HD channels

[tris-]

they worth the hype they are given?

we are getting a v+ HD box installed, and for £150+£5 a month i can get a second one put in too. would give me more than freesat HD would, and the box is less cost with more features.

is the content worth it though? seems to be more hd channels on the go but mainly things like BBC, ITV and apparently MTV. i dont watch sports, mainly films and your general crappy tv stuff.

 

[GReaper]

Look at the HD schedule for the channels you watch. BBC HD is great, ITV HD isn't on as much and has been a bit buggy and annoying. No idea regarding the other channels as we only have Freesat..

Do you really need a second box though? HD is nice, but I wouldn't pay for a second box along with a 2nd monthly subscription just to see it at the moment.

 

[tris-]

a second sub would only cost £5 and would be needed, 1 downstairs and 1 upstairs where i live mostly.

 

[Moriath]

get FX HD 4HD and living HD on its way with National geographic HD in as well .. if you get xl tv package you will have ESPN HD if you like sports or not hehe

There are supposed to be more on the way also

choice is yours i only had the v+ downstairs and a normal virgin stb upstairs

 

[Zenith.UK]

I can't speak for VM's HD offerings because I use SkyHD.

From a technical point of view, I've set the SkyHD box to output *everything* in 1080i, meaning that I don't have to change a thing on my TV. It simply shows 1080i at all times when I'm watching Sky and doesn't flicker to change resolutions between channels.
SD channels get upscaled.
HD channels get shown with no scaling up or down. I don't know about VM, but Sky's HD channels all come down in 1080i.

Is it worth it? For the likes of BBC HD and the movie channels, yes it is. For the others like FXHD, LivingHD etc, I'm not so sure.

 

[Ch3tan]

The ONLY HD channels on Virgin are currently: bbc HD - usually only after 6pm. MTV HD - shit selection of music and most of the content is not actually HD. FX HD - great for dexter true blood and other US TV. National geographic HD, C4 HD and ESPN HD if you pay for it or have the xL package.

Until a couple of weeks ago, BBC HD was the only one on virgin. I think freesat actually gives you more HD channels than virgin. No it's not worth it tris-, the V+ box is unreliable when recording, the channels don't offer much. You are better off downloading HD content and watching it on your new screen and not spending £150 plus a £5 a month for nothing much.

 

[tris-]

Sounds shite then, think I will skip it.

 

[Raven]

Pretty much the same set up as Zenith. The true HD content is still very limited imo, a lot of the programs on the HD channels are not true HD but more and more are. I only really have it for documentaries and football.

 

[leviathane]

Aye love watching skysports HD, just a much better quality.

 

[Ch3tan]

Aye love watching skysports HD, just a much better quality.

Which you can only get on sky, not virgin. Sky do not sell their HD channels to other broadcasters.

 

[tris-]

i wouldnt have sky sports anyway even if youu paid me to watch it

 

[leviathane]

why cos it's the best sports channels? ye how crap

 

[tris-]

because IT IS a sports channel, and the most boring thing i could imagine is watching football 24/7

 

[Zenith.UK]

because IT IS a sports channel, and the most boring thing i could imagine is watching football 24/7

<High fives Tris>

 

[Moriath]

Until a couple of weeks ago, BBC HD was the only one on virgin. I think freesat actually gives you more HD channels than virgin. No it's not worth it tris-, the V+ box is unreliable when recording, the channels don't offer much. You are better off downloading HD content and watching it on your new screen and not spending £150 plus a £5 a month for nothing much.

never had any problems using the recording of the v+ box .. always records on time and accurately for me .. only times it missed was when there were live events that ran over so the timing of broadcasts got screwed

 

[Ch3tan]

the fact you cannot record outside of the tv guide is very annoying. I have had it fail to record several times - I use the function a lot, also it is crap at determining how much free space it has to record with - especially on HD broadcasts.