# Virgin Tivo forums



## jonphil

Finally been given access to the Virgin Tivo forum.
Nothing much to shout about to be honest  was hoping VM staff would be posting tech info.

At the moment it seems to be full of one person who got Tivo for free complaining that it's not working. 
Think I may stick to this forum as it seems people on the VM forums aren't even happy when they are given something completely free.


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## deshepherd

jonphil said:


> Finally been given access to the Virgin Tivo forum.
> Nothing much to shout about to be honest  was hoping VM staff would be posting tech info.
> 
> At the moment it seems to be full of one person who got Tivo for free complaining that it's not working.
> Think I may stick to this forum as it seems people on the VM forums aren't even happy when they are given something completely free.


Perhaps we should send the "why should some people get a VM-TiVo free when people with S1 have to pay for it" brigade over there to sort him out!


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## Hambone88

jonphil said:


> Finally been given access to the Virgin Tivo forum.
> Nothing much to shout about to be honest  was hoping VM staff would be posting tech info.
> 
> At the moment it seems to be full of one person who got Tivo for free complaining that it's not working.
> Think I may stick to this forum as it seems people on the VM forums aren't even happy when they are given something completely free.


They may of got the box for free but are paying for a service they might not be getting.

The cable forum has VM staff on it.
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/11/


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## cwaring

Hambone88 said:


> They may of got the box for free but are paying for a service they might not be getting.


Huh?


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## jonphil

cwaring said:


> Huh?


 confused too, we are ALL paying for the service in fact we are paying more than the 'free' people.


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## Hambone88

cwaring said:


> Huh?


Whatever he is not getting.
I haven't read his thread,it could be TV or whatever.
It might not be recording the tv shows all which he/she
pays a lot of money each month.


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## Karnak

So, sort of back in topic.

It is possible that in the fullness of time VM staff may take more notice of their own forums (Digital Fanatic, if you'd care to comment?)

@jonphil: how did you get signed up, where is it, etc etc?


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## Pine Cladding

I would like to think that our little forum contains a more mature and experienced group of TiVo users anyway


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## jonphil

Karnak said:


> So, sort of back in topic.
> 
> It is possible that in the fullness of time VM staff may take more notice of their own forums (Digital Fanatic, if you'd care to comment?)
> 
> @jonphil: how did you get signed up, where is it, etc etc?


I posted on the forum topic about access to the VM forum, apparently we should all have been given access?

I do agree that at the moment not many VM staff seem to be posting in the forum, was surprised how empty the forum was actually as assumed it would have info on upcoming software updates and such.


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## ptruman

The problem is (I think) that the VM TiVo forum exists on their community forum. You have to register on that forum, separate to any other VM account (i.e. you don't get access by default)

As such, they'd either have to find everyone who'd registered (and used a VM/BY/NTL address) who was signed up with a TiVo, OR let you register yourself.

I did the latter, than PM'd "Mark Wilkin" for access, and now have it (yet to relogin though).

I did register using my BY address, which could at least allow them to verify my account number, and that I have TiVo


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## nbaker

ptruman said:


> I did the latter, than PM'd "Mark Wilkin" for access, and now have it (yet to relogin though)


I sent him a PM about 2 weeks ago but not had a reply, sounds like I'm not missing much though.


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## kmusgrave

What/where is this mysterious forum people keep mentioning?


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## nbaker

kmusgrave said:


> What/where is this mysterious forum people keep mentioning?


The Tivo forum is hidden but is part of the Virgin Help & Support forums here http://community.virginmedia.com/


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## Buzby

As I recall, I filled in a webpage to request access to the VM Tivo forum, and got an email back sayimg my details were being processed and I'd recive a password n 48 hours once approved.

It came as no surprise that, some 3 weeks later, I've heard absolutely nothing.


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## jonphil

Thought I would give the Virgin forum another try.
Try to help people and get downright rude replies, no wonder Virgin don't even bother to reply to people.

Sorry, but rude replies means you get no replies at ALL 
The worse thing Virgin did was to give boxes to people who don't have a clue what Tivo actually is and do nothing but complain that it doesn't do what V+ did?


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## Pine Cladding

jonphil said:


> Thought I would give the Virgin forum another try.
> Try to help people and get downright rude replies, no wonder Virgin don't even bother to reply to people.
> 
> Sorry, but rude replies means you get no replies at ALL
> The worse thing Virgin did was to give boxes to people who don't have a clue what Tivo actually is and do nothing but complain that it doesn't do what V+ did?


