Virgin Media TiVo installed: First impressions + 53 days later
Following on from my orginal First Impressions post:
- Virgin really need to cut down on the number of button presses required to watch VOD content. Once an episode has been selected from the list of available episodes for a programme, it takes another 4 button presses to watch the episode (make that 8 if the episode requires you to enter your PIN first).
- Speaking of VOD, I don't think I've watched so much VOD content from Virgin before now. TiVo does an excellent job in exposing VOD content which, before now, would be hidden deep in VOD menus.
- Almost every series link I've created is configured to record in HD - I couldn't do that with V+ HD due to the lack of recording space.
- The invasion of Adverts has begun in the Discovery Bar.
- I continue to miss reminders. Heck, I forgot that the England vs. Switzerland football game was on, its a pity that my next-generation PVR didn't allow me to set a reminder for the game while other PVRs from Virgin, Sky, BT Vision etc have this functionality.
- So far, I've had to reset the box twice. Once on the day of the previous software update, and again last week. On both occassions, the box locked up when I attempted to view the 'My Shows' screen.
- Suggestions are becoming my favourite feature, its nice to come home from work and discover that TiVo has recorded TV which I actually like watching. But...
- ...there's a recording priority bug which results in cases of Suggestions being recorded instead of Series Links. Virgin are looking at fixing this and several other bugs.
- I really didn't give the Browse TV menu enough credit in my review. I would have missed several films I ended up recording if hadn't had a peek now and then in the films section. Of course, Wishlists are a great alternative for seeking out and recording content as well.
- My TiVo has slowed down a little, and it appears I'm not alone. Possible reasons for this include network congestion (with reports of performance increasing when the box is disconnected from the coaxial cable) and the inexplicable lack of data/image caching in the TiVo software. Endgadget noticed this in their review of the TiVo Premiere, which Virgin Media's TiVo is based on. Virgin need to get this issue resolved now that the cheaper 500Gb box is available for existing customers.
- I wish the programme start and end time showed up within the EPG.
4 comments:
I strongly agree about the lack of reminders. Really like the wish list function though. Works well & already picking up things for Glastonbury 2p011!
My main pain is still the constant prompts for the PIN. I'd also like the SD at 1080i interlacing problem resolved as my TV does a dramatic "ping" when switching between 720p and 1080i, even in the TiVo menus.
For me, the 1Tb drive is still the main plus point - my drive has whole seasons of Shadow Line and Injustice in HD stored for the barren summer evenings, not something I would have had with the V+.
I'm not sure of the Virgin TiVo has the same options, but I have a Series3 in the US and my Samsung DLP has a similar issue switching resolutions. There is a delay as it figures out the source resolution changed, then it flashes the whole screen, and eventually settles down. To fix this I set my TiVo to output 1080i only and let it do all of the scaling for 480i, 480p, & 720p content - and it works great. The TiVo sees only 1080i so it never has to re-sync, and the scaler in the TiVo is pretty darn good.
"I forgot that the England vs. Switzerland football game was on..."
Then how would you have known to set a reminder? And if you had known, you could have set it to record instead of just reminding you ;)
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