As first hinted at last month (here), broadband and TV provider Virgin Media (O2) has now begun the process of rolling out the latest firmware update (v5.21) for their TV 360 and STREAM platforms (set-top-boxes). The change introduces a new search feature and some smaller changes / fixes, but nothing major.
The key change this time around includes enhanced search functionality, which uses small image previews (tiles) on its results instead of a text heavy display (pictured – top). The update also appears to introduce a few minor graphical changes to the onscreen programme guide, and they added a few extra details on the WiFi settings page (e.g. RSSI signal strength, channels used etc.).
Some further details on this were released earlier in the month (here), but it looks like customers will have to wait a bit longer for a major feature update to arrive.
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You would have thought VM would have made their streaming boxes available to non Virgin broadband customers in the same way Sky makes their stream/glass platform available to non Sky broadband customers. Bit of corporate psychosis methinks.
VM has the (expensive) luxury of owning and managing its entire network. This not only enables VM to pretty much guarantee quality of service, it’s very possible that VM’s carriage deals with content owners require distribution of content only by VM’s network, thus delivering quality and simultaneously avoiding the cannibalisation from other platforms such as Sky Stream and NOW. Of course VM loves bundling its broadband with its Pay TV (and phone if possible), thus encouraging customers to stay with it.
Trouble with that by all accounts their Pay TV base is in decline, can they afford to be that fussy?
Virgin have been ripping off my 95 year old mum for years, I tried contacting them on her behalf but got absolutely no help at all. So be warned Virgin are not to be trusted.
In what way ripping off your mum, I have to say if I have to call Virgin I go for the option of I’m thinking of leaving they have been alright with me?