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VirgiUser's avatar
VirgiUser
Just joined
5 hours ago

Virgin 360 is appalling

I’ve just submitted this as a complaint and I’m copying my complaint here. I wish I’d read these reviews before I upgraded. It looks like I’m not the only one.

I called three weeks ago to report a minor fault on my TiVo box. I was advised “you need to upgrade to Virgin 360“. Your technician advised me with all confidence, “It’s much better, it’s quicker, you’ll have much more facilities than you have on the V6 system.” I did as I was advised. He was lying through his teeth.

Virgin 360 is absolutely atrocious. Far worse than the V6 system I’ve enjoyed for 10-15 years. Far worse in every respect. The only benefit it gives me a occasionally being able to log onto other TV channels such as iPlayer and ITV X, which is of no use to me because I can do that from my smart TV.

Let me list for you the way in which it is abysmal.
It fails to record programs which I have set.
It records a program but only records half of it.
It records a completely different program to the one I’ve set, (I was actually watching a TV program late night, pressed record and went to bed, and when I got up the next morning it had recorded something completely different.)
Frequently, very often, when I go to play a show I have recorded and which is showing in my recordings I get an error message, saying the show cannot be played. This happens a lot.
When I login into iPlayer, next time I go to iPlayer, it wants me to login with a QR code all over again. This has happened to me several times in one week. Logging straight back in is about 50% effective.
Numerous programs and channels showing in the TV Guide, I can no longer record. That never happened under  V6.
In addition, there are all those facilities I used to have that are no longer available. I used to be able to:
Pause and go forward in slow motion
Pause and go forward a frame at a time. (Useful watching sport).
Go forward on record recordings or paused TV 15 minutes at a time. 
Watch at accelerated speed with Sound.
Fast forward and when I press pause, it would jump back slightly so I hadn’t overshot what I was looking for.
Move the TV guide forward in two hour blocks.
Revert to the previous channel I was watching, with one click of a dedicated button.
Subdivide my recordings into movies only, or partially watched.
Recover recordings which I had deleted recently.
And the remote control had dedicated buttons for, “info“, “subtitles,“ “my recordings”

Overall, the previous V6 system apart from one or two minor issues, was flexible, user friendly and extremely robust. In contrast the 360 system is inflexible, flaky, falling apart, not user friendly, not enjoyable to use at all. Absolutely F@@@ useless. 

Apps
remote
TV 360
Upgrade
V6

6 Replies

  • VirgiUser's avatar
    VirgiUser
    Just joined
    5 hours ago

    My Virgin contract ends in a couple of months. If anyone’s got any recommendations for an alternative provider with a better system than this, please let me know. I’ve been with Virgin for decades but I won’t be staying. 

    • nodrogd's avatar
      nodrogd
      Very Insightful Person
      2 hours ago

       

      VirgiUser wrote:

      My Virgin contract ends in a couple of months. If anyone’s got any recommendations for an alternative provider with a better system than this, please let me know. I’ve been with Virgin for decades but I won’t be staying.

      If you want to record Pay TV channels, there is not much choice. Sky Q is a Virgin V360 equivalent, & has many of the same downsides. Sky, in common with Virgin is also pushing toward streaming only boxes. Two reasons. Demand (75% of people no longer want to record), & network upgrades that no longer support broadcast receivers (i.e moving from copper coax distribution to full fibre IPTV). EE TV do still do a hybrid Freeview/IP recording box but it is unlikely this will be sold for much longer. Freeview & Freesat recorders are still available if you don't want to record pay channels. You can then add something like NOW TV streaming for Sky channels.

  • roy247's avatar
    roy247
    Hero
    4 hours ago


    It records a completely different program to the one I’ve set, (I was actually watching a TV program late night, pressed record and went to bed, and when I got up the next morning it had recorded something completely different.)

    "If the programme was repeated the 360 software will make a complete recording of the programme you were watching as opposed to having a partial recording."

    When I login into iPlayer, next time I go to iPlayer, it wants me to login with a QR code all over again. This has happened to me several times in one week. Logging straight back in is about 50% effective.

    "If the box is set to fast start or active start and not switched off at the plug this shouldn't happen and might be an indication of an old V6 box that hasn't taken well to the 360 update, a fairly common problem"

    In addition, there are all those facilities I used to have that are no longer available. I used to be able to:
    Pause and go forward in slow motion

    "Press the pause button and then the >> button next to the pause button"

    Go forward on record recordings or paused TV 15 minutes at a time. 

    "You can use voice control and say back or forward 15 minutes"

    Watch at accelerated speed with Sound.

    "That is a TiVo patented feature and the only one I miss."


    Fast forward and when I press pause, it would jump back slightly so I hadn’t overshot what I was looking for.

    "Another TiVo patented feature.


    Move the TV guide forward in two hour blocks.

    "Pressing the > button next to the OK button seems to move it on 2 hour's"

    Revert to the previous channel I was watching, with one click of a dedicated button.

    "Pressing the TV button to the right of the Home button does this, unlike the V6 the 360 doesn't buffer the last channel so you can't keep switching between the 2 and rewind unless you set them to record and then rewind.

    Subdivide my recordings into movies only, or partially watched.
    Recover recordings which I had deleted recently.

    "No undelete option available and will never arrive due to the way the software works, physical recording on the box and the info on Virgin's servers, been asked for years."

    And the remote control had dedicated buttons for, “info“, “subtitles,“ “my recordings”

    "For info press the '...' button you can also use this to turn subtitles on and off if available, you can also use voice control and say subtitles on/off and say recordings to take you to your recordings.