Articles - Living with Virgin Media TiVo

[HEXUS]

I let the 1TB PVR into my home for a while, find out how it went.

Read more.

[mikerr]

Didn't notice or mention one of tivo's main features:

wishlists - there you can set it to record by a keyword or actor
e.g. it will record every programme with "morgan freeman" in, regardless of channel - including films and chat shows etc.
You set these once and they work forever.

Of course many of us have had TiVos since 1999,
this new one just adds 3 tuners, thumbnails and HD

In some ways the old one is better and quicker...

[Noxvayl]

Before I finish reading this I thought I'd ask if we could stop calling abbreviations acronyms. An acronym is used for initials of a phrase that are pronounced as a word themselves, for example NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) is an acronym but LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is an abbreviation (or more specifically initialism).

http://lyberty.com/encyc/articles/abbr.html

EDIT: Could you let me know what you mean by UX in this phrase: "This is a small UX glitch" I thought UI (User Interface) would of been more appropriate.

They have made some very good improvements over the older system I've tried. Navigation definitely sounds much more intuitive and made simpler than before. I like the ability to access TV apps like iPlayer and Sky Anytime, I hope more apps like these get developed as they make viewing TV programs so much better for me. I hope we get a completely on demand TV service available soon, Sports might not do so well but everything else would be far more appealing if I could watch it at any time I want without having to record it.

[crossy]

Good "review" - what I've wondered about Tivo is whether there's anyway to make sure it's recommendations are appropriate to the person using the remote. E.g. if my family use the voting buttons, then I'm going to end up being "treated" to a diet of East Enders, Casualty, iCarly, Top Gear, Spongebob, NCIS and CSI.

Interesting to see those comments about fast forwarding - I just wish that someone would implement the "Content Skip" feature from my old Panasonic HDD-DVR. That skipped forwards in 30 second increments per button press, but was clever enough to cut the skip short if it detected that the ads had finished.

Very tempted to the Tivo - especially as it's "Powered by Linux".

[b0redom]

EDIT: Could you let me know what you mean by UX in this phrase: "This is a small UX glitch" I thought UI (User Interface) would of been more appropriate.

User eXperience?

In response to the original article though. I guess it can't be that great if you're sending it back and not subscribing.

[Smudger]

Good "review" - what I've wondered about Tivo is whether there's anyway to make sure it's recommendations are appropriate to the person using the remote. E.g. if my family use the voting buttons, then I'm going to end up being "treated" to a diet of East Enders, Casualty, iCarly, Top Gear, Spongebob, NCIS and CSI.

Interesting to see those comments about fast forwarding - I just wish that someone would implement the "Content Skip" feature from my old Panasonic HDD-DVR. That skipped forwards in 30 second increments per button press, but was clever enough to cut the skip short if it detected that the ads had finished.

Very tempted to the Tivo - especially as it's "Powered by Linux".

The thumbs up system records stuff that it thinks you will like, so if someone else has given the thumbs up, yes, you will get their content, but it stores it in a 'Suggestions' folder so it doesn't get in the way of stuff you've actually wanted to record.

Go on, get one. The 500gb one is free now, so what are you losing? (apart from the installation fee)

[mikerr]

Good "review" - what I've wondered about Tivo is whether there's anyway to make sure it's recommendations are appropriate to the person using the remote. E.g. if my family use the voting buttons, then I'm going to end up being "treated" to a diet of East Enders, Casualty, iCarly, Top Gear, Spongebob, NCIS and CSI.

Two different things:

Recommendations (at the top of the screen) actually change on every screen,
depending on what you're looking at.

E.g. When in my top gear folder, it'll show motoring shows.

Those recommendations aren't recorded though, just there for you to click.

Suggestions are recordings made in the "dead time" on a spare tuner when you aren't using the tivo,
and use up the empty space on the HDD (they don't show up as used space).
Similar to sky anytime, except on a much greater scale, and more personalised.

It would be nice to have user profiles, and that was demoed by tivo, but hasn't been released yet:

[Scott B]

Before I finish reading this I thought I'd ask if we could stop calling abbreviations acronyms. EDIT: Could you let me know what you mean by UX in this phrase: "This is a small UX glitch" I thought UI (User Interface) would of been more appropriate.

You can ask

UX = user experience. Sorry, been spending too long obsessing about mobile stuff. Still, gratified to have found a set of initials unknown to someone as thorough as you ExHail.

