SKY VS Virginmedia

spongerob500

What are your opinions of the SKY and Virgin services they give based on TV, phone, broadband and V+ and SKY+ set top boxes(not the customer services...as I know Virgin are useless!)? Me and my girlfriend are of differing opinions. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :money:

charlie12345_2

Virgin all the way!!!
Fibre optic cable - unrivalled.
Choice of 'On Demand' TV content. Free Setanta on the XL TV package.
Vplus box - twice the capacity of the skyplus. (Can record two other sides whilst watching a 3rd rather than skys 1. Also has ap 80hours of recording space rather than skys 40.
Shall I go on....
Cheers

spinningsheep

As someone who has both services:

Sky TV is fantastic for choice and picture quality, customer services are excellent too.

Virgin cannot be beaten for their free on demand content in my opinion, and it beats Sky's Anytime service hands down. Their phone is fine,no better or worse than when I was with BT, and their broadband is fantastic I have to say (I get 17 to 19 mbps on a 20mbps connection, wireless) and having had BT,Orange and 02 broadband in the past, Virgin's is great! I have Virgin TV free package, so means if im recording 2 channels on Sky, I can watch something on Virgin, as I have no terrestrial aerial.

Depends what you want!

Streeet

I'm a Sky fanboy.. simply due to the navigation, look and feel of the remote and controls.

but

However if I lived in a cable area.. I'd have Virgin just for the download speeds and to save on the landline tie in..

donnac2558

I have Virgin V+ and a friend has Sky+.
BB has to be virgin all the way. She has Talk Talk and the damn thing keeps having hissy fits and won't connect on and off for ages.

If at her house I pick up the remote and try something and find her's does not do that. Stupid things like back to the last channel, you have imput the number again.

The recording time on the V+ is 80 hours(I have read on another board you can do something and get it up to 120 hours too), Sky+ only 40. The record two digital channels and watch a totally different one you can on Virgin not on Sky. I have heard people complain about the noise on a V+ box but its nothing really. A few noises now and then when its doing something and it doesn't drown the TV out at all.

Englishdragon

Have just switched to Virgin xl package from Sky...have had loads of problems which have been sorted out after contacting the CEO..
have now found out they have monthly charge on telephone for Caller Identification Display..BT is free...cant wait for next year to switch back to Sky...

spongerob500

spinningsheep wrote: »

As someone who has both services:

Sky TV is fantastic for choice and picture quality, customer services are excellent too.

Virgin cannot be beaten for their free on demand content in my opinion, and it beats Sky's Anytime service hands down. Their phone is fine,no better or worse than when I was with BT, and their broadband is fantastic I have to say (I get 17 to 19 mbps on a 20mbps connection, wireless) and having had BT,Orange and 02 broadband in the past, Virgin's is great! I have Virgin TV free package, so means if im recording 2 channels on Sky, I can watch something on Virgin, as I have no terrestrial aerial.

Depends what you want!

I currently am paying £40pm with Virgin for 10mb BB, Free weekend phone, and Medium TV package (this includes the no DD charge and paper bills charge). I am looking for a decent package with kids, music and footy for TV, happy with current BB service and happy with the phone.

li'l_p

This has been a recent dilemma of ours. We already have the phone and broadband with Virginmedia, on the 2 for £20 bundle, with calls charges on top of that and we have Sky+ for TV.

I wanted to move the whole lot to Virgin, as they now have Sky 1 (much needed for OH) and it just made sense to have it all under one bundle. Also after playing around with a friend's V+ box I realised the difference in the two services was negligable; basically the V+ has same functionality as the Sky+ but obviously a different interface. I also liked the V+ because of the 'on demand' side of things, as we have the standard Virginmedia box as freeview in another room, and I love having extra programmes to dip into when there's nothing else to watch.

I phoned VM and after much discussions and adding this and that to the package (have to have sports and movies), it worked out far more than we were paying for the SKy+, so it didn't seem sensible to switch, so we have ended up sticking with our current set-up.

I wouldn't go the other way and move my phone & broadband to Sky as you have to have a BT landline and I can't stand their extortionate line rental charges. I would never go back to BT.

croftg1

Ive just moved in to a new house so need to make a choice.
Im swaying towards Virgin for the £35 a month inc Line rental with 10mb BB, free weekend calls + medium TV the same package as spongerob500 above.

Is this the best deal out there at the moment or has sky or Bt got any better deals out there?

spongerob500

I would really like to stay with Virgin. Should I speak to customer services and tell them ive been offered a better deal with SKY and am thinking of leaving? If i were a new customer i would be getting a better deal than what im getting now.

donnac2558

spongerob500 wrote: »

I would really like to stay with Virgin. Should I speak to customer services and tell them ive been offered a better deal with SKY and am thinking of leaving? If i were a new customer i would be getting a better deal than what im getting now.

You need to speak to retentions and not the normal CS to be honest. Don't say you are leaving as they might just call your bluff. Just say what you have now and ask what can they do for you? Then mention what Sky are offering.