Virgin Media TiVo installed: First impressions

• My install took the best part of 2 hours, the 1st box installed was faulty and the 2nd box wasn't using the correct IP address to download the TiVo software. Once all that was sorted, it was time to play!
• Wow, the TiVo is small compared to my TV Drive/V+ HD.
• Speaking of which, Virgin offered to re-locate my V+ HD for no extra install charge and no monthly charge. Needless to say, I gladly accepted their offer. A few customers on Cable Forum have reported being offered this offer, but there doesn't seem to be any consistency regarding what kind of customer gets contacted by Virgin for this 'free multi-room' offer.
• I guess I need to write a 'forgive me please?' letter for my V+HD.
• I had a surreal moment a few minutes after the install, when TiVo thought that BBC 1 was an adult channel and insisted on me entering the PIN in order to watch the 1pm News.
• The Standard-Definition picture from my TiVo is a little bit softer compared to the SD pictures delivered by my V+HD (this is on my Samsung 40" C650 TV).
• As for High-Definition picture quality? Maybe just a little bit better compared to the V+ HD.
• Wishlists truly rock! I wasn't able to create series links for the new seasons of Warehouse 13 and Haven because their not being shown in the next 2 weeks - but I was able to set up Wishlists to record future episodes of those programmes.
• Its a little jarring to go from a HD user-interface screen, to a SD user interface screen while using TiVo. The Home screen for instance, is in HD but the page for editing Wishlists is in SD and doesn't look great by comparison.
• At the moment, the majority of 'new' premiere dates for programmes are based on the USA premiere airdate. Hence the default for recording being 'New & Reruns'. This isn't as bad as it sounds because TiVo won't record an episode if its already been recorded within 28 days of its broadcast, thus keeping the chances of duplicate recordings to a minimum. In the mean time, hopefully, Tribune (who supply the EPG data for Virgin) will get the premiere dates issue sorted out.
• As customers have posted recently on Cable Forum, there seems to be an issue of VOD content not showing up from 'Search & Browse' searches. For example, I could locate Smallville manually in TV Choice On Demand, but searching for Smallville from 'Search & Browse' only gives me the option to watch it live or create a Series Link.
• Actually, no, I take that back, I was just able to search for NCIS and watch an episode from VOD. And now, a search for Smallville locates VOD episodes. I guess the TiVo was downloading more data in the background as I was typing. Either that, or its watching what I type.
• There are times when using TiVo, that you come across too many screens while attempting to do certain things. For instance, I've located an episode of Smallville to watch from VOD. There's one screen which gives you the single option to 'Watch Now', that's followed by another screen which has the single option of 'Play'. Why the extra screen? Shouldn't 'Watch Now' play the episode?
• I couldn't wait to give 3 thumbs down for The X-Factor! I'll give it 6 thumbs down if I could!
• So far, the performance of my TiVo has been excellent. Nice and speedy.
• I gave 2 thumbs up for the underated NCIS (the superior original, not the inferior NCIS Los Angeles) and, I'll give TiVo its due, the Discovery Bar was updated with CSI, Burn Notice, Cold Case, and yes - NCIS Los Angeles.
• Any doubts I had regarding inferior video quality from the BBC iPlayer app not using the legacy VOD streams have been blown away. I watched EastEnders in HD from the app (purely for research purposes, honestly!) and the picture quality was superb. But what about the audio? That (according to my amp) was PCM 48Khz - I don't know if EastEnders was broadcast on BBC HD/Legacy VOD in 5.1 or not.
• A shame that, for now anyway, you can't watch any BBC iPlayer content directly from the Catch-Up EPG. I suspect that the change in the BBC's syndication policy pulled the rug underneath Virgin's plans to do that. However, you can watch some VOD from ITV, C4 and Channel Five directly from the EPG. I say 'some', because on occasion, you'll get directed to the Catch-Up Menu instead of directly being able to play the content you selected.
• Being able to buffer content on all three tuners (and rewind any of them) is, well, cool. I can see that being very useful for sports fans if for instance, Sky Sports 1 & 2 are simultaneously showing live football games on the final day of the season. Watching SS1 and missed a goal on SS2? No worries, switch to that tuner and rewind, sorted.
• Nice - unlike the V+, you can watch Delayed TV while accessing the TV Guide and other menus. Heck, you can even watch VOD content while accessing the Guide.
• The TiVo is a quiet, little, powerful box. Its just sits there, watching you watching it, while it silently adds a thumbs up you anything you record, constantly on the prowl for suggestions you'd like and Wishlisted content to record (if you let it). If it and the thousands of other installed TiVos ever develop Skynet-like intelligence, and decides to give the Human Race 3 thumbs down, were so fracked.
• How polite of the TiVo to ask me if it was OK to switch a tuner over to Watch to record an episode of No Ordinary Family. Now, here's the thing: Why did it ask me in the first place? Nothing else was being recorded at the time.
• The assignment of EPG categories to channels needs some work. For instance, the HD category reveals the Sky Sports HD channels, but the Sports category doesn't. This is the same EPG limitation as on the legacy V+ HD, could have sworn it would be fixed for TiVo.
• The Discovery Bar is great, and context sensitive. Add the cast information and you've got the closest thing to IMDB on your TV. For instance, I did a search for Gossip Girl (again, purely for research purposes) and the Discovery Bar had an entry for cast member Leighton Meester. You can then view what other shows she's been in, right down to individual episodes, like Series 2 Episode 20 of Numbers. Or, a better example - you can search for Smallville, select Laura Vandervoort from the cast info, and oh, what's this? She's in V and I can watch that from VOD? Excellent!
• Virgin, as a fan of live sport, I beg you, please add reminder functionality. It won't harm anyone who believes that everything should be recorded, will it? At least then I'll have the choice, like I have on my V+ HD. If England are playing football and they score a goal, I want to watch it as close to live as possible, not 30 minutes ago or even 30 seconds ago via time-shifting/recording.
• Channel-changing speed looks the same to me, compared to my TV Drive/V+ HD.
• I had to reset my TiVo before the channel logos appeared in the EPG. And they look good.
• Yes, its worth every penny, especially if Virgin offer you free multi-room. Even if they don't, TiVo is in a different league to any previous STB supplied by Virgin. One of the installers mentioned that Virgin were only expecting around 2,000 pre-registration requests - so far its 65,000, I can see why. Don't forget that the more affordable Baby TiVo is on its way next month for existing customers.