It’s Christmas Day and that means your TV and broadband are in for a festive hammering. Once the dinner is done, most of us will be settling down for an afternoon of live television or endless hours surfing the web for Boxing Day deals and streaming boxsets on Netflix. If you have Virgin Media services being beamed into your home then there are a few ways to make sure you’re getting the most out of your broadband and TV set-top box.
Here are some top tips and tricks everyone should know.
VIRGIN TV TIPS
SQUEEZE MORE ON YOUR BOX
Virgin’s set-top box includes a 1TB hard drive which is enough space to record a whopping 100 hours of TV in full HD quality. However, there is a simple hack to help you get more of your favourite content squeezed on to this telly box.
Simply switching to standard definition when you record means you can fill the device with a whopping 500 hours of shows – that’s over 1,000 episodes of Eastenders or 300 blockbuster movies.
READ MORE: Virgin Media’s latest TV 360 box has two advantages that Sky Q can’t yet match
CUSTOMISE YOUR CHANNELS
Did you know you can customise your channel guide to include only your favourites, allowing you to reach sport and movies even quicker? Simply press Guide on your remote, scroll left, highlight Channel Guide and hit OK.
DON’T PANIC IF YOU DELETE A SHOW
We’ve all done it. You’re scrolling through the never-ending list of recordings and you end up bashing the delete button on your remote by mistake.
Luckily there’s an undelete feature from Virgin which allows you to rescue shows and movies that you’ve erased by mistake. To access this feature simply head to My Shows > Select Recently Deleted Recordings
Then choose the programme that’s been erased and click Recover This Show.
HOW TO RECORD SIX SHOWS AND WATCH A SEVENTH
If