Virgin and Hyperoptic

[Anonymous]

Please could someone help me with this techy issue?

Given that the block does not have any TV aerial (and why does it not?!) how do people getting their broadband through Hyperoptic get ordinary TV? Obviously one can get Netflix and other internet based TV but what about ordinary old fashioned watch-as-it-comes-on TV? I asked the Hyperoptic rep when they were first installing and received a “who watches TV” reply which I thought highly unsatisfactory. However, I am now so fed up with poor service at great cost from Virgin that I am reconsidering my options.It’s a real pain that we are hostage to Virgin.

Any help and advice gratefully received.

[S Clifford]

I have hyperoptic and have been happy with their service. Inorder to get Freeview I have to have an indoor aerial for each TV which is not an ideal solution. Recently resorted to NOW TV to get a better reception. A TV aerial for the building would be great.

[Lorraine]

Hi Michele and Stephanie

I have an indoor aerial that works fine. As I am not at the flat very often not bothered about many channels and content with freeview. I use a mobile for broadband. However I know that as I am riverside on 4th floor we are lucky to get a decent signal. It depends where your flat is whether you will be lucky.

Lorraine

[Diane Ferguson]

I believe Virgin are currently upgrading all the connections in the building to improve their service.

Maybe we should have received a letter from Principia to inform us of this and how long it was going to take.

[Anonymous]

Many thanks to you all for your helpful replies. As we too are 4th floor riverside we might well try an indoor aerial but I agree that an update from Principia about Virgin would be helpful. Also a comment about the lack of an aerial for the block- I assume it is because of our listed status?

[Bob]

Just for a bit of background, when Globe Wharf was first developed, Cable and Wireless analogue cable TV and telephone connections were provided to each flat, in addition to BT telephone cabling. The basic TV service was free for a guaranteed ten years, residents could choose to upgrade the TV service with an (analogue) set-top box and take telephone services from BT or C&W. C&W morphed into NTL and eventually became Virgin. Virgin Digital services have only been available for the last twelve years or so, and until Hyperoptic arrived the only other choice have been services via BT, such as ADSL which is notoriously slow in this area. I was fortunate in that my work provided me with a commercial ISDN connection over the BT lines until Virgin Digital was available.
The deal with C&W meant the original developer did not need to provide a communal antenna or dish. I recall that, when it has been looked at subsequently, the high cost of cabling from a shared antenna to the flats has been the main issue – listed building issues were not the problem. Doubtless someone on here will recall the exact figures!
I’m currently using Hyperoptic with an Amazon Fire TV stick, and find that I can get all the ‘normal’ TV I’m interested in. It’s slightly fiddly switching between iPlayer, ITV hub and TV player (for C4 & C5 etc.) but fine for viewing quality.

[Anonymous]

How fascinating thank you. I always wondered what the weird defunct wall socket were!

[Author]

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