Sky or Virgin: which is better?

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Right chaps, it's now only 287 days, 9 hours, 42 minutes and 25 seconds til the start of World Cup 2010 and I've made it clear to the misses that getting the Sky Sports channels well in advance is a necessity. In HD.

OK, all the games will probably be live on terrestrial, but hey,she doesn't know that! The question is, which is the better option, cable (eg. Virgin) or Sky? Any thoughts on value for money, customer service etc etc?

Cheers.

 

[RM-Taylor]

No contest if you want HD coverage. Sky Sports HD is only available on BSkyB, and in total Sky have over 30 HD channels compared to VM who have 5.

Yes you have to pay more, but you get a lot better value

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Sky Sports HD is only available on BSkyB,

I didn't realise this - many thanks for the tip. Can you really see the difference with HD though?

 

[JJ McClure]

Anyone know how to get a free/cheap sky plus box?
I've only got a normal sky box and a plus or hd plus would be bloody useful as my video has finally given up.
i tried haggeling with them last week offering to upgrade to sky sports if they gave me a free box but they didn't bite.
Any ideas?

 

[Ian Bairds Fist]

Why are you getting Sky Sports for the World Cup?

 

[Ian Bairds Fist]

 

[Chicken Run]

No contest if you want HD coverage. Sky Sports HD is only available on BSkyB, and in total Sky have over 30 HD channels compared to VM who have 5.

Yes you have to pay more, but you get a lot better value

This is of course a thread where VM customers will slate the Sky platform and vice verca, as a VM customer I have absoloutley no probs with the product, however if it wasnt for the fact that I cant have a dish on the building I live in I would pay the xtra to have Sky, I must say though the V Plus box is better than it's rival, imho of course.

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Why are you getting Sky Sports for the World Cup?

It's just the pretext I need to get it past the trouble and strife! I know all the World Cup games will be on terrestrial.

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

This is of course a thread where VM customers will slate the Sky platform and vice verca, as a VM customer I have absoloutley no probs with the product, however if it wasnt for the fact that I cant have a dish on the building I live in I would pay the xtra to have Sky, I must say though the V Plus box is better than it's rival, imho of course.

Out of interest, why would you pay more for Sky? Just for the HD options on Sky Sports?

 

[Gordon the Gopher]

I have VM and find the fact you can tape more channels on the VBox than the Sky box quite useful and the fact that HD is only really worth it if you have a 42" or bigger telly (IMO). I also get ESPN for free on VM which is a bonus so happy to watch the West Ham Tottenham game for example on HD for no extra cost than their XKL package. Sky does give you a lot more choice and more HD!

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Personally I have Sky, but Virgin looks good as well. Am I right in thinking that with VM you don't get the red-button option if theres multi-games etc on Sky Sports? That was a big pull for me because of the NFL & Celtic in the champs league (D'oh!).

 

[Monkster]

VM has the BBC Iplayer & all the rest of them on it...handy.

 

[Chicken Run]

Out of interest, why would you pay more for Sky? Just for the HD options on Sky Sports?

Good question, I currently subscribe to the VIP package It costs me £90 pm and for that I get XL tv package with V Plus box(HD) and aditional set top box in the bedroom(not V Plus) Telephone with free UK land line calls and 20 meg bb, I think all in all whilst that sounds alot of green when you break it down it's good value, however having watched a couple of games on ESPN I wished I could have spent last sunday wathching the cricket in HD, esp as I have just bought a samsung 1080 tv.

 

[Chicken Run]

Personally I have Sky, but Virgin looks good as well. Am I right in thinking that with VM you don't get the red-button option if theres multi-games etc on Sky Sports? That was a big pull for me because of the NFL & Celtic in the champs league (D'oh!).

Correct, there are other chanels with interactive options but if it's a sky chanel nope, a recent example would have been the FP semi when I had to endure Lancs v Hants whilst If i was a sky customer would simply press the red button and wathed our game instead!

 

[algie]

sky for tv but vm wins hands down for broadband.

 

[Acker79]

Virgin relies on sky for the major channels (sports, movies, news, etc), sky relies on virgin media for lesser channels (Living, Bravo, etc.). When contracts up up for negotiation they can be withheld. Virgin media lost sky sports news and sky one a few years back because of this.

It took a long while for virgin to get multiple matches on champions league nights. Not sure if they ever did it for NFL.

I used to be on virgin, but am now on sky HD, the picture is definitely better.

The only thing I miss about virgin media is on the now and next guide on virgin the info button gave you the info of the highlighted programme, on sky you only get what your watching unless you enter the full tv guide, though that will be fixed when the new hd guide is installed.

 

[Chicken Run]

sky for tv but vm wins hands down for broadband.

I agree, the cable platform is by far the best medium for today's modern household, I just wish Sky had embraced this in the late eighties rather than get sucked in by SAS and his crappy amstad dishes, I had one on the side of my house for years, it looked like a fuckin wok, still I could wath the zenith data trophy on a tuesday night though LOL!

 

[Chicken Run]

Virgin relies on sky for the major channels (sports, movies, news, etc), sky relies on virgin media for lesser channels (Living, Bravo, etc.). When contracts up up for negotiation they can be withheld. Virgin media lost sky sports news and sky one a few years back because of this.

It took a long while for virgin to get multiple matches on champions league nights. Not sure if they ever did it for NFL.

I used to be on virgin, but am now on sky HD, the picture is definitely better.

The only thing I miss about virgin media is on the now and next guide on virgin the info button gave you the info of the highlighted programme, on sky you only get what your watching unless you enter the full tv guide, though that will be fixed when the new hd guide is installed.

Are you saying then on CL night as a VM customer I can "press the red button" ect, ect?

 

[algie]

Anyone know how to get a free/cheap sky plus box?
I've only got a normal sky box and a plus or hd plus would be bloody useful as my video has finally given up.
i tried haggeling with them last week offering to upgrade to sky sports if they gave me a free box but they didn't bite.
Any ideas?

I believe you have to give 30 days notice to cancel your subscribtion,you do on VM.Give the retentions a call and hand in your notice.Say Virgin Media has offered you the V+ free install etc for nothing.If they don't bite go ahead and cancel.Expect a call within a week from them offering you it for free.If not then then phone sky up about a week before the 30 days are up.You should get a much better deal.YOU MUST CANCEL TO GET A GOOD DEAL.

 

[Mellotron]

Having had and used both, Sky is the more comprehensive deal when it comes to all things telly.

Virgin is a good deal for Broadband though.