Coming Soon to Virgin TV

[Felim_Doyle]

Originally Posted by 12noon

Lets hope they get the HD channels for the first part of 2009. I'd pay an extra tenner now if they could add the HD channels for the new year.

You are setting your sights too low nooner! You should be hoping that Santa will bring you some HD movie channels on Christmas Eve! That way, maybe you'll have some hope of them being delivered by the Easter Bunny!

[dsmuk]

Originally Posted by braysoj1

i have just been looking on wikapedia and it says these channels are testing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_on_Virgin_TV


Channels that are testing
EPG No. ↓ Channel Name ↓ Notes ↓ Owner/parent company

200 Nuts TV Tests of 3 new Transport Streams Virgin Media

Nuts TV is closing down on Freeview and Sky in the new year, why would they be about to launch on Virgin for only a few weeks?

[lemarsh]

According to BBC News, there is a press conference tomorrow morning from Virgin to announce 50Mbps - what is the chance this could be a double offering (although broadband only being announced) - and offering what we appear to want most - more HD - and in time for Christmas please.

[moroboshi]

Originally Posted by lemarsh

According to BBC News, there is a press conference tomorrow morning from Virgin to announce 50Mbps - what is the chance this could be a double offering (although broadband only being announced) - and offering what we appear to want most - more HD - and in time for Christmas please.

I'd say no chance. Virgin have been working on the 50mbit rollout for a long time now. They wouldn't want to dilute the media's focus.

[Horizon]

Here are a few titbits of news from the UBS media conference on Thursday which was attended by VM's CEO Neil Berkett:

Berkett said 4 HD channels will launch in the next 3 months. He did not say what they will be.

Berkett said 2mb will be upgraded sometime during 2009, to a unspecified speed. He wants all VM's broadband services to be above the average ADSL speeds.

Berkett confirmed he has now had access to Sky's HD channels for a few months, where as previously they were "locked up" by Sky. But not a price he considers reasonable, hence the ongoing review by Ofcom which he believes will find in VM's favour. Berkett stated that the key to HD is sports and movies.

(As I've said before, if VM can get HD channels at a price it likes, it will get them. Clearly what has changed now is that VM now has access to Sky's HD channels and all HD which Sky had previously controlled and wouldn't allow VM access to. But the sticking point, as always, is price. HD is a key subscription driver and Sky will not relinquish this competitive advantage easily.)

Despite what Berkett said, he still does not consider HD a priority. (Perhaps he will when its cheap enough...) He confirmed that once analogue is shut down, VM will have the capacity for 30-40+ HD channels. But as he has said before, VM is still concentrating on its broadband and on demand services where VM can compete more effectively. Although Berkett said that should the market change, he can alter things within 3-6 months to get more HD channels if need be.

Despite what a investor slide said and I've mentioned before, 10mb will not go onto the DOCSIS 3 platform, only 20mb will move onto it and then the 2mb should start to be upgraded around the same time.

Berkett also said that technically DOSCIS 3 is not launching on Monday, that will follow in the new year. What is launching tomorrow is a wideband service. It can only be called DOSCIS 3 when the upstream channels are bonded which VM don't have the capability to do just yet.

[Hom3r]

on post 892 it says that ITV & C4 HD are testing on channels 164 & 165, on my V+ that is Diva & +1, im on NTL/Langley.

Why should I pay extra for HD channels? I subscribe to the Premium channels Plus I pay extra for a V+ box.

Also terrestrial HD channels BBC, ITV etc. should be free anyway.

[Stephen]

Originally Posted by lemarsh

According to BBC News, there is a press conference tomorrow morning from Virgin to announce 50Mbps - what is the chance this could be a double offering (although broadband only being announced) - and offering what we appear to want most - more HD - and in time for Christmas please.

No tomorrow will be for the 50MB and nothing else.

[OLD BOY]

Originally Posted by Hom3r

on post 892 it says that ITV & C4 HD are testing on channels 164 & 165, on my V+ that is Diva & +1, im on NTL/Langley.

Why should I pay extra for HD channels? I subscribe to the Premium channels Plus I pay extra for a V+ box.

Also terrestrial HD channels BBC, ITV etc. should be free anyway.

The terrestrial HD channels undoubtedly will be free, just as BBC HD is today.

It is up to you whether you pay to receive Sky's HD channels, you don't have to take them. Sky have every right to charge for these, but I understand they are considering dropping that charge.

---------- Post added at 20:46 ---------- Previous post was at 20:45 ----------

Originally Posted by Horizon

Here are a few titbits of news from the UBS media conference on Thursday which was attended by VM's CEO Neil Berkett:

Berkett said 4 HD channels will launch in the next 3 months. He did not say what they will be.

Berkett said 2mb will be upgraded sometime during 2009, to a unspecified speed. He wants all VM's broadband services to be above the average ADSL speeds.

Thanks for the information, Horizon. I knew that 15 HD channels by Christmas was too good to be true!

[Media Boy UK]

Originally Posted by Horizon

Here are a few titbits of news from the UBS media conference on Thursday which was attended by VM's CEO Neil Berkett:

Berkett said 4 HD channels will launch in the next 3 months. He did not say what they will be...

Thanks for the news.

When Virgin add them they will be the following:
Channel 4 HD

And maybe:
ITV HD
Sci-Fi HD
MTVNHD
Discovery HD
FX HD
Eurosport HD
National Geographic Channel HD
History HD
Crime & Investigation Network HD
Bio.HD
Disney Cinemagic HD

NOTE: Sky1 HD may not appear on Virgin until they sign an deal for Sky Sports and Sky Movies HD Channels.

The channels on this list are testing in Ex-CW areas - ALL with no video.

BICS1
BICS2
BICS3
BICS4
BICS5
BICS6
BICS7
BICS8
BICS9
BICS10
Five
Five
Five AD
Five AD


And the final list update of 2008 will be online later this week...

[cupcakes aka dd]

Those HD channels listed above will do me fine. Sky can keep theirs. I'll have them all please in time for Christmas. (wishing).

[cablestrider]

that's just what i was thinking! I'd much rather see the above than the sky ones..

[cupcakes aka dd]

In fact I could get quite fired up about that line up!

[demented]

Woo! Nice find. Finally some confirmation. Hopefully Neil Berkett will be a man of his word and we'll get them by 15th February 2009 and they'll be proper Linear ones not some vod definition of a "channel". Why he says we have two I don't know either (perhaps he counts vod as a channel). Shame we couldn't have them in december, there are some kickarse films on ITV HD and C4HD in the run up to Christmas and the New Year.

[Andrewcrawford23]

hay anyone want to let me know when a 2nd hd channel launched

Communications conference, Berkett said that it would be launching four new HD channels (to complement the existing two) over the next three months.

http://www.hdtvuk.tv/2008/12/virgin_media_lo.html#more

[virginruinedntl]

i'd like to know what the 2nd HD channel is too!

Wish they told us what the 4 HD channels were already, if channel4hd, itvhd, eurosport were added i'd be very happy, if i had to pick another it would be either FXHD or DiscoveryHD.