boxes (the box is still called the Stream box, but the service is ‘Flex’ – go figure!
Since July 2024 if you have Stream (now Flex) on XGS-PON and subscribe to the Mega TV package you can have up to six Flex boxes. I think each additional box costs £10pm. This is because VM delivers IPTV and not broadcast TV over XGS-PON.
but with stream i have just been told you can not record anything only stream things