Virgin Media intros digital TV service, set-top box

It looks like Virgin is trying to pry folks in the U.K. away from their tried and true Freeview digital TV service, today announcing its own competing over-the-air service and set-top box. Opting for Virgin's offering will net you 40 TV channels and 15 radio stations, along with Virgin's on-screen programming guide, as well as the company's pint-sized VBox set-top box. While Virgin is touting both the box and service as "free," that's only the case if you also subscribe to Virgin's broadband/phone bundle, with the TV service apparently not available on its own (free or otherwise).

Update: As some of you have pointed out, it turns out that Virgin's much-ballyhooed service is actually nothing more than the standard Freeview service, with the free set-top box and Virgin-branded programming guide the only things distinguishing it from what's already widely available.

[David @ Apr 2nd 2007 1:45PM]

Sigh. It's the Webplayer all over again.

[bam @ Apr 2nd 2007 1:50PM]

It's not a competing service to freeview at all.. it is Freeview.
See the page they have on it here: http://www.virgin.net/allyours/digitaltv/whatis/
It's just a virgin media branded standard freeview receiver, nothing special at all.

[Jez @ Apr 2nd 2007 1:53PM]

So does this mean that people who was with NTL and had the Smasung topbox getting this lil box now? I'm just confused :S

[Sade @ Apr 2nd 2007 2:07PM]

From the url Bam posted you can see that it's for new customers who sign up to a bundle of telephone and internet, they then get the choice between getting a wireless kit or this, for free.

[Alex Oughton @ Apr 2nd 2007 2:01PM]

They're not trying to "pry" anyone away from Freeview at all.

This *IS* Freeview. It's the same set of channels, from the same transmitters, pumping out the same signals.

They're just giving their customers a free set-top box. That's all. It's still Freeview they're pushing...

[Jesse @ Apr 2nd 2007 2:22PM]

I can't wait to get a virgin box, how much might someone pay for a virgin box.

These seem to be pretty tight

[chris @ Apr 2nd 2007 3:15PM]

The UK sucks hard for TV. Unlike America with their hundreds of HD channels, all we get is measily 720 shit from sky.

why are we 5 years behind?

[Uchendu Nwachukwu @ Apr 2nd 2007 3:51PM]

Hundreds of HD channels in the US? Hardly. The average US TV viewer would be lucky to have access to a dozen HD channels, and that's with the most expensive packages offered by cable.

The only exception is Dish Network, which offers two-dozen HD channels, half of which are crap.

Check back in a year, though, because that's when several mainstream channels are scheduled to go HD.

[Alex Oughton @ Apr 2nd 2007 4:59PM]

Chris:

All Sky HD channels are 1080i, not 720p.

[S. Brown @ Apr 2nd 2007 3:39PM]

Richard Branson, stroke your beard in shame.

[Owen @ Apr 2nd 2007 3:57PM]

Do you know ntl have been doing this before the re brand. All this is is just a new box for it.

[chris @ Apr 2nd 2007 4:42PM]

Average TV viewer in UK would be lucky to have freeview... ;)

Plus its spendy - box fee + installation fee + channels monthly bill + (half dozen or so ;))hd channels extra bill. Ive not done any research into this but i have a hunch that in the US its a damn site cheaper too.

[Nick @ Apr 3rd 2007 12:24PM]

Did someone say "virgin" and tight" in the same comment? :)