Virgin Media intros digital TV service, set-top box
By Donald Melanson 
posted Apr 2nd 2007 1:35PM
posted Apr 2nd 2007 1:35PM
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.
Sigh. It's the Webplayer all over again.
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.
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...
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
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.
I can't wait to get a virgin box, how much might someone pay for a virgin box.
These seem to be pretty tight
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?
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.
Chris:
All Sky HD channels are 1080i, not 720p.
yeah- the states has 100's of mind-numbing, vacuous channels, full of sh*t, aimed at brain-dead morons who will watch anything so long as they dont have to think. Wow, when WE gonna get all those lovely channels? i cant wait to turn into a f*cking vegetable..
Richard Branson, stroke your beard in shame.
Do you know ntl have been doing this before the re brand. All this is is just a new box for it.
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.
Did someone say "virgin" and tight" in the same comment? :)