View Full Version : Why is Telewest / Virgin cable TV so slow and sluggish to use?
I have had the misfortune to use Telewest/Virgin cable for the past few years, whilst I think the internet is largely fine, the TV experience is very frustrating.
The GUI is just so slow and sluggish to respond to button presses on the remote, and its absolutely driving me mad, it takes between 3 - 6 seconds to change channel, which doesnt sound like much, but when you want to channel skip, its just a nightmare.
Is this the same for everyone?
More of a hardware issue..
Moving
The GUI is just so slow and sluggish to respond to button presses on the remote, and its absolutely driving me mad, it takes between 3 - 6 seconds to change channel, which doesnt sound like much, but when you want to channel skip, its just a nightmare.
Is this the same for everyone?
Nope, it can be sluggish, but 3-6 seconds? There's something wrong with the box at a guess. When I say sluggish, it's not instant, but not enough of a delay to time it roughly.
Is the box well ventilated? Have had occasional problems if it gets too hot.
They have started fitting new (tiny silver) Samsung box's now.
These are quicker at changing channels than the old large black plastic models.
The TV-Drive (now known as the V+ Box) is terribly slow though. which has been speculated is due to the HDD recording live all the time, and just the way it works.
Nope, it can be sluggish, but 3-6 seconds? There's something wrong with the box at a guess. When I say sluggish, it's not instant, but not enough of a delay to time it roughly.
Is the box well ventilated? Have had occasional problems if it gets too hot.
3 seconds is about the minimum, but it often takes a lot longer.
I go around my friend's houses where they have Sky, and its amazing as you press the change channel button and its done instantly!
I fail to see why cable can't be the same.
But yes, my box is one of the big "Pace" plastic jobbies.
Its useless isnt it. When you skip fast down the channels they keep going and you fly right past the ones you want. But then I hate virginmedia with a vengeance (and not just because the box is crap)
Nathan Adler
05-08-2007, 10:08
They have started fitting new (tiny silver) Samsung box's now.
These are quicker at changing channels than the old large black plastic models.
The TV-Drive (now known as the V+ Box) is terribly slow though. which has been speculated is due to the HDD recording live all the time, and just the way it works.
Well I've got a Samsung box and I still find it very sluggish on channel changing. I also occasionally get a warning appearing on screen saying the smart card is not inserted correctly, which then disappears after a few seconds???:thinking:
EchoLeader
05-08-2007, 10:32
Its useless isnt it. When you skip fast down the channels they keep going and you fly right past the ones you want. But then I hate virginmedia with a vengeance (and not just because the box is crap)
Mine does the same. I've got a Samsung box, had it a year or so now, still comes up with NTL:Home when you reset it before it goes to Virgin Media. It was better than the very old Pace box we had but still sluggish and unresponsive at times and does that fly-past-the-channel thing when it catches up your button presses.
I find resetting it every so often helps a little bit, but I don't think I should have to...
zantarous
05-08-2007, 11:39
Over the years I have had lots of boxes from NTL and some have been dead quick and one took about 9 seconds to change channel which I found unaceptable. Call them up and they will swap it out.
However since they have put the Virgin software on these older boxes they have become really unresponsive so I upgraded to a V+ box and it so much quicker. Still takes a while to change channel but that is cause it has to delete its current recording, I beleieve Sky+ has a similar problem.
Still takes a while to change channel but that is cause it has to delete its current recording, I beleieve Sky+ has a similar problem.
No, Sky+ and SKY HD are pretty much instant at changing channels
They have started fitting new (tiny silver) Samsung box's now.
These are quicker at changing channels than the old large black plastic models.
The TV-Drive (now known as the V+ Box) is terribly slow though. which has been speculated is due to the HDD recording live all the time, and just the way it works.
My Tivo HDD is recording all the time and that responds much much quicker than my V+ box.
Its just a poor combination of Hardware/software.
danielsesay
12-08-2007, 19:52
Where I'm lodging at the moment has a V+ box and it's *****. Takes ages to change channels and it's a nightmare flicking through the on-screen Now and Next banner. My dad's HDD DCT box in the US records TV constantly like the V+ but doesn't have any of the problems V+ has.
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