Media services

[Steve]

By which I mean phone, internet and TV.

I was toying with the idea of VOIP earlier, but then realised something. I'm paying line rental for the broadband line anyway! And I dont call enough people for it to be worth paying another £4 a month to a VOIP service - I have a mobile phone with more free minutes than BT give!

Then I went to virgin's website, where they advertise triple bundles. The thing with their TV service is that I've always used Sky and thus would have to get used to a different way of watching TV. And under all their prices it said "when you take a Virgin phone line for £11.99 a month" - I gather this is in addition to the triple bundle.

BT charge £15 a month just for broadband! Because they give a "free" home hub to all their customers. Its not free, its included in the monthly line rental, so in reality you'll pay for it many times over if you stay with them permenantly. What a con. I'm on O2 mobile phone, and can get home broadband for £7.50 a month from them.

In my house is a virgin tv and phone outlet, and a BT outlet, AND a sky dish. I dont fancy anything from Sky, to be honest, they seem to rip people off.

Whats Freesat like? I would like HD TV. I'm currently thinking about freesat HD (until I get bored and want more channels), BT phone and O2 broadband.

Christ, this is confusing!!

 

[conny]

Got XL TV, XL Broadband and Freecall Anytime to landlines and Virgin Mobiles at the moment. Getting 2 more boxes installed on Saturday, one of which is a V+ box meaning we will be able to get HD programmes for free on that particular TV and it has the other gubbins as well, you know, pause live, record, rewind, catch-up etc.
The whole shibang will cost £70 a month and that includes the £11.99 line rental. XL TV package includes every channel in the list and B/B is reputed to be up to 20 mb or 50 mb, not sure which.
Either way I'm happy with it. (and no stupid flying saucer stuck on the roof or outside wall. )

Forgot to say, by unplugging the V+ box from the lounge I can swap it with any of the other 2 boxes to get HD stuff in those rooms instead.

 

[Deluks]

Only media professionals who work from home, and DVD pirates need the fastest broadband. All the other users are just wanting the fastest possible connection because they somehow think they will benefit from it. Waste of money IMO.
I have no need for 6million channels, freeview has a reasonable choice and catch up tv (virgin) lets me browse the past weeks shows for when I can't find something to watch. If I'm really stuck and want to watch a movie I'll just trot down to asda and pick up a dvd for £3, or pull out a tv box set, with the 18 hours of bonus material spread over 7 DVD's! and if I still can't find something to watch. that's my cue to get off my arse and do something productive.
With a good mobile contract, is a landline even necessary these days?

 

[Steve]

With a good mobile contract, is a landline even necessary these days?

Yes, for broadband, unless you have virgin, and even then, for the best rate you need a tel. line with them, but its the same price as BT, so might as well, just in case. Comes in handy for 0800 calls.

 

[Bodgeitandleggit]

I used to have the full sky package plus multi room for about £70 a month phone line from BT extra...switched to virgin with the super duper package of TV-BB and telephone line line ---semmed cheap at first but the prices seemed to get highger and higher..anyhow went back to bt for phone line(which I hardly use) and BB and got free hub, thought about getting sky again but I only watch about 10% of it as most of it is rubbish so right now i am on freeview and that will do for now as I dont watch much tv anyhow