The Virgin Media V+ box can be connected to an HD TV set to provide high-definition on-demand content, as well as live HD. Now that Virgin Media owns Telewest and NTL, they are able to offer the V+ box to any of their cable TV customers.
The box is a Personal Video Recorder, using a hard-disk to record up to 80 hours of TV shows. Like Sky’s Sky+ recorder, the Virgin V+ box supports pausing of live TV, series link and an advanced onscreen programme guide. Installation of the V+ box costs £99. There’s no purchase cost for the V+ box. There’s a monthly subscription for the V+ service (£5 a month, or free if you’re on the XL TV package). A 12 month minimum contract applies.
Watch all your favourite programmes in glorious HD. Living HD brings the likes of Ghost Whisperer, Private Practice and CSI to life in your living room. FX HD offers a mixture of top American shows, MTVN HD is great for music and National Geographic HD shows stunning documentaries. Watch the best sport and soap action on ESPN HD and Channel 4 HD. And you can now enjoy the best of BBC HD with the new HD BBC iPlayer, or check out TV Choice On Demand for more HD action.
Similar to Sky Plus or SkyHD in many ways, the V Plus Box has a 160GB hard disk, HDMI output, component video, two RGB Scarts, stereo audio outputs, RF in and out and an optical audio output for surround sound duties. There’s also an Ethernet port for broadband, a service-only USB and a Serial ATA for any future external expansion of the hard-disk capacity.
A great remote control that’s almost as good as Sky’s helps navigate the potentially confusing platform. Controlling the volume of most TVs, the remote also gives one-button access to your library of recordings on the hard disk. But while scanning through the EPG to find programmes to record works easily enough, some functions can be frustratingly slow.
It’s that extra TV tuner and a truly vast library of on-demand material in standard definition that sets it apart from Sky, as well as its ability to record two channels while watching a third.
Archiving recordings is also a cinch. Just set up a playlist and add what you want to export (the box tells you how many minutes each recording will take up), then connect a DVD recorder.
Shown in both 720p and 1080i formats, hi-def content looks fantastic with vivid colours and sharp, precise details particularly on the BBC HD stuff. The V Plus box also deals in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, which proves useful for some of the BBC HD material.
The Virgin service is restricted to those living in cabled areas at present, although there are plans to do an IPTV service to non-cabled areas next year – but it’s unlikely to offer the hi-def element. Fans of Sky’s sports channels in any quality should look elsewhere.
