Considering TV package - am I nuts?

Depends on how much compromise you are willing to make, but you can certainly pay much less if that is a consideration. 

Most smart TVs have an app for NOW TV, which gives you access to all SKY streamed programmes without paying every month to rent their hardware. 

You can record all Freeview programmes, for a one-off purchase of the excellent Manhattan T4-R box, assuming you have an aerial feed. 

I'm with jpeg1. I have a goodish offer from VM for "Mega" TV which seems to be posh Freeview with a bit of Sky Entertainment for £14/m with no setup fee. The thing is for the same money I can have standard Freeview via my aerial plus Disney +ads, Netflix+ads, and Discovery via the TV apps whilst using my 14 year old Humax box - all without the usual VM hassles. 

With an arrangement like this you can change you broadband provider as often as you like to get the best deal, without any effect on your TV equipment. It all carries on working just the same. 

Yes, I'm of the same ilk.  Freeview recording with Humax and other streaming platforms via Apple TV box.  I can dip in and out of streaming stuff as I please, totally without hassle.  Even better near to Xmas when the streaming services invariably offer cut price deals. 

Id still like to be able to record / store programmes rather than stream everything. Am I nuts for considering virgin for a TV package?

Not at all. In a world seemingly obsessed with "online" this & "smart" that, there are some major advantages with recording to a local hard drive that no amount of streaming will replicate.

If you want to record from mainly "freeview" channels, then your options are quite open - Freeview HDD recorders are plentiful. If you want to access pay-TV and/or premium-channels, then you'll need a VM recording box which means TV360.

I'll add my "not at all".

Make sure you know exactly which package and channels you want, as my experience of changing them with Virgin Media isn't great.

Also make sure you aren't selecting the Flex package with the Stream box, as that doesn't record.