I have received an email "Your TV box needs a free update" which tells me that "from 23 July BBCiPlayer will no longer be supported". I don't want to change from a TIVO box to a TV360 box unless absolutely necessary.If I don't change I will loose access to BBC iPlayer. I am willing to loose BBC iPlayer but what other things will be lost if I don't change?I understand that if I do change I will need WiFi. Is that correct and would the router need to be on 24/7?

The TiVo box has already lost access to other features and content, and will continue to do so for the next couple of years. Anything new will only launch on 360 and Stream. If you are happy to remain on TiVo that is fine, you were contacted because you watch iPlayer. Just bear in mind that other features will continue to be removed as they become unsupported on this now 13 year old box.

Your TV box needs a free update | Virgin Media Community

36 Replies

japitts
Very Insightful Person
22 days ago
Sounds like the latest round in the TV360-promotions is about to start - ITV OnDemand has long since gone from TiVo, now iPlayer apparently being removed. To be fair the TiVo's are now 10+ years old, and antiques by current standards.
The glossy probably wont mention that TV360 is fundamentally a different OS/platform to TiVo, and that a V6 box runs on the same newer hardware as TV360, but uses the same TiVo-software as you're used to. So whether you decide
You are correct to presume that both V6 & TV360 boxes need a VM broadband connection to fully function, whereas the TiVo had this in-built. An Ethernet connection is always recommended, but reliable wireless can often suffice - and yes, this connection should be in-place 24/7/365
jpeg1
Alessandro Volta
22 days ago
Most modern 'smart' TVs have a built in app for BBC iPlayer. It uses the broadband but you control it with your TV controller.
nodrogd
Very Insightful Person
22 days ago
V6 & V360 boxes rely for everything but the TV channels via the internet connection. The internet also carries some red button content & the FAST channels in the 250 range. Trying to use the box with the internet turned off you will get pestered with error messages.
If you turn internet off at night the box will not receive guide, firmware & channel allocation updates, so may not work correctly the next day. It also can lead to random rebooting of the box at inconvenient times.
- roxeth
  On our wavelength
  15 days ago
  For clarification my understanding is that if I do nothing (i.e. keep the TIVO box going) the only thing which will happen is that I will loose BBC iPlayer. Is that correct?
  - BlueLou
    Virgin Media Staff
    4 days ago
    The TiVo box has already lost access to other features and content, and will continue to do so for the next couple of years. Anything new will only launch on 360 and Stream.
    
