Virgin Media launches its new set-top box: Virgin TV 360
Rob Flynn
Staff Writer

The new set-top box from Virgin Media incorporates a wide range of novel features including voice search and control functionality, as well as individual user profiles.

It’s been a long time coming for a lot of customers, but it’s finally here - the brand new set-top box from Virgin Media

But it’s more than just a box. The broadband-powered entertainment service will deliver ‘Ireland’s most advanced TV service’, according to Virgin Media. 

The Virgin TV 360 is the latest addition to the suite of entertainment and broadband products offered by the company, having only rolled out its 1Gigabit broadband nationwide toward the end of August, not to mention also being named the fastest broadband provider for the fourth consecutive year.

Below we’ll take an in-depth look at the new product, its features, and what customers can look forward to with its launch. So if you’re a Virgin Media TV customer, or soon to be, this is certainly not the time to look away!

A closer look at the details

The launch of the new Virgin TV 360 set-top box will overhaul and replace the older Horizon box which viewers will be more familiar with and likely to be using currently at home.

More importantly, the 360 box will incorporate a completely revamped user interface, including integrated video and content applications such as Netflix, Prime Video and Youtube, and all held seamlessly together by Virgin’s ultrafast broadband connectivity.

With the new box customers will also be able to use its Catch Up functionality for watching the latest shows and programmes, as well as being able to watch a whole host of box sets, movies, and recordings.

Viewers can also enjoy multi-room viewing by way of its new 4K-ready Mini Boxes, including shared pause points which allows viewers to pick up viewing in a separate room without missing any drama.

Alongside the new box, Virgin Media TV customers will also be able to watch on the go with the Virgin TV Anywhere app, allowing you to stream and manage your TV wherever there’s internet.

Paul Higgins, Vice President of Commercial, Virgin Media Ireland said:

The arrival of our new Virgin TV 360 platform is fantastic news for our customers. We’ve been working hard to ensure we bring the best entertainment offering across all our services, with the ultimate TV experience.

Powered by our award-winning broadband network, Virgin TV 360 will change the way viewers enjoy all their favourite programming. From seamless viewing to personalised profiles, customers can now embrace our most advanced TV service ever. And with multi-viewing available through our mini boxes, and advanced parental control options, this is really the perfect way to watch TV for the whole family. 

It’s so important to us to be able to combine leading technological innovation with our long-standing commitment to sustainability and, with this new Virgin TV 360 entertainment platform, we can deliver on both fronts.

A closer look at the features

Sometimes finding out what the newest features of a product are can be confusing, that’s why we’ve listed some of the standout features of the new entertainment platform below:

  • Enjoy a seamless viewing and user interface experience across Virgin TV 360, Mini box and the Virgin TV Anywhere App
  • Navigate your TV service speedily using the new Voice Search and Voice Control functionality
  • Create individual user profiles with personalised recommendations
  • Re-wind easily with the ‘Startover’ feature that lets you skip back to the beginning of programmes on all major channels
  • Advanced parental control options to help monitor your kids viewing
  • Record six channels while you watch a 7th recording either on Catch Up or on live TV

Green credentials

Those who are environmentally conscious (aren't we all nowadays?) will be pleased to know that the 360 box is one of Virgin's most environmentally-friendly set-top boxes to date. It boasts a 64% reduction in energy consumption over the previous Horizon set-top box (so good for your electricity bills!) and its packaging is made from 100% recycled material too.

Out with the old...

With the new Virgin TV 360 box customers can look forward to a new viewing experience with a streamlined, more responsive, and full-featured service.

This is in comparison to the old Horizon box of which the user interface and system in general were commonly regarded as quite slow and buggy, not to mention how sticky the old remote was.

The new box will certainly be a welcome departure away from the Horizon, and a positive move toward the future of TV, granting Virgin Media TV customers more control over how they watch, stream, and take in all the best and latest TV content.

While Virgin's box is a new product and certainly won't have as much consumer recognition as its competitor's offerings, such as Sky, what it does boast is access for over one million premises nationwide which is rather impressive.

And paired with its ultrafast broadband connection - named the fastest in Ireland for the fourth consecutive year - its new TV service will be sure to stand up to and perhaps poach some customers from rivals in the coming weeks and months.

How do I get the box?

If you're a new customer or a switcher looking to swap to Virgin Media you can browse Virgin's broadband and TV deals right now on bonkers.ie.

If you're an existing Virgin Media customer and would like to upgrade to the new box just reach out to Virgin and they can help you with the rest. It's that simple.

What's more, Virgin Media has some great offers available at the minute with new customers getting a €23 discount for 12 months on Broadband, TV, and Home Phone bundles.

Compare broadband options today

And remember you can compare all deals across all providers to find the one that works best for you right here on bonkers.ie today.

We recently compared broadband deals from Eir, Sky, Virgin Media and Vodafone in this blog, making it easier to evaluate your options.

Before making the switch, you may want to check out the following guides, which will help you make an informed decision:

You can check out the available broadband providers in Ireland here.

Let’s hear from you

Are you excited to hear about Virgin Media’s new set-top box? Let us know in the comments below.

If you have any questions on Virgin TV 360 or about switching broadband, TV or phone provider, get in touch with us. We’re on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.