Virgin Media has revamped its TV platform as Virgin TV 360, and it’s touting dozens of new features together with an improved user interface and navigation, plus 4K compatible Mini boxes that make it possible to bring the Virgin TV experience to multiple rooms in the house.
Virgin TV 360 is the company’s answer to Sky Q, and it says the revamp is all about modernising its platform to keep up to date with the expected requirements TV consumers have in today’s age.
For starters, the actual platform offers simpler, more modern menus that make it easier to access to your favourite entertainment options in one place, including whatever channels you watch regularly and popular apps such as Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and BBC iPlayer.
The service also provides 4K HDR viewing capabilities for applicable content, and family members can now create their own personal profiles that allow each one to continue whatever they were last watching, and see personalised recommendations based on their viewing habits. That’s important, as personalisation is an essential requirement for pretty much any decent TV service does these days.
Just as essential is the ability to record broadcast content, and Virgin does well here as it offers the ability to copy up to six programmes at once. Those recordings are shared across each of the home’s set-top boxes too, so that it’s possible to pause a show in one room and pick up where you left off in another. It also works for live channels, which can also be rewound if you happen to miss something.
The main set top box is capable of recording up to 275 hours of HD content and 80 hours of 4K Ultra HD content, Virgin said.
Virgin TV 360 can also be accessed with mobile devices through the updated TV Go app, so all of your catch up TV, live channels and recorded content can be viewed on the go.
There’s a new remote that comes with voice controls that are activated with a press of the mic button, and support for Amazon Alexa is being promised at a later date, presumably via a firmware upgrade.
Virgin said Virgin TV 360 is being offered to all new customers, and that existing customers who have, or are willing to upgrade to its premium “Ultimate Oomph” tier, can also enjoy the new offering and hardware.
Virgin TV 360’s premium package is priced at £79.99 per month and though it’s quite expensive, it enables access to 250 channels, including Sky Cinema, Sky Sports and BT Sports channels, throws in two mini boxes, an ultrafast M500 broadband connection that provides speeds of up to 600Mbps, a landline and an unlimited mobile SIM. There are cheaper options too, Virgin said.
“Virgin TV 360 is our most impressive TV service to date, providing one of the most complete and comprehensive viewing experiences available in the UK,” said Virgin Media’s Chief TV & Entertainment Officer David Bouchier. “Backed up by our ultrafast broadband, our new service allows TV lovers to watch all of their favourite channels, apps and on-demand content in one place or on the move. This really is game-changing TV and we know our customers will love it.”