    If you are happy to remain on TiVo that is fine, you were contacted because you watch iPlayer. Just bear in mind that other features will continue to be removed as they become unsupported on this now 13 year old box.
japitts
Very Insightful Person
15 days ago
I've not seen the comms in question so can't be completely sure. And the TiVo is double-digit years old, it was never known for its speed but has long since been superceded in reliability terms. A V6 would certainly give a much better experience, or a TV360 if you understand the differences.
That said, yes - there are no current proposals to remove any other functionality.. if the promo only mentions iPlayer then that's all you'll lose.
Roger_Gooner
Alessandro Volta
15 days ago
Has VM stopped replacing failing TiVos with V6s?
- japitts
  Very Insightful Person
  15 days ago
  No. Standard process remains that faulty TiVo's are replaced with V6.
  You might get the odd rogue tech who "offers" a migration to TV360, but posts reporting that still seem sufficiently rare.
  - Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    15 days ago
    In that case if the OP already has VM's broadband then it's a no-brainer to upgrade to a V6.
Mr_K
Knows their stuff
8 days ago
In summary if you want to make sure you get a a V6 rather than 360 when trading in your Tivo old , report it as faulty. Its legitimate due to the slowness of the outdated box, and apps not working.
roxeth
On our wavelength
7 days ago
If both the V6 and 360 require an Internet connection to work properly what does VM offer to get around the Tivo not supporting BBCiPlayer issue?
- 1701-e
  Fibre optic
  4 days ago
  It's probably the BBC who will no longer support 15 year old technology.
oner1
On our wavelength
4 days ago
Hi. I am in the same boat and reacted to the email I received by requesting a TV360 box which I received promptly but have not set it up yet.
Can I check please - with the TV360 are TV channels still supplied by cable?
At present I can access iPlayer via the TIVO but it is incredibly slow probably down in part to the TIVO being outdated but also admittedly in part to the hub being on the top floor of a three storey house and the tv being on the ground floor - so some distance away. I can't see that improving by introducing the TV360 as long as the hub remains where it is.
I have been out of contract for a long time now and am paying far too much for the service I receive and am likely to be switching to SKY soon I think. So during the meantime it will be no great issue if the TV360 continues to provide access to iPlayer but with a struggle struggle.
My understanding is that machines recording TV programs are being phased out and soon most if not all TV will be supplied via the internet - is that correct? So the TV360 will itself soon become outdated.
Finally. If I do install the TV360 that I have been sent will Virgin want the TIVO back from me given now it seems to be considered obsolete? They've not asked for it to be returned. If not I can easily take it to the electricals section of the local tip.
- newapollo
  Very Insightful Person
  4 days ago
  Hi oner1,
  The live TV channels are still supplied via cable on the TV360. The 360 box will be around for a good while yet. You could always request for the hub to be moved to a more central/convenient point - the middle floor would seem the best compromise. It would cost £25 to do that work (it used to be £100)
  There are other additional apps available on the 360 compared to the old tivo box and they all run faster. The current list of apps on the 360 (July 7th 2025) is:- 5, Al Jazeera, A-Maze-ing Mac, Apple TV+, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds, Channel 4, Dance TV, DAZN, Deutsche Welle, Disney+, Fiit, Fireplace, Fishing TV, Fit at Home, France24, Hangman, ITVX, Mubi, Netflix, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Prime Video, QVC+, Radio Line, Rakuten, Solitaire Classic, Space Moodies, STV Player, Subscriptions, Tetris, U, VM Store, Wall Street Journal, World Poker Tour, You Tube.
  If you subscribe to Sky Sports then you will be able to access additional red button Sky Sports content streamed over the internet (so it cannot be recorded), that is not available on the tivo box see /the-edit/sky-sports-plus
  You will also find some additional channels accessible via the EPG on the 360 box that aren't available on the tivo box. These are called FAST channels (Free Ad Supported streaming TV)
  The picture below shows a quick comparison between the tivo/V6 and 360 boxes. As you will see the 360 is quicker, has more storage for recordings, has voice control etc.
  VM don't require you to return the tivo, you can however return it to VM if you wish, or to a local O2 store, or recycle it yourself. See the section titled Non-VM Media & Older Virgin Media equipment on the following page /return-or-recycle-equipment
- japitts
  Very Insightful Person
  3 days ago
  Can I check please - with the TV360 are TV channels still supplied by cable?
  V6 & TV360 are identical in connectivity requirements and how broadcast & OnDemand/streaming services are delivered. It's only the newer Stream boxes that carry everything over IP.
  The difference between the two is software & user-interface.
  At present I can access iPlayer via the TIVO but it is incredibly slow probably down in part to the TIVO being outdated but also admittedly in part to the hub being on the top floor of a three storey house and the tv being on the ground floor - so some distance away
  Your TiVo doesn't use your home-hub for internet-connectivity. It has an inbuilt cablemodem that takes the incoming co-ax and splits it into the TV broadcast, and a 10Mb/s broadband connection.
