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Virgin Media suffers three hour outage days after announcing super-fast broadband
Less than a week after announcing it would double customers broadband speeds nationwide, Virgin Media suffered a nationwide blackout that sent the network dark for most of Tuesday evening. At 5:00, the service dropped after router hardware decided it couldn't go on streaming the same episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show to the nation. The company admitted to the fault and service was restored by 8:00pm. Had it been smarter, it could have gotten away with passing the whole thing off as a SOPA protest, but we admire Virgin's honesty -- even if it did lead to the brilliant comment on Twitter pictured above.
Virgin Media to double broadband speeds this year, BT smirks
Virgin Media customers are in for a big treat today, because the UK-based ISP has just announced plans to double the average speed of its broadband service. Over the course of the next 18 months, top speeds will increase from 100 Mbps to 120Mbps, as part of a £110 million ($169 million) initiative. Users on 10Mbps, 20Mbps and 50Mbps plans, meanwhile, will see their speeds and bandwidth usage limits doubled, at no extra charge. The upgrade is slated to begin rolling out in February, and should be complete by the middle of next year. Competing company BT, meanwhile, was quick to point out the similarity between Virgin Media's new campaign and its own upgrade. "It is no surprise to see that Virgin are following our lead by doubling speeds," BT said in a statement. "We announced we would do this for our fiber products last autumn and so they are trying to catch up with us."
Virgin Media's TiVos get updated with Spotify, iOS app support and more
Over in the UK, Virgin Media has given a lucky few (3,500 or so) access to a pilot update for their TiVo DVRs that adds many of the features we'd heard were on the way, plus some extras. Word out of Crawley and Cambridge is that multiroom streaming is enabled, there's faster performance and an official community post mentions compatibility with TiVo's iOS apps, BBC iPlayer integration and music streaming from Spotify. A wider rollout is expected before Christmas, for a full list of changes check out the links below.
Virgin Media to roll out free WiFi in London, bums with iPads rejoice
Fancy some free municipal WiFi, London? Yeah, we know, the service has been promised several times before, but that's not stopping Virgin Media from giving it the ol' college try. In his address to investors, CEO Neil Berkett announced plans to piggyback the gratis service on its existing cable backhaul "in the not too distant future," shoring up the gap left by operators' unreliable 3G coverage. Seems the media conglomerate's cable network runs mostly idle during the day -- a fact revealed during last week's earnings call -- and with only four percent market share, Virgin could certainly handle the extra traffic. The move is a straight shot at BT's similar, albeit partially free offering, and would provide download speeds of 0.5Mbps to the general public, with the truly blazing 10Mbps reserved for the company's own internet subscribers. But don't expect this business extension to break Virgin's bank, costing only a "few million pounds," this free-of-charge WiFi network's just a drop in its two tonne bucket. All that's left is a few permissive nods from the city's councils and you Londoners can keep up with the latest TOWIE drama wherever you go.
Virgin Media testing 1.5Gbps internet for lucky Londonites
Jealous of Comcast customers with their 105Mbps cable hook ups or those lucky residents of the Kansas cities relishing in Google's 1Gbps service? Well add Londonites to the list of people that drive you to indulging in one of the seven deadly sins. Virgin Media has finally started testing its DOCSIS2-powered 1.5Gbps network in the heart of merry ol' England. Right now it's being enjoyed by a group of test sites around Old Street that also get a 150Mbps upload connection. Virgin claims it's the fastest broadband in the world, which may be true if you're not counting lab experiments. The really good news is that it's based on the same tech already delivering 100Mbps to residents across the country so, if the trial goes well, it should be trivial to deliver these mind numbing speeds to the rest of its customers. PR after the break.
Virgin Media TiVo gets an iOS app, adds BBC iPlayer catch-up streams
The Virgin Media TiVo isn't done adding new features, as a staff member revealed that starting today the box has access to catch-up content from BBC's iPlayer. That comes just a few days after it followed up the launch of an Android remote DVR scheduling app with one for the iPhone, so some of the predictions we'd heard earlier may be coming true. The iPlayer links should be live now, hit the source link to grab the app from iTunes.
Spotify partners with Virgin Media to stream music to UK TVs, smartphones
Spotify, the Rhapsody of Europe, may still be an unfamiliar brand stateside, but the service just inked a deal with Virgin Media to bring streaming music to Virgin's broadband customers, set-top boxes, and mobile phones in the UK. The deal will bundle Unlimited (£4.99) or Premium (£9.99) monthly Spotify tiers, at to-be-determined discounted rates, allowing new and existing subscribers to access millions of tracks from any of their compatible home and mobile devices. Open (free) Spotify customers will reportedly need to upgrade to a paid version, but only to access the service on Virgin's set-top boxes, we presume -- don't expect to see a blanket ban on all devices. Until pricing is announced, the partnership appears to be more of a win for Spotify than for customers, who will still need to pay up before rockin' out, but set-top integration is likely to be a boon with digital TV subscribers, letting them bring those infamous Euro house music raves to an actual house.