[Noxvayl]

@ Scott B

I HATE ABBREVIATIONS! (or more accurately: the way people use them)

Of all the grammar I've learnt abbreviations/initials/acronyms are by far the most annoying to me. Why? Because if you assume people know what they mean you immediately create a divide between those that have come across it before and those that haven't.

I use this simple rule when using abbreviations of any kind when I write: Use the full version the first time with the abbreviation in brackets. Use the abbreviation there after. I learnt it from The Elements of Style by E.B. White & William Strunk Jr

[Andeh13]

You should also mention the seething cauldron of hate that is the Virgin Media Customer service. Too many times I have had long running battles with them over the 'Free upgrade to HD' they gave me.

1) My 'free upgrade to HD' First an engineer turned up at my house unexpectedly to 'install my HD'. I reminded him that I had turned the box off, turned it on again and I had everything in HD already... as was told over the phone. He literally shrugged and walked off... then billed me £49.95. I had to fight tooth & nail for them to refund me that. When i originally set it up over the phone, the guy assured me THREE it would not tie me into a new 12 month contract.. low & behold it did. They were incredibly dismissive to me over the phone when i asked them to find the recording of the phone call and just kept repeating 'all the terms & conditions are on our web site' where I first noticed the offer. I gave up on it, because hey were int he small print at the bottom of the page, I had just seen the offer and ignored it until they rang me over something else, then i brought it up and went ahead with it

2) They failed to take payment one month, then took two lots the next month and billed me £10 for ****s & giggles. I had to fight tooth and nail to prove to them i had plenty of money in that account, and that I did not default on the payment.

3) They offered me a discounted rate for the full TV package. Once again I asked the question THREE times 'will this tie me into an extended contract'. THREE time they said no sir. I have yet to receive any paperwork regarding this, and you can bet your bottom doller I have been....

I also had a friend & family discount that took 8 months to be applied to my account. The sheer number of times I heard the line 'it has been added onto your account' only for me to ring back and find it hadnt was beyond belief...

Their fibre optics is the only way i can get broadband where I am!

[Urbanite]

I'm not convinced the VM tivo box is worth the extra monthly subscription over the standard V+ box.

I hear that they are planning on discontinuing the V+ box towards the end of the year. Hopefully by then the tivo box will be free (with no extra monthly subscription). Eather way I'm happy with my V+ box and wont be changing for the present time.

[jimborae]

Shame this is a Virgin Media product, as has been said previously it will be wholely let down by the worst customer support known to man and by incredibly bad technical support (Super Hub anyone!!)

[shaithis]

Yup, the name virgin media just makes it a non-starter for me.

I want to carry on thinking fonejacker is funny....

[Urbanite]

Shame this is a Virgin Media product, as has been said previously it will be wholely let down by the worst customer support known to man and by incredibly bad technical support (Super Hub anyone!!)

The superhub really is bad but at least the R30 firmware lets you use it in modem mode with your own router. The superhub really should be called a cable modem beacuse its not fit for use as a wireless router. However saying that the modem only mode seems to work well.

[crossy]

The thumbs up system records stuff that it thinks you will like, so if someone else has given the thumbs up, yes, you will get their content, but it stores it in a 'Suggestions' folder so it doesn't get in the way of stuff you've actually wanted to record.

Go on, get one. The 500gb one is free now, so what are you losing? (apart from the installation fee)

Thanks for that - useful info! Although here's a quote from my missus "why don't you tell that guy to shush - it's not as if you need much persuading to get a new toy". She knows me too well ...

Shame this is a Virgin Media product, as has been said previously it will be wholely let down by the worst customer support known to man and by incredibly bad technical support (Super Hub anyone!!)

Nope - sorry, not going to let that one rest unanswered. Compared to Three's Technical Support (and don't get me started on the "Billing" department), VM's are a model of helpfulness and competence.
As to the "SuperHub" - it's a bl**dy offence under the sale of goods act imho!

That said, I'm impressed with VM's new traffic management policy they're trying out:
http://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/loca...aldy_1_1906102

The superhub really is bad but at least the R30 firmware lets you use it in modem mode with your own router. The superhub really should be called a cable modem beacuse its not fit for use as a wireless router. However saying that the modem only mode seems to work well.

Yes, I noticed that too - I'm guessing that since most of the problems are with the "router" part of the device that using it as modem-only would mean an improvement in service. I'm still amazed that my little Devolo hub/router/PLE box actually puts out a stronger signal than the SuperHub.