I refer the honourable gentleman to my response above


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## mikerr

The VM TiVo forum is now open to *everyone*, don't even need to register to view:

http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/bd-p/Tivo

Begin the invasion !


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## ColinYounger

I have invaded. Should I have brought my own water?


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## Pete77

mikerr said:


> The VM TiVo forum is now open to *everyone*, don't even need to register to view:
> 
> http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TiVo/bd-p/Tivo
> 
> Begin the invasion !


Its even open to people who don't live in Virgin Media land.

Perhaps a good place to ask why those who live outside Virgin Media land are to be denied continued use of their S1 Tivos after June 1st.


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## Zaichik

Since I got my VM TiVo, I've become a regular visitor to the VM forums, but really it's getting beyond the pale. Thread after thread of people ranting about the lack of red button and reminders and every little bug as if it was the collapse of society. Some people really have no perspective, do they. 

(That said, the bug that seems to be causing 500Gb TiVos to wipe themselves would be seriously annoying.)


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## Pete77

Zaichik said:


> Since I got my VM TiVo, I've become a regular visitor to the VM forums, but really it's getting beyond the pale. Thread after thread of people ranting about the lack of red button and reminders and every little bug as if it was the collapse of society. Some people really have no perspective, do they.
> 
> (That said, the bug that seems to be causing 500Gb TiVos to wipe themselves would be seriously annoying.)


Surely the point of Virgin deciding to use Tivo software on its boxes is that Tivo software aside from being highly featured also "just works" or at least did on the Series 1 boxes.

If through the vile attempts of the Virgin marketing department to interfere with and clutter up the interface with all kinds of promotional garbage and to force viewers to see every channel in the EPG when they don't want to it no longer works properly or reliably then it largely destroys the point of Virgin having paid good money for Tivo's proprietary software.

The fact that riots in Britain or famine in Somalia is more important in the great scheme of things is irrelevant to a discussion about whether the Tivo software on the Virgin Tivo is any longer a stable or reliable product. If you can't get that in perspective then you won't be able to feel you can have a meaningful discussion about anything less terrible than 9/11 or the recent riots on the streets of Britain.


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## sjp

Zaichik said:


> Since I got my VM TiVo, I've become a regular visitor to the VM forums, but really it's getting beyond the pale. Thread after thread of people ranting about the lack of red button and reminders and every little bug as if it was the collapse of society. Some people really have no perspective, do they.
> 
> (That said, the bug that seems to be causing 500Gb TiVos to wipe themselves would be seriously annoying.)


it is becoming harder to not lose the rag with some folks, isn't it.


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## mikerr

Pete77 said:


> If through the attempts of the Virgin marketing department to interfere with and clutter up the interface with all kinds of promotional garbage


The discovery bar is part of the TiVo software, not Virgins idea:
see here: US Tivo Premiere vs VM TiVo


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## deshepherd

Spent last week on holiday in a self-catering cottage which had Sky with (what I assume was) a standard Sky box. 

Amazed quite how primitive it was ... on screen display looked like something that a ZX-Spectrum would generate (quality was sub-ceefax) and the "program guide" included all the channels with no indication whether you actually had them (and we had very few as I assume we were on the very basic free "subscription"). So loads of scrolling through screens of "phone Sky on xxx-yyyzzzz to subscribe to this channel" while finding the few that we had.

Glad to get back to my VM-TiVo (at least in terms of TV watching!)


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## VirginMediaPhil

I don't think that is a standard Sky box. Standard Sky boxes have normal graphics and grey out the channels you don't have. I think you had a Freesat box, which is what I had in the self-catering cottage that I also spent last week in! (talk about a coincidence)


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## Pete77

VirginMediaPhil said:


> I don't think that is a standard Sky box. Standard Sky boxes have normal graphics and grey out the channels you don't have. I think you had a Freesat box, which is what I had in the self-catering cottage that I also spent last week in! (talk about a coincidence)


No he clearly had a Freesat From Sky box as a BBC/ITV Freesat box only shows channels that you can watch and that are not encrypted in its EPG given that the box can't physically decrypt any encrypted channels and that they are not part of the BBC/ITV Freesat EPG.

