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General => The Shed => Topic started by: Uncle Joshua on June 27, 2008, 20:39:36

Title: TV Packages?
Post by: Uncle Joshua on June 27, 2008, 20:39:36
I was just wondering what TV packages everyone has?

We moved from Virgin Media to Sky just over a year ago but having had to phone them every week and not having a signal for 50% of the time tonight I got fed up and went out and bought a Thompson digital tv recorder, it comes with freeview and top up tv and can hold 160 hours of recorded tv, Sky wanted £80 to come and have a look at our satellite and would have charged on top if they found a problem even though there was a problem when we got it, it also costs £40 for our packages with this Thompson digital tv recorder and top up tv we are paying £15 a month for a few less channels.

Sadly I paid £80 for the box then found this....


http://www.topuptv.com/index.html
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: silly billy on June 27, 2008, 20:55:37
Not sure if you have tried this but my dish needed moving due to a tree so I phoned sky and they wanted the mandatory £80 to come and have a look. I said I was no prepared to pay that so could they cancel my contract, I was then passed to cancellations who offered me a sky+ upgrade and a relocated dish for nothing. My inlaws and sister inlaw both did the same . Sky will try anything to keep an existing customer you just have to call their bluff and threaten to cancel.
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: Uncle Joshua on June 27, 2008, 21:00:11
Tried that and they said good luck with Virgin.
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: good7saint on June 27, 2008, 21:26:57
I've been with virgin media for the last 12 months.
Fairly happy TBH.
Get the XL T V package which gives me Setanta sports channels free
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: debster on June 27, 2008, 22:08:11
mick w do you have a cordless telephone and if so is it close to your sky system, if yes this could be the cause of your problems the same happened to us, they moved the dish, replaced the box then the boss said move the phone, never had a days problem since it used to show no signal being received.

but funny you should ask this cos virgin sent me a free tv box today cos i have my phone and broadband with them can anyone tell me what channels i will be able to receive, (there was supposed to be a tv guide in the box but wasnt) and do i have to remove my sky to set it up?
thanks
sorry to pinch your thread Mick
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: Uncle Joshua on June 27, 2008, 22:16:27
No problem debster.

The problem is with the dish as I told the Sky bloke  when he brought the new box last year but he didn't want to spend the 11 seconds it would have taken him to have a look.

My phone and broadband so I may get a free box, you should get most channels with Virgin apart from Sky 1 and one or two others you'd never watch anyway.

Just noticed you can't get UK Gardens with Freeview.  :(
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: ninnyscrops on June 27, 2008, 22:25:47
We've had a prob recently with Sky+, signal very sporadic. Lo and behold we receive a mailing  "Sky+ box will shortly be out of warranty"!  Ring up and say had probs for the last month or so and told after diagnostic check "Oh it's the hard disc in your box that's faulty and you're already out of warranty". Surprise, surprise.   >:(
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: debster on June 27, 2008, 22:29:51
so no phone nearby then Mick, the only reason i ask is because the engineer that came to us (free of charge cos i threatened to leave) didnt know what the problem was only his boss did.

are there more then one scart connections on the tvs it is a digital one? and would i be able to use both virgin and sky.

virgin rang me the other day to offer me the free tv box thing came within 2 days ;D
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: Uncle Joshua on June 27, 2008, 22:51:08
Nope no phone near by, there are two scarts one for the digi box and one for the DVD, the dish was in bad order before we got Sky but the bloke didn't want to fit a new one.

Not sure about using both at once but if Virgin is free from subs for a while I'd use them you can always move back to Sky if you don't like Virgin.
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: Brogusblue on June 27, 2008, 23:12:18
Hello

I used to have sky about 3 years but got expensive so i ditched it for freeview last year i changed to BT Vision and for £14 per month i find it worth it loads of on demand to watch.

