Virgin Media TiVo
The basics
The Virgin Media TiVo is the latest PVR to hit the market, following in the footsteps of the excellent Sky+ HD box. John Bentley has been putting the two boxes through their paces – can the TiVo take the top spot? Join us after the break to find out.
The good
The Virgin Media TiVo is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to usability. The electronic programming guide is comprehensive, with the ability to view up to a week in advance, and it also shows information on other programmes in the series you're looking at.
It also proves more impressive than the Sky+ HD box when it comes to recording your favourite programmes. You can record three different channels at the same time, while watching a fourth.
You'll also be able to click a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” next to programmes you like on the EPG, and the TiVo will start to record programmes that are similar. Like a particular actor? You can search for them in the EPG, and you'll be offered a range of films or programmes that they star in.
It's all very good, and very impressive, but it's not without flaws.
The bad
Unfortunately, the Virgin Media TiVo lags behind the Sky+ HD box when it comes to usability. The remote control is badly designed – the buttons all tend to be a similar shape, so you'll have to look at what you're pressing, and some are also in illogical locations.
The EPG is slow to respond, and also feels unintuitive. Overall, the TiVo interface feels slightly glitchy and unfinished, especially when compared with the Sky+ HD box.
The bottom line
The Virgin Media TiVo box is an impressive solution, and in its own way it's easily as good as the Sky+ HD box. They just both offer different things. If TV on demand, or the ability to search and record the most programmes is more important than a slick user experience, then this is the best solution.
User comments (7)
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A Williams25 October 2011
Hardly a neutral review as the reviewer obviously has had Sky + for several years and so is used to the Sky remote. I found the TiVo remote very easy to use and the EPG intuitive and user friendly. I cannot say the same when I stayed at relatives and used their Sky+ HD. the remote was not as easy to use and the EPG not very intutive or easy to move around on for someone not used to it as the reviewer obviously was.
Report as inappropriateMike Vincent-Piper25 October 2011
It looks great and is better than Sky but it only in cable areas so I can not have it the part of the country that I live so its no good to me. Untill they make it al over the uk I'm sticking to Sky.
Report as inappropriateknight201025 October 2011
As a virgin media user and tivo user. I think its very good set up. I like that you can view youtube from your big 50" HD flat screen tv from your sofa as if your family member is using your pc or laptop and so on. But saddley I find some bugs in the system but I have been told there is an update at the end off 2011
Report as inappropriateNicholas25 October 2011
As a long-time series 1 TiVo user, the remote is one of the best I've ever used. Not sure about the Virgin model, but it looks similar so I would expect it to be the same. John is obviously too used to the Sky remote. Unfortunately TiVo's deal with Virgin killed off my "lifetime subscription" with TiVo, so I'll never consider using TiVo again due to their questionable business practices. A home theatre PC is what I now use and it's so much better compared to either my TiVo or Sky+...and I don't have to pay a penny for the service either!
Report as inappropriateDarStarjammer27 October 2011
I have been with VirginMedia for a few years and had their V+HD box for that time.... I have recently gotten the TiVo box and it is a huge improvement. The Remote is simple enough that my parents have gotten used to using it within an hour of picking it up. There are issues of the box "lagging" but there is a huge firmware update on its way in Dec 2011... That is to bring a mass of new features and fix many of the well known bugs with the system. Sky+HD has been out in many forms (from the luanch of Sky+ in 2001) and if it wasn't slick and hadn't had its bugs iron out by now people would be complaining..... Give VirginMedia and TiVo till they release their update before writing their review fully.....
Report as inappropriateDrNick30 October 2011
I originally had Sky+ back in 2005 and was impressed at the number of channels available (compared to analogue) and the ability to watch and record with no VCR. The following year I brought myself a Topfield 5800 in replacement. That same Toppy is still better and more advanced than the horrendous Sky+ offering (to which I re-subscribed last year principally for HD and internet). I was shocked that the OS was the same, four years later. The Sky+ box is not intuitive to use - for one thing the buttons change their functionality on every page and there is no way to delete or re-organise channels so you're still stuck having to navigate swaths of channels that are un available. And the worst thing is that the box denies all functionality without a live Sky account - pathetic. My five+ year old Toppy is still going strong, can be upgraded with new hard disks and a wealth of programs which can be loaded onto the OS to add any feature you like (check out the 'MyStuff' app). Sadly there is not to be a HD version which is a crying shame, but last year I unplugged the Sky+ box after two months and joyfully went back to my Toppy. I never want to touch a Sky- remote again.
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