Virgin Media Community

[Rillington]

The biggest annoyance re Virgin Media is that i am unable to access Amazon prime due to me being a TV-only customer with a Tivo box and i do not understand why Amazon Prime is not provided for customers with Tivo boxes. Does anyone know why this is a case or is it just a business decision to downgrade the VM offer for TV only customers?

[newapollo]

Hi @Rillington 

The TIVO box is old and clunky compared to the newer boxes and doesn't really have the memory or computing power to process the apps.

The newer digital boxes have completely replaced older modem boxes such as TIVO now. The newer devices are faster and have more recording tuners, better quality imaging including 4K which the TIVO isn't capable of receiving. (If you use netflix on your TIVO you will find it's restricted in regards to viewing 4K titles.)

It also now obsolete in VM's eyes and they have recently taken the decison to stop taking on any new TV only customers, although existing legacy TiVo boxes can continue to use them as they do today.

You could upgrade to one of the newer boxes which include Amazon Prime and other apps which aren't available on the TIVO boxes if you take out a broadband connection with VM.

[japitts]

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@Rillington wrote:

Does anyone know why this is a case or is it just a business decision to downgrade the VM offer for TV only customers?

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The reply above, has covered most of the obvious, but I would pickup on your point about downgrading the service. To the best of my recollection, TiVo has never had any apps removed, and Prime has never been available. So it's not so much downgrading anything, as the fact that technology moves on and TiVo's are - fundamentally - old boxes.

There's no way of sugar-coating that, if you want to avail yourself of the newer V6 or 360 box that comes with much more capable hardware, then you will need to have a VM broadband connection. And before you ask, that's certainly a technical restriction although it's entirely possible an element of policy could feature.

[Roger_Gooner]

VM's owner Liberty Global will not be paying licence fees to TiVo forever, so within a few years you must expect to be forcibly migrated to the 360.

[japitts]

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@Roger_Gooner wrote:

VM's owner Liberty Global will not be paying licence fees to TiVo forever, so within a few years you must expect to be forcibly migrated to the 360.

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Regardless of any TiVo-licencing conditions, the OP will have the same problem with a 360 as they do a V6 - the requirement for a VM broadband connection.

Existing V6 & 360 customers who cancel VM broadband, are now required to cancel the TV service too.

[Roger_Gooner]

True, but modern STBs require more than the 10Mbps that the embedded modem in the TiVo provides. Also in the vast majority of cases a TiVo customer can easily have a hub installed. If they can't afford both TV and broadband VM will offer broadband and Stream.

[Vikki_M]

Hi @Rillington

Thank you for your post and welcome back to our community.

I can see the community has responded and provided some information around this for you.

If you would like to change to a new box, I would recommend either calling into the team on 150 from a Virgin line or 0345 454 1111 from any other line, or you can text us on 0753 305 1809 or on WhatsApp by logging into your online account via a mobile handset and there will be a link to speak to VM via a chat messenger icon (WhatsApp). 

The team will be happy to look into this further for you via any method that you choose.

If you have any further questions please pop back to us.