Virgin Media TiVo's iPad remote app pictured
We'd heard that an iPad remote control app for Virgin Media TiVo DVRs in the UK is on the way, and now the TV provider has sent this screenshot to TechRadar. It looks pretty similar to the TiVo Premiere iPad app here in the US if it got a bit of red on it, and should probably be able to function similarly, controlling whatever units are in the house, browsing listings and searching available VOD. There's no details yet on when it will be available or specific features but it certainly appears to be deep into production so we'd wager it shows up some time before the DirecTiVo. Stateside, the only relevant update we have is that the 14.8 update is rolling out across the country for RCN subscribers and should bring iPad support to their boxes as well.
500GB Virgin Media 'baby' TiVo available for preorders
Existing Virgin Media customers can preorder a 500GB version of its TiVo-based DVR now for a mere £49.95 (compared to £149.95 for the 1TB). The boxes are expected to ship in July and as The Virgin Media TiVo Blog notes, these are also available to customers with M+ and L service packages, while the 1TB model is only available with XL service. This is the latest step in Virgin Media expanding TiVo across all of its offerings, just relax and go with it.
Virgin Media TiVo updates to include multiroom, iPad/iPhone apps and more
Wondering what's next for Virgin Media's TiVo? Other than the upcoming 500GB model, The Virgin Media TiVo Blog points out a Q&A-style post on TiVo Community indicating users can expect functionality , multiroom streaming, apps for iOS and an end to the current blackout of Sky channels while viewing them in the guide. It also claims the VHD boxes will be able to become hard driveless TiVo boxes, although there may be a fee for the upgrade, while interactive red button functionality is also expected to expand with Sky Sports arriving late 2011/early 2012 and apps for the 2012 Olympics. Hit the source link for all of the info and to put in a few questions of your own if you're so inclined.
Virgin Media to test 1.5Gbps broadband on London's Silicon Roundabout
Just last week we reported on Fujitsu's plans to get in on the gigabit broadband game, and now Virgin Media is taking things a step further by announcing its intention to test internet speeds up to 1.5Gbps in east London. The trial, which plans to deliver upload speeds of 150Mbps, uses a similar fiber optic setup as the one employed by Fujitsu, and targets multimedia companies near the junction of the city's Old Street and City Road, also referred to as the Silicon Roundabout. These tests have been made possible by a £13 billion investment from Virgin Media. If this thing pans out, it looks like Google might have some catching up to do. Full PR after the break.
Fujitsu to build 1Gbps fiber optic broadband network in the UK, but needs BT to play fair first
Good news for anyone feeling left behind by the broadband revolution just because of their post code: Fujitsu has just announced a joint venture to deliver fiber optic connectivity to neglected rural homes in the UK. Built on hardware provided by Cisco and supported by Virgin Media and TalkTalk, this network will focus on channeling fiber directly to the home, which is said to provide symmetrical 1Gbps bandwidth with up to 10Gbps speeds considered possible down the line. Best news of all, perhaps, is that the cabling will be available on a wholesale basis to all ISPs, not just the ones involved in the project, so the UK may finally get a decent taste of what competition in the internet service space feels like. Alas, there's a key line in the press release that notes the new venture is dependent on BT providing "access to its underground ducts and telegraph poles on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms," which it apparently isn't doing at the moment. Ah well, we're sure they'll sort things out like the mature professionals that they are. Full PR after the break.
Virgin confirms 'baby TiVo,' expects 500GB model to become the new standard DVR
Richard Branson apparently wasn't kidding about how much he loved Virgin Media's new TiVo-powered DVRs, as the company revealed this week it will start offering a cheaper model with a 500GB hard drive to all of its customers, differing from the original which is only available to those with the XL package of channels. We can expect the "baby TiVo" -- aside from the HDD space, it is similar to the original in all respects including the three tuner capability -- to start shipping for existing customers May 16th. The up front pricing has been slashed, at just £49.95 (plus installation) while TechRadar mentions the price of the 1TB will be reduced to £149.95 for existing customers with preorders, or £199.95 for new customers but with the £40 installation fee waived.The existing V+ HD service isn't going away immediately, but it seems like the TiVo will have more features for the same price, but we'll wait to hear if our UK readers find the experience worthwhile.