  V6 & TV360 don't have the cablemodem, they have either Ethernet or wireless connections.
Roger_Gooner
Alessandro Volta
4 days ago
The slowness of the TiVo has nothing to do with the hub as the TiVo does not use the hub for broadband. However a replacement of the TiVo with a V6 or 360 will require a network connection, and the best is an Ethernet cable. This cable can probably be run along the same path as the coaxial cable, and should be done before the box swap. I don't think VM does these long Ethernet cable runs, so DIY or get an electrician.
- oner1
  On our wavelength
  4 days ago
  Thanks. If not via the hub how does the TiVo receive its broadband reliant services? Like YouTube?
  - 1701-e
    Fibre optic
    4 days ago
    The old TiVo has it's own separate BB connection.
- nigelss
  Up to speed
  4 days ago
  I have a V6 box. No ethernet cable. It uses a 2G hub connection - from box network statistics signal strength is usually 80 - 85% with speed around 150Mbps. I also tried 5G but signal strength was much lower at 38 - 40% with speed around 175 to 190Mbps. Network-based content (iPlayer, apps etc) worked absolutely fine with both. I decided to stick with 2G for the box because of the signal strength and use 5G for 'puter etc.
  - Adduxi
    Very Insightful Person
    4 days ago
    Yes, I believe 4K TV only needs around 25Mb to work. Personally I have my kit all wired where possible.
- oner1
  On our wavelength
  3 days ago
  Thanks Roger_Gooner.
  Hope you can bare with me asking very basic questions. The ethernet cable you mention is to run from the hub to the 360 box? Is that right?
  The coaxial cable? Is that not the cable Virgin has run into the house to supply TV channel connection? Currently to my TIVO box.
  If I have that right I am a bit puzzled at the suggestion to run the two cables along the same path as they come from different places entirely in my case.
  Would be grateful if you could confirm particularly what you mean by the coaxial cable.
  Apologies for my ignorance!
  - Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    3 days ago
    OK, let's discuss basics. All of VM's broadcast TV (like BBC, ITV, etc), broadband, all apps (like BBC iplayer, ITVX) and VM's own video on demand are carried by coaxial cable to each premise on VM's legacy HFC network like yours. Most landline calls are now also carried by coaxial cable as they've been migrated from phone lines. (In this context I'm referring to the drop coaxial cable from the street cabinet as it's not all coaxial cable upstream of the cabinet and in some cases it's fibre to the premise carrying the same services, but that's another huge subject and not relevant here.)
    The cable connects to the hubs and TV boxes like your TiVo. Should you migrate to a V6 or a 360 you'll find vastly better performance and there's another difference: these boxes have to rely on the hub for a network connection (unlike your TiVo) and the best connection is always wired - hence my suggestion of running an Ethernet cable from the hub to the box. Sometimes a powerline connection can work but cannot be relied on. I don't think you should rely on WiFi as in my experience the V6 and 360 only work well if there is a strong WiFi signal - which you won't get from the hub.
    There's another benefit to running that Ethernet cable: you can connect a wireless access point (WAP) to provide WiFi for your mobile devices on the ground floor. Some people baulk at running this cable but it's a one-off expense and if I had to do it I'd bring my electrician in.
Adduxi
Very Insightful Person
4 days ago
Interesting that the 360 comparison chart does not list the TiVo features that the 360 lacks…
- Tavis75
  Super solver
  4 days ago
  Interesting that the 360 comparison chart does not list the TiVo features that the 360 lacks…
  Yes, it's almost like they've left those out on purpose...
  Even the things that are there are a little misleading, like storage listed as 1TB for both V6 and 360, which is true for one box, but obviously the V6 is 1TB per box, the 360 is 1TB total. "Startover" is also available on the V6 in the right circumstances (one of the tuners on the channel), which is the same for the 360, which also only has it available in some circumstances (plus of course, because it's just catch up, you could just go the app on the V6 anyway and watch from the start).
- Mr_K
  Knows their stuff
  4 days ago
  Don't worry here is a list of the features missing on the 360, that are on the V6. You won't find this VMs site..
  Wishlists
  undelete
  series link+
  series link manager
  suggestions
  skip-back on fast-forward
  quickview
  default recording options
  cancelling individual recordings from a series link
  multi-channel series links
  allowing recording of radio
  separation of recordings between boxes
  watching recordings when internet is not available
  a lot of programme info on the epg
  - oner1
    On our wavelength
    3 days ago
    Hi Mr_K.
    Thanks for the list of features missing on the 360 that are on the V6. I notice amongst them "watching recordings when internet is not available".
    Does this mean that with the 360 the internet needs to be available in order to watch any recordings? And if so that it has to be a strong signal?
    If it is the case that the internet needs to be available I would be interested to know why. Pardon my ignorance but I had got it into my head that "recorded" programs are stored in some way on a drive of some kind in the machine itself. Would be interested in an explanation of what actually happens in as plain English/layman's terms as allows.
    Many thanks.