Virgin launches TV Anywhere streaming Virgin Media has launched TV Anywhere, a service which lets its cable telly subscribers view content on a laptop, tablet or smartphone over a Wi-Fi connection. Depending on a user's Virgin package, the service - similar to Sky Go and BBC iPlayer - provides streams of up to 45 channels and 4000 hours of on-demand content. As …
So when the cable connection goes down you'll lose your internet, TV and now you can also lose TV Anywhere as it requires your wifi connection to be working?
The main thing stopping me getting TV from Virgin is the fact that it must be awful to be in a house to have no TV or internet. At least when my internet fails I can watch TV right now.
Then you probably haven't used Virgin a lot.
The cable services are pretty independent. Sure, if you lose Internet you lose some of the VoD but generally the two operate (and fail) independently, even if run over the same cable to the local cabinet. I have lost precisely one VoD movie in 4 years (and they refunded and re-ran it for me) and not had 2-3 hours of Internet outage in total.
Plus, if you're that worried, don't take the Internet part. Take the TV package, combine it with your normal ADSL connection, viola. Still stream because you're a TV subscriber, still have (in your eyes) reliable Internet. And still be able to stream inside your own house even (the point of this service, like Sky Go, is that you can watch your Virgin TV anywhere there's Internet).
But, to be honest, the only company I've seen rival Virgin's connection for me was actually PlusNet, pre-BT takeover. And that's saying something, because PlusNet were fabulous and I think I used their free "fallback to modem" thing once or twice in ten years.
- A happy SuperHub user (in modem mode, obviously, because I'm not going to *ASK* for trouble).
100% agreement with Lee here. Generally if the internet breaks, your TV service will be fine. If the internet breaks, it usually means VOD breaks too as it loses the return path. More bizarrely, we've had our Virgin phone service lost in the past (vandalism to street cab) but the TV & Internet carried on working fine anyway.
"The cable services are pretty independent. Sure, if you lose Internet you lose some of the VoD but generally the two operate (and fail) independently, even if run over the same cable to the local cabinet."
Hmm. I don't think I've ever had one fail without the other. Whenever one goes down for me, they both do. (ooer, missus).
Admitedly, it doesn't happen often (and when it does it's always when it's least convenient, obviously) but it's always been both together.
"The main thing stopping me getting TV from Virgin is the fact that it must be awful to be in a house to have no TV or internet. At least when my internet fails I can watch TV right now."
What would you do in a power cut? (Serious question)
Also, if you're using Freeview (you don't say if you are) you can keep the Freeview (and probably Sky equipment with free channels) connected as a backup is going without would cause you that much pain.
"What would you do in a power cut? (Serious question)"
WTF? In a power outage your biggest concern would be TV and Internet? Good grief. Someone has their priorities the wrong way round. In such a situation the steps are as follows:
1) Secure your property (lock all windows etc)
2) Proceed to nearest pub that has power.
What would you do in a power cut? (Serious question)"
Lots of replies to this question which just go to reinforce the stereotype image of the young nerdy geek.
Obviously none of you are old enough to remember the 3 day week, power cuts, winter of discontent etc. and the blip in the population figures 9 months later. Jeez guys, get a wife!! (not necessarily your own)
I wonder what has happened to the PC software which allows you to upload and download to a Tivo hard drive, and to watch Tivo programs on a PC.
I know this software is available in the USA, but Virgin have been very quiet about this functionality here in the UK.
Has anyone heard any further news about this software?
...now I'm bored. I work away a lot so this seemed like the answer to my prayers.
However, it won't register my laptop (On both IE9 and Chrome - in fact, it warns me Chrome is unsupported), Android isn't ready and besides which I can only register a maximum of 2 devices. I think I can set my fiancée up with her account, but even so, 2 devices per person is just stingy nowadays. We already have 5 regularly used devices between us (Laptop each, phone each and she has an iPad) and I was hoping to treat myself to a tablet at some point.
And if it's anything like SkyGo or iPlayer, depending on how far you work away (ie outside a UK IP address) then it may not work anyway, at least without a UK VPN or other such IP tomfoolery.
At least iPlayer has its desktop version for downloading and offline usage, albeit with having to remember to stick all the stuff on your HD before you go a-wandering...
According to their site (and I quote): "All you need is a PC or Mac, laptop, iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch..."
Well there's the first alarm bell, a Mac is PC or a laptop and when they say "PC" they really mean "a computer running Windows". Nice.
At least the stupid OS-block is gone and it at least lets me log in and even list the show. But work? Nah. No worky-worky, fails at "Detecting device, please wait". And how hard is it to "detect"? The information is in the User Agent FFS! All rather odd as iPlayer is just a Flash app and that works perfectly (as doe Demand 5, 4od etc). So there is no real reason why it couldn't work on GNU/Linux and it's Virgin (and maybe Sky?) that seems to be screwing this up.
Runs nicely with the OS-block by-pass trick though (VM Forums post).
" lets its cable telly subscribers view content on a laptop, tablet or smartphone"
Erm, not so broad a scope. Google chrome has the biggest market share for browsers....not supported by VM TV Anywhere. Android has 75% of smart phone market under its belt....Android not supported.
Not to mention the live streams do not actually work, or the fact most customers have problems streaming youtube or anything else anyway.
When VM say they will do something in 2013, it is guaranteed it will be December 2013 or March 2014 after a few moved dates. Upload Speed increase took over 18 months for some customers to get, double speed is going to be a year or more late for some customers. Don't hold your breath for VM to get TV anywhere right and on time.
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