Virgin TV V6 4K: Everything you need to know. What do you get with Virgin TV’s new V6 4K service, how does it compare to Sky Q, and is it good value for money? Here’s our complete Virgin TV V6 4K guide.
If you’re a Virgin customer, or thinking of becoming one, the latest Virgin TV V6 streaming box is the best way to experience everything on offer at its best.
The Virgin TV V6 is Virgin Media’s first true 4K set-top box, with multiple tuners and the ability to offer HDR quality pictures. The box has arrived to take on the competition from the likes of Sky which offers its Sky Q with multi-room viewing.
So what does the Virgin Media V6 box offer that may tempt you to try Virgin Media over the alternatives? Here’s what you need to know.
Read next: Virgin V6 vs Sky Q, what’s the difference?
Virgin TV V6 is 4K and HDR ready
Until now, Virgin Media topped out with its TiVo box which was, by comparison to the new offering, limited. Now the TV V6 has upgraded that in every way.
The TV V6 is smaller by half, it’s faster and it’s packed with more TV tuners so you can watch and record more 4K HDR content at the same time.
Sky Q still doesn’t offer HDR content with 4K UHD resolutions as its main appeal. While there isn’t a lot of 4K content and even less for HDR, plenty should be coming soon.
Broadcast HDR is expected to come soon, in the form of Hybrid Log Gamma as shown off by the BBC. When this arrives Virgin says its box will be ready to decode and transmit the 4K and HDR content to compatible TVs.
Virgin TV V6 can play more at once
Thanks to the eight tuners in the TV V6 box, you’re able to record up to six programs at once while watching others.
Since the system works as a multi-room offering, this amount of storage and recording options can be expanded by adding more boxes. This even applies to the older TiVo boxes so it’s worth hanging onto those when you upgrade if you want to watch and record shows in different rooms.
Virgin TV V6 is faster and has more capacity
The new Virgin TV V6 box has a 1TB storage capacity as standard. This is plenty big but can be extended as we said above thanks to extra boxes. So if you add another box to another room, your capacity will double to 2TB.
The key here is that you can record a show on one box but then play it back on another in a different room. So the storage is truly an expansion rather than just extra hard drives in separate rooms.
The speed of Virgin’s box has also been improved thanks to better processing. As a result, apps should open far faster than before. This was also needed to make sure the box can download and stream the high quality 4K and HDR content that it’s capable of playing.
The Virgin TV V6 remote is smarter
The new remote for the Virgin TV V6 box uses RF meaning it won’t have to be pointed at the box to work. Yup, you can now hide the box away in a cupboard and the remote will still work just fine.
Should you lose the V6 remote, as you inevitably will, there’s a “find my remote” option. Tap the button on the V6 box and your remote will cry out with a beep that helps you dig in the right part of the sofa, where it’s no doubt hiding.
How much is the Virgin TV V6 box?
You can snap up a new Virgin TV V6 box by subscribing to a Virgin Media bundle. Up front you’ll need to pay a one-off fee of five pence under £100 then pay the bundle price you pick.
What is the Virgin TV TellyTablet and Virgin TV Anywhere app?
As part of the new multi-platform push Virgin also has a tablet you can buy that’s made to work with your setup, this is called the TV TellyTablet.
The tablet features a 14-inch HD screen and built-in stand, so it can be used to watch your content all over the home. This features an 8-hour battery, four speaks, 32GB storage, two USB ports and Wi-Fi. Bought seperately this’ll set you back £299.
The Virgin TV Anywhere app is available on Android and iOS which turns your mobile into a remote control but also offers access to TV and on demand content via your TiVo box over Wi-Fi or mobile broadband. So that means you can watch directly, via the app anywhere, or via your home Wi-Fi streamed from the box itself.
Virgin also has a TV Kids app incoming with shows, games books and more for the little ones. There will also be a Virgin Media Store to offer movies that can be bought which will also be sent in the post in DVD format too.
Leave a Reply