Cheers
Brogusblue
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: djbrenton on June 27, 2008, 23:44:30
You can use both Sky and Virgin if you have two scarts. One will be on scart1 on your tv and the other on scart2.
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: manicscousers on June 28, 2008, 08:30:50
we moved to virgin last year, loads of problems with talk talk..we pay less than 40.00 per month for unlimited phone calls, all the time , broadband and tv, medium..we get all the tv we want to watch for that, only extra is for calling mobiles
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: djbrenton on June 28, 2008, 08:45:23
One question about Virgin TV. Does everyone else get their picture in 4:3 only which cuts off the sides of some pictures?
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: kimbobill on June 28, 2008, 08:48:39
I am thinking of picking up this new freesat as I have the sky dish, it shouldn't be too difficult (famous last words)
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: forestry.guy on June 28, 2008, 09:08:23
Quote from: djbrenton on June 28, 2008, 08:45:23
One question about Virgin TV. Does everyone else get their picture in 4:3 only which cuts off the sides of some pictures?

mine did this if you change the setting for the picture size on the TV i solves the problem. My Tv remote has a button for this

hopes that helps


Ian
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: mc55 on June 28, 2008, 16:46:03
Quote from: djbrenton on June 28, 2008, 08:45:23
One question about Virgin TV. Does everyone else get their picture in 4:3 only which cuts off the sides of some pictures?

this drives us nuts.  We have a few settings to cycle through on the TV, but its cropped at 'source' so it makes little difference at our end.

We're thinking of leaving Virgin and going to Top up TV now that Living has been added (addicted to America's Next Top Model  ;D). 
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: Uncle Joshua on June 28, 2008, 21:54:42
Quote from: mc55 on June 28, 2008, 16:46:03


We're thinking of leaving Virgin and going to Top up TV now that Living has been added (addicted to America's Next Top Model  ;D). 

Living is only on freeview a few hours a day as is Virgin 1 and most of the channels worth watching.

We contacted top up tv over 24hrs ago about getting the paid add ons and still nothing, very poor service.
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: debster on June 28, 2008, 22:01:01
thank you djbrenton will have a hunt round the back of the tv tomorrow.

manics i have broadband and unlimited free phonecalls only pay for mobile and 0845 numbers, have now been sent the set box free of charge all for £20 when i know what channels it has i will let you know if they are the same as you talk to them cos i pay half what you do  ???
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: manicscousers on June 28, 2008, 22:08:40
yes, let me know, debster, thanks  ;D
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: betula on June 28, 2008, 23:51:26
I love sky and have sky multiroom and sky plus for £29 ,is this expensive?

Slightly off topic I have Bt broadband and they gave us a pod phone that has lights that flash all the time,neither of us has a clue what to do with it , any advice?
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: Uncle Joshua on June 29, 2008, 14:26:39
I took my freeview box back today, most of the channels I watch are only on a few hours a day with freeview and the top up tv 1 month trial is a joke, they pick which of its channels you get to watch when and say you have paramount for a week all that week you only get to watch one episode of just one program all week, this week its Frasier which I love but that doesn't mean I'll site watching the same episode for a bloody week.


It's a joke so I got my money back.
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: debster on June 29, 2008, 21:15:00
ok it was incredibly easy to set up i mean really easy, Manics you must have a lot more channels then we have  if you are paying extra, however since working it out and speaking to sky we are now going to kick sky into touch, we have been paying the full package for 6 years £45 a month but only really watch the sport and channels that are on free view sky will do just sport for £36 virgin will do the same for £24 so virgin will be having the service, so easy to set up too well impressed

and what does AD mean i know HD means high definition ?
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: Uncle Joshua on June 29, 2008, 21:35:36
If you are after sport is Virgin the best place to go  debster?  as far as I know out of the Sky sports channels they only now have SSN which isn't bad because you get to see Vicky Gomersall but its not great if you want to watch football etc.
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: debster on June 29, 2008, 22:11:51
with virgin you can get the channels that on sky are 401 402 4003 and 404 and thats all he wants so perfect so he tells me  ;D
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: Uncle Joshua on June 29, 2008, 22:23:12
Ahh guess I was wrong, if they have SSN (405) I may have to move to Virgin.
Title: Re: TV Packages?
Post by: debster on July 01, 2008, 18:29:14
which one is that mick does it have a name?