The way to successfully work a Freesat From Sky box is to make all the channels you can view Favourites and then hit the Blue Favourites button when you go in to the EPG. You now have an EPG only showing channels that you can view. You also use that EPG to select any channel to watch to avoid navigating through the channel list with loads of channels you aren't subscribed to.


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## deshepherd

It was definitely a Sky box as the remote had a big "sky" button on it etc ... but agree it would be "Freesat from Sky" ... clearly the use of "favourites" to sort out the channel list would be the way to go long term but it wasn't worth working out how to do that for a week. Also it was vaguely diverting to find out quite how random the selection of channels available were especially discovering that not only did we still have the "Caravan Channel" but also the "Caravan Channel+1"!

Anyway all got a bit off-topic so better stop now!


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## Pete77

deshepherd said:


> Also it was vaguely diverting to find out quite how random the selection of channels available were especially discovering that not only did we still have the "Caravan Channel" but also the "Caravan Channel+1"!


Its not really random but down to a very interesting tension and tradeoff between how much subscription revenue a channel can get by being in a Sky channel pack and/or how much they save in not having to pay for a Sky EPG entry (it appears all the channels in a paying Sky lineup don't have to pay for their EPG listing) and how much extra advertising revenue they would earn from adverts by having more viewers if they are FTV or FTA.

The FTA channels that don't need a viewing card of require you to pay a sub are either on Astra 2D (where the signal is only strong enough to receive them with a 90cm dish in the UK) if they show programs that will only have UK specific showing rights or they are news channels like Euronews or Russia Today, France 24 etc that have licensed any non self originated content they show to be able to be broadcast all over Europe. FTV channels (that don't charge a sub but need a viewing card to decrypt them) like 5*, 5USA, Pick Tv and Motors Tv are not on Astra 2D (as the slots have been exhausted and seem to be allocated first come, first served rather than just to the highest bidder) and have content that only has rights to be shown in the UK and specific exclusions on the content being watchable elsewhere in Europe.

Channel 5 is the odd man out of the conventional terrestrial broadcasters in only having managed to broadcast its main channel on Astra 2D and having its other two channels broadcast FTV although ITV1 still has problems with having to broadcast some of its regional variants FTV due to lack of capacity on Astra 2D.

Eurosport also behaves very oddly by broadcasting itself FTA on Astra at 19 degrees East in German but insisting that you must pay Sky a sub to watch it in English at 28 degrees East.

Caravanners being the value conscious people they are I suspect it probably makes more sense to maximise viewer numbers and advertising revenue by being FTA than to take the view that people will watch it no matter how much it costs to do so and hence hope to earn more through subscription revenue from less viewers.

There are quite a few very minor FTA satellite channels that you can't watch on a BBC/ITV Freesat box but can watch on a Freesat From Sky box because they have such small viewing numbers they have decided the EPG charge levied by the BBC/ITV isn't worth the extra viewers they would be likely to gain. Obviously this may change as time goes by and BBC/ITV Freesat increases its viewer numbers. Quite a few more Freesat boxes should be installed between now and the completion of digital switchover next summer. Having said that those over 75 or who registered blind or disabled who will get a free satellite box during digital switchover (if the Freeview signal is not good enough at their address) will be getting a Freesat From Sky one because Sky offered the government help scheme a better deal on the boxes in the hope of forcing these people to becomes subscribers down the road.


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## VirginMediaPhil

The Caravan Channel is actually a section of programming broadcast on Information TV which broadcasts niche TV programming like The Video Game Show or Radios Weekly, or Beatles Forum Live.


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## Pete77

VirginMediaPhil said:


> The Caravan Channel is actually a section of programming broadcast on Information TV which broadcasts niche TV programming like The Video Game Show or Radios Weekly, or Beatles Forum Live.


I was wondering why I hadn't come across it but thought perhaps it was lurking somewhere in the 700 or 800s along with the Pub channel and numerous Asian stations.

Motors Tv going to FTA is interesting as it must potentially put pressure on Eurosport to follow suit. Still I suppose Eurosport would only do that if it decided to start broadcasting FTA on Freeview as well.


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## jonphil

I've completely given up on the Virgin Tivo forum.
What I hate is people reply and try to be helpful and just get abuse in return


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## RichardJH

You may well grow to hate this particular forum as well. This particular topic has not only gone well off topic but is also being contributed to by Virgin haters who cannot get the VM Tivo.


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