BBC expands iPlayer support on TiVo, Popcorn Hour and Freeview HD devices
The BBC has a few updates to share about its iPlayer service -- no, nothing yet about the international rollout that's due later this year -- as it has recently become available on even more devices. That includes living room connected entertainment options that support HTML and Flash like the Virgin Media TiVo, Popcorn Hour players from Syabas, and new HDTVs from Panasonic and Sony. Other areas of increased availability include users with BT Vision set-top boxes and Freeview HD users; the latter thanks to a recent spec update that supports the MHEG-5 standard the app is built upon. Now it operates just like other Red Button interactive TV services, and the first device shipping with support is a Freeview+ HD DVR from Sony (as seen above.) It doesn't look like the Where to Get BBC iPlayer page has been updated with all the new devices yet, but it should be sooner rather than later, although we're still wondering when the Xbox 360 will join the crowd.
Is Virgin Media planning a cheaper, 500GB TiVo?
It appears Virgin Media may be ready to follow up its initial TiVo product with a cheaper version very soon. Just like the TiVo Premiere and XL here in the US, the current model has a 1TB hard drive while forum posts indicate a 500GB "baby TiVo" model could be announced next week and arrive in late spring. We'll wait for some official word before knitting lil' TiVo booties, but if the current asking price for the Virgin Media TiVo -- which recently added BBC iPlayer catch-up support to its list of features -- is just too much for you to take the leap, the situation could take a turn for the better shortly.
Virgin Media TiVo issued second update in a week, but is it getting better or worse?
Just that fast, the Virgin Media TiVo has received another software update, apparently to address a few UI and reliability issues. That comes within a week of the patch that turned on the unit's third TV tuner, and update that the Virgin Media TiVo Blog has published the full changelog for, noting several other fixes built in including being quicker to restore TV service after a reboot, working trailers for movies, and other issues. A few responses in the TiVo Community thread note lockups after the most recent update, users should give it a look and let us know if things are headed in the right direction.
Virgin Media enables the third tuner on its TiVo DVR
Overnight, Virgin Media has pushed upgrade to users of its TiVo box enabling the third tuner, which had lain dormant since they started shipping at the end of last year. Digital Spy points out that the next step is delivering new apps to the box, while Virgin Media is reportedly also considering upping the speed of the internal cable modem from 10Mbps to 20 Mbps. There's no word on whether or not this update has taken care of any other niggling issues users have noticed and as our friend Dave Zatz mentions, we're all waiting for the day the software is able to actually take advantage of the dual-core processor housed in the TiVo Premiere. Update: The Virgin Media TiVo Blog also mentions the algorithm for calculating recording space has been updated, while the hard drive didn't get any bigger, it's gone from reporting 325 hours of SD and 99 hours of HD recording space available to 477 and 121 hours, respectively.
Series1 TiVo service in the UK comes to an end June 1st
We're not going to count this on the deathwatch, but anyone still rocking a Series1 TiVo DVR (remember those? They needed something called a "land line" to dial in for updates) in the land of BBC, crumpets and the Royal Family has received word that come June 1st, they'll need to use another DVR. Those living in Virgin Media cable areas may have some kind of upgrade option to the new triple tuner beast, but we're thinking that after this long it's tough to say goodbye to a box that's served them for so long, especially after the indignity of losing programming suggestions a few years back. But for those who shelled out for a "lifetime" TiVo package, we're sure the question will be, is 10 years long enough? Check out the original demo video ZatzNotFunny dug up after the break and remember better times for the old set-top box, when the ability to set up a "season pass" was a completely new concept and the idea of people still using boxes that couldn't receive HD wasn't incredibly sad.
Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo is official, coming soon with 1TB HDD, 3 tuners
Say hello to the new Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo, a device that while "inspired" by the Premiere is much more than just the same old box with new stickers. Set to debut in the UK in mid-December, it packs a 1TB HDD, but trumps TiVo's previous efforts by promising a third tuner (to be enabled by a software update in 2011), an internal cable modem for downloading without cutting into your existing broadband speed and ties into catch-up TV just in case you forget to DVR something. While the box itself has a slick new design, the traditional peanut remote hasn't changed and neither have the menus as seen by these screenshots. Interested parties should squirrel away £199 (plus £40 for installation and £26.50 for the XL TiVo package) and hit the source link to queue for purchase.
The Engadget Interview: Sir Richard Branson on Project and the iPad
So we were lucky enough to sit down with Sir Richard Branson at this morning's launch of his iPad-only Project magazine, and just like the last time we hung out, our conversation was both entertaining and illuminating. The highlight? In addition to telling us that Project would eventually hit both Android tablets and other devices "in time," Sir Richard was totally candid in saying that he had "no f**king idea why" Project was only on the iPad and not on the web -- although he did say Project was a "proper magazine" and not "just thrown together for the web." (Ouch.) Sir Richard was also excited about the possibilities for advertising, saying that the new medium can "bring advertising alive." We've definitely got our doubts about limiting content to one platform without any robust sharing options -- and we obviously think it's possible to do high-quality content on the web -- but there's no doubt that Sir Richard is an extremely charming pitchman, so make sure to check out the whole interview.