Virgin Media is currently the only provider of cable television in the United Kingdom. They also operate a similar service in the Republic of Ireland.
Cable television is where the signals for the channels are transmitted via a special cable (separate to the telephone line), to a set top box connected to the viewers television set.
Virgin Media offer slightly less channels than Sky, but offer a much greater variety compared to Freeview or Freesat.
However, unlike satellite which has universal coverage, and terrestrial with a significant coverage, cable television is more restricted in its coverage area, and typically doesn’t cover rural areas. This is due to the significant amount of physical infrastructure required to deliver the service.
Packages Available
Unlike satellite and terrestrial platforms where there are free to air or free to view packages available, there are no free packages available for Virgin Media. There are a range of channel packages available for different prices. More details can be found on Virgin Media’s website.
Receivers
There are three generations of receiver/set top box in use, the latest TV360 box, an earlier V6 box, and the even earlier Tivo box. All are HD compatible as standard, and as these are the receivers in use, HD duplicates only exist where the HD version is in a higher subscription package.
Recording capabilities and access to on-demand services does vary depending on which receiver is being used, but all have access to at least some catch up services.