Stream Puck Absolutely Dire!

[scgf]

For a few months I've had a Virgin Media Stream box. It's rather nice albeit a little undepowered. It does frame rate matching and the interface is very smooth and well laid out.

I also have an Apple TV 4K (although I only have a 1080p panel), It is definitely not underpowered and is lightning fast in everything it does. The big disadvantage for me is that is that some catch-up services are standard definition only - in partucler Channel 5.

On Wednesday Openreach FTTP (full fibre) went live so I thought I'd ditch Virgin Media Broadband and go with a 500Mbit connection with PlusNet. This means I'd lose the Virgin Media Stream service because it's tied to their broadband. I ordered a Sky Stream puck which I've been playing with for some hours. As a user of Apple TV, VM Stream, FireTV and Google TV I thought my feelings might help someone.

In a nutshell the Sky Stream puck is really, really awful. Even the basics like scrolling through the menus is not smooth - setting the judder toggle makes no difference. The picture quality is OK, but on some channels (Sky in particular) it looks like what you'd expect HD to look like on a really cheap panel - digital artifacts, over sharpening and lack of detail across the board. Remember it's not my kit - all the other devices looks much better. I really think Virgin Media has done a good job with their Arris-based stream box. The interface is slick, smooth and generally more intuitive. Picture quality is better (though I don't have Sky channels on it to compare). The big disadvantage is that it will only work on Virgin Media broadband. If I could switch to Plusnet and keep my VM Stream box I'd do so in an instant.

I just spoke to a very helpful Sky CS rep who cancelled the package with immediate effect.

[SlenderRobert]

@scgf 

Sadly, I agree with much of what you say. 

Sky Stream is absolutely fine for many people. It's functional (most of the time) but you are absolutely correct in saying that it is a much slower and clunkier experience when compared to other streaming devices. But the hardware is cheaper - that's the difference. 

Virgin Stream limit their hardware to one per household don't they? That presumably means it's more expensive to manufacture and has better, faster components inside. Sky are pretty much giving their pucks away now... and then asking for them back when you cancel. 

I also agree that the Sky Stream picture quality is over-rated. Lots of people on here will claim that it's the best image quality they've ever seen. It's better than Sky Q, yes, but better than everything else? No.

[Anonymous]

I have virgin stream, sky stream and Apple TV. 

The virgin stream box in my opinion has been produced at a lower price than the sky stream box. Where virgin win is the fact that they have their own broadband network and have clearly prioritised the box to work with this.  

I also prefer the UI on the virgin box, although this is simply horizon Software that has been used for a few years within their 360 boxes. 

The Apple TV box in terms of hardware is an unfair comparison, it is expensive to produce and purchase, the processing power that sits within the 4k version is crazy. 

I think the issue that Sky have had with the stream box, is that it wasn't developed by sky, it was made for Comcast in the  USA and was made for a price. I firmly believe that if sky had been in control of the production and design when they were not owned by Comcast it would have been a better specced box in terms of processing power. 

Stick with sky - they will get it right 

[scgf]

The hardware of the VM Stream box is better than the Sky puck - you can tell when moving around the interface, it is slick, there is no judder and apps launch faster than on the Sky puck. I don't see how Virgin can make it better by 'prioritising' it on their network. It is an IP based streamer and doesn't use the  traditional cable TV service. Prioritising a device merely allocates a guaranteed chunk of bandwidth, there's no way that could make the interface slicker. There is no issue with either box in terms of actual streaming - no buffering at all on either. I have a 500Mbit broadband service and there's no need to prioritise any device.

[Anonymous]

The apps don't load any quicker in my experience. There are also far few apps, no Apple TV or Paramount plus. 

I am no technical expert but virgin utilise the fact that they have their own broadband with their stream box. This is why the time delay as an example is far less on the stream box on live broadcasts. Sky stream box is about 30 seconds behind Virgin stream on sky sports.  If you are not happy, then is there not a cooling off period with your new broadband ? You always have the option of going back to virgin media. 

[scgf]

OK. We clearly disagree. The Virgin Media Stream would work perfectly well on any broadband service but VM has chosen to only allow it to work on their own broadband. That's a marketing decision. Nothing whatsoever with performance or functionality.  It's odd that we both have the Sky and VM Stream pucks but see things very differently. For me the VM Stream box is much better than the Sky Stream puck, for you it's the reverse. Interesting. Out of interest, how and why do you have both? 

[Anonymous]

How: I have virgin media broadband so I am permitted to have virgin stream as you were. I pay £25 a month for 500 Meg broadband. This includes three virgin Wi-Fi podss (plume system) which gives my home a Wi-Fi mesh. On top of this I get O2 priority.  This includes the basic virgin stream price.

Why: I am in to tech and like the flexibility of what virgin stream offers. It doesn't cost me anything for the basic virgin stream, the main reason I have it, is the cost of BT Sport. The cost on virgin stream is £10 a month for all the channels and BT Sport ultimate.

Although I have sky whole home and do have two pucks, I have tinkered with the idea of cancelling this and therefore saving £12 a month and using the virgin stream as the second viewing device.

What you should have done is kept virgin broadnand and stream, until you had fully tried sky stream. Why did you move from Virgin broadand. What have you gained from leaving virgin broadband to Plusnet, which is the budget brand of BT?

[scgf]

I didn't. I've ordered FTTP from plusnet but the earliest date I can get an engineer to install it is four weeks away. I could easily cancel it and stay with VM - but I'm not going too choose my broadband based on the TV service offered. The Apple TV does what I need and I don't want the Sky channels - the Sky Stream puck forces then onto you. The only thing missing from Apple TV (for me) is Channel 5 in HD. I subscribe to ITVX so I get all the ITV channels in HD through that service. 

[Anonymous]

@scgf @One last thing you say that Virgin Stream would work perfectly on any ISP? How do you know this, or are you making a presumption. Virgin stream needs a broadband speed of at least 50mbps where as Sky Stream quotes 10mbps. 

Virgin therefore don't have any concerns about people try to run IP TV in crazily low broadnand speeds. Virgin have also been able to design the box to work better with Virgin routers 

[Anonymous]

are you expecting a massive increase in broadband user performance from a virgin media to Plusnet FTTP. There won't be 

[scgf]

Moving to FTTP gives me less latency and greater reliability. Virgin Media broadband uses a hybrid system of fibre to the cabinet and co-ax to the premises. There is an overhead involved and much of VM's network used DOCSIS 3 with all the problems inherent in that protocol. The Openreach product is fibre all the way to your house. Far superior. 

Plusnet is a great company - they provide exactly the same Openreach product, whether it's FTTC or FTTP and their support people are excellent and knowledgeable. I've had EE, BT and Plusnet FTTC products and pretty much everything is the same - except Plusnet is happier to engage with customers who have some technical skills than EE or BT. Same product, different paradigm. 

[scgf]

I'll make one last comment. I don't use a Virgin router. You're coming up with all sorts of things which are not based on fact but rather conjecture. It's pointless carrying on this discussion. 

[Anonymous]

Ok. Fair points. Point of note - BT are about to launch a new smart hub 3 and were offering 500meg for £29.99

[bob1234]

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@Anonymous wrote:

The apps don't load any quicker in my experience. There are also far few apps, no Apple TV or Paramount plus. 

I am no technical expert but virgin utilise the fact that they have their own broadband with their stream box. This is why the time delay as an example is far less on the stream box on live broadcasts. Sky stream box is about 30 seconds behind Virgin stream on sky sports.  If you are not happy, then is there not a cooling off period with your new broadband ? You always have the option of going back to virgin media. 

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I have Paramount+ on "Stream" but not Apple TV.

[scgf]

I never use a broadband company's router. Currently I have my VM hub in modem mode and a mesh network of Amplifi HD units around the house.  Plusnet is charging me £31 a month for 500Mbit. I'm happy with that as I'm currently paying Virgin Media £29 for their 500Mbit service.