VirginMedia "V+ PVR" or "TIVO with standard STB"?

[mattwardmattward]

Hi,

I am about to subscribe to Virgin Media Cable.
I'm debating whether to get the V+ Box, or to order only a STB from VirginMedia and get a Tivo.

I would like to research the V+ box first. I know that they are supplying a Scientific Atlanta but could someone please tell me the exact product code (is it the 8300, 8300DVR, etc).

Has anyone else been in this dilemma - whether to use V+ PVR or "STB and TIVO"? If the Scientific Atlanta unit is the one that I think it is, it looks like an old fashioned bedside clock radio!?


Many thanks for any input!

Matt

[mikeyp]

I just went for the tivo/vbox mix, largely because I already had a tivo and absolutely love it. I'm going to keep it going for as long as possible (hopefully forever)

the disadvantage with tivo is you can only watch or record one thing at a time, never both. The V+ box however had 3? tuners, and so you can record two things and watch something else at the same time.

However the V+ box won't have some of the lovely features the tivo has, but if you don't have a tivo, or haven't used one before, you won't miss a lot by getting the V+ box.

[mikerr]

I am about to subscribe to Virgin Media Cable.
I'm debating whether to get the V+ Box, or to order only a STB from VirginMedia and get a Tivo.

I would like to research the V+ box first. I know that they are supplying a Scientific Atlanta but could someone please tell me the exact product code (is it the 8300, 8300DVR, etc).
It's based on the 8300DVB
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V+

Has anyone else been in this dilemma - whether to use V+ PVR or "STB and TIVO"? If the Scientific Atlanta unit is the one that I think it is, it looks like an old fashioned bedside clock radio!?

I have both a standard VM STB and a V+

Each of them is controlled by a tivo the only caveat being that you can't watch a V+ recording at the same time as tivo is recording something.
It has 3 tuners, and tivo will use the third "viewing" tuner.

Search on here for TVDrive, as that's what the V+ was originally called.


Basically the V+ is very similar to sky+ in its features and limitations:
Like sky+ it has no wishlists, or even any form of keyword search.
All recording is done by the tv guide.

Most annoying is the lack of a "Keep at most" equivilent, so if a channel decides to have a "simpsons day" your HDD will be full of simpsons, wiping out everything else :(
Up until recently a full disk would also stop recording new episodes(!),
but that behaviour can now be changed to deleting oldest recordings first.

[ptruman]

Which remote code are you using? None of the SA ones I've tried seem to behave, unless it's wand positioning...

[RichardJH]

My Pace stb and the V+ box respond to the same remote so it may be worth trying to set it up as a pace STB