Sky+HD vs Virgin Media TiVo
Is it Sky+HD or Virgin Media TiVo that has the best picture quality? We find out with our exclusive tests
There’s a lot to consider in this article, even if you can’t receive all the channels on offer here. Around half of us in the UK have subscription TV services, and despite the increasing popularity of services such as Netflix and Lovefilm this number keeps on growing.
SKY
Sky is the best choice if you want the widest range of content and want to watch sports in HD; although if none of the big shows on Sky Atlantic appeal to you and you’re not interested in the widest range of HD sports, then Virgin Media has a largely identical content offering.
Its Sky+ HD box is excellent, though the £149 cost to get the larger capacity 2TB box is rather steep. Image quality from live broadcasts was consistently impressive, though Sky does produce a slightly softer-looking image than Virgin Media, although that’s largely a matter of personal taste. The quality of some of its catch-up content unarguably exceeds that of its competitors. Sky also has the best selection of apps and, if you’re willing to pay £5 a month, you can download Sky TV programmes to your mobile devices.
VIRGIN MEDIA
If you’re dead set on having a fast internet service, and can live without Sky Atlantic entirely and without Sky Sports 3 and 4 in HD, then Virgin Media is your best bet. Its packages are slightly cheaper than the Sky equivalents, especially when you consider that for the vast majority of people cable broadband services will prove far faster than even the quickest ADSL services. On top of this, Virgin Media includes HD, a second (playback-only) box and ESPN sports as part of its top packages, all extras you’d have to pay for with Sky.
The TiVo box itself is a marvel thanks to its three tuners and fairly large storage capacity – you get given the 1TB box for free with the pricier packages. The menu system is good, and we love the excellent search function, which helps you find everything you want to watch. Image quality is very sharp, again a matter of personal preference, though we prefer it marginally over Sky’s output. However, its on-demand content, when streamed online, pales in comparison to Sky’s.