Moving from TiVo to V6

[Katreen80]

I am wondering if it's a good idea to now move from a TiVo box to a V6. This is because I'm finding trying to watch tennis on iPlayer incredibly frustrating as it keeps buffering and stopping/starting. I'm wondering if a newer V6 would stop this from happening?

I'm a long-term Virgin customer so I'm thinking moving to a V6 will not cost extra?

I have a long-term chronic illness which causes severe fatigue and brain fog. Just trying to word this message is extremely stressful and exhausting.

I'm worried about how difficult changing to a V6 will be.

Please whoever answers this: can you make your reply as straightforward as possible. Thanks!

[japitts · Accepted solution]

The short answer is that a V6 is unequivocally an upgrade from a TiVo. Indeed, all faulty TiVo's are now replaced with V6 as a matter of course, providing you have VM home broadband.

TiVo boxes & V6 boxes both run TiVo software, but the V6 is a much newer box - it's quicker, it's more capable, has more recording tuners, and runs more apps better than the TiVo.

You may be getting confused with a TV360 which runs different software and is fundamentally not TiVo. Whether that is an upgrade from a TiVo/V6 is open to discussion.

[Katreen80]

How do I go about getting a V6? Can I do it online or do I have to ring Virgin Customer Service?

[japitts]

You can request a box-swap via CS, but be very careful if they suggest a TV360 instead. It has many pros & cons, opinions vary wildly, but CS have a history of suggesting a swap with the description of it as an upgrade.

You've alluded to being a tennis fan, if you have Sky Sports tennis then you do have one point of differential between V6 & TV360. The Sky Sports multiscreen is currently only available on a TV360, but has been confirmed as coming to V6 "soon" - I would imagine in-time for the "Sky Sports Plus" launch in August.

If your TiVo has any service faults, it would be swapped with a V6 as a matter of course. Does it have any faults? If all else fails, VM staff should be along on this thread in a couple of days.

[Martin_N]

Hi Katreen80,

Thank you for your post. Do you still require asssitance with getting the V6 box?

^Martin

[Katreen80]

Hi Martin, I contacted Customer Service and they said it would be £40 to get a V6. I haven't pursued this at the moment as I can't afford it.

I'm still having issues watching tennis on iPlayer due to buffering/stopping, starting.  Does that mean I would be entitled to a free V6 replacement as it would be classed as a service fault?

[japitts]

---

@Katreen80 wrote:

I'm still having issues watching tennis on iPlayer due to buffering/stopping, starting.

---

Do you have any issues with other OnDemand services? These all use the same internet connection - does the heartbeat light on the front-left of your TiVo flash? That's a failed onboard modem and is a service fault.

[Katreen80]

No the heartbeat light doesn't flash. But there's frequent problems watching anything on iPlayer. I often have to reboot the system.  Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. I rarely watch anything on any other OnDemand services but I don't think there's issues with them as far as I can recall.

Does that mean that VM will say it's an issue with iPlayer and not the TiVo?

[Roger_Gooner]

Do you have VM's broadband? The V6 requires it and getting broadband as well means an 18-month contract.

[Katreen80]

Yes I have VM broadband.