Virgin Media packages tailored for you in 3 easy steps

Let’s face it, we all end up arguing over what to watch sooner or later. On Demand with Virgin Media TV lets you watch what you want, when you want it. It keeps a backlog of new and popular TV shows, as well as some classic TV hits from the past.

All Virgin Media TV packages include Catch up TV, a feature that lets you watch any show broadcasted in the last week from the BBC, ITV, Channel four and Demand 5. Virgin’s Movies On Demand service has a catalogue of 280 films and seven new monthly releases to keep you going, and they’re available in HD too.

If you choose Virgin TV XL you can augment your on demand service with Sky Anytime, or by including Sky Movies HD or Sky Sports.

Virgin Media TV’s premium channels are for those of you with specific tastes, who want to make sure that you’re accessing the best content out there. If you’re on a heavy sport diet for example, you can get the lot, including Sky Sports and ESPN, as well as dedicated boxing and racing channels.

Film buffs can subscribe to Sky’s Movie channels, and if you’re into your niche cinema you may be interested in French movie channel CineMoi.

If keeping the kids entertained that concerns you then you could also add Disney’s Cinemagic channel – which airs all the great Disney cartoons and movies. To handpick a Premium TV channel all you need to do is add it to your shopping basket when ordering your TV package.

You have a total choice of 175 channels to watch with Virgin Media TV. Unfortunately there’s no selection process in that allows you to select which channels you get in each package (that would be cool thought right?). The choice boils down to selecting either a medium sized package TV M+, TV L or just getting the lot with TV XL.

You will be able to choose whether you view in 3D or crisp 1080p HD, and naturally the classic format is available if you’re the traditional sort. Your selection of channels is all important, and with options like TiVo you won’t miss any shows. All in all there is nothing you can miss with Virgin Media TV, as long as you make sure that you choose the right package.

Believe it or not installation is no big deal. Once you’ve found your perfect package and added your extras, all you need to do is pick a day for the Virgin Media guy to come around (NB - they’re not all guys).

You have a choice of two set top boxes to go in your living room either the TiVo box which will let you pause, rewind and record or the V HD Box which will sort you out with 3D or HD television.

The expert engineer will bring everything that’s needed (except the television). Installation takes about half an hour. A small box is fitted at the front of your house with a cable to connect you up. You can book time slots between 8 and 1 during the week and 10-2 or 1-6 at weekends. They’ll hook you up with phone, television and broadband with very little fuss. All you need to do is open the door, although you might want to offer them a cup of tea as well, just to be nice.

Most sports channels come as a premium with Virgin media TV packages. If you choose TV M+ or TV L then you will have to pay an additional cost. This will be higher if you add ESPN to the mix. If you opt for the XL package, however, then ESPN is included in the price.

Boxing fans can also get access to BoxNation (no explanation required) and Sky Box Office is also available, very handy for big one off sport events, like more World Title fights and wrestling. If you enjoy staking a few bob on the GG’s Racing UK won’t bring you any extra luck but you’ll be aware of those wins all the sooner for having it.

If you decide you need any of these channels after having Virgin Media TV installed then adjusting your package is quick and easy to do online. And you do not need to take a fixed contract out on Sky Sports – this means that you can just pay for the months you want rather than having to pay all year round just to watch your team five times. Bargain.

If who watches what is a constant source of contention in your house, then the Virgin Media Player will be a bit of a godsend.

Essentially, it takes the ‘what you want, when you want’ aspect of Virgin On Demand and adds ‘where you want’ to the package. You’ll be able to stream television and watch your favourite shows on portable devices like laptops, iPads and even smart phones. So when it comes to ‘Match of the Day’ time, if you must relinquish the television, you can carry on watching your show on a computer.

There’s so much more to Virgin Media Player than that though. It grants you television access via the internet, so you can download movies and shows to a laptop and take your entertainment with you. With this added to your Virgin Media TV package, you can build playlists, pause and rewind as you wish. It’s a form of TiVo that you can take with you.

A bespoke Virgin Media TV package can be tailored for all you movie buffs out there. Even the basic channel selection includes FilmFour HD and Movies 24. You can also add on any and all of the Sky Movie channels through the Sky Movies Collection.

You have a selection of two Sky Movies bundles. Sky Movies 1 is a general selection excellent for family viewing, it will also give you access to Modern Greats, Sky Movies Classics, Drama and Romance. If thrillers or action/adventure movies are more your thing then go for Sky Movies 2, this choice has more niche viewing like Sky Comedy and Sky Indie channels thrown in to the mix.

It’s also possible to buy a bundle of Sky Movies and Sky Sports. If you’ve got the TV for it you may as well get Sky Premium HD, so you can be entertained in the best way possible. Virgin Media TV also offers channels for Disney, foreign language film, including French movie channels, and the latest from Bollywood.

TV M+ is the smallest television package Virgin Media have to offer. It will give you 75 channels to watch, so it’s not as if the selection is scanty, and you can always add a choice of premium channels on top of the TV M+ channels.

If you choose TV M+ you’ll get TV Catch Up free, this will let you watch previously aired shows on BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and 5. If you’re just beginning to consider HD then a TV M+ Virgin Media TV package can give you 6 free HD channels at no extra cost.

It’s well worth considering some of the extras Virgin have to offer if you’re thinking of buying a TV M+ package, they also offer TiVo activation at a discount as well as deals with your phone line.The channels available with the TV M+ package also include all the ones you usually get with Freeview like FilmFour (available in HD), News channels and over 30 entertainment channels.

Virgin’s TV L package, we assume the L stands for large, gives you a grand total of 115 channels, more than enough to be getting on with.

It includes some of the most popular kid’s channels, popular viewing like Sky 1, and some of the best documentary channels and a few other choice selections.

With TV L you can opt for PictureBox movies, which is similar to Box Office. It costs an extra fiver a month, but it lets you watch up to 28 new movies a month including some of the latest blockbusters as well as those Hollywood classics. You can also add Premium channels to your TV L package, allowing you to watch Sky Sports and Sky movies if you so wish.

A Virgin Media TV XL package will put as many as 175 channels at your disposal, including 23 crystal clear high definition channels.

You get the entire spectrum with TV XL including movies, news, kids’ entertainment and documentary channels such as National Geographic. Sports fans will be pleased to hear that TV XL also comes with ESPN, showing live Barclays Premier League football.

When ordering TV XL you will also receive access to TV Choice on Demand, BBC iPlayer, ITV Net Player and 4oD, which are great for making sure you can access to all the latest soaps and dramas at a time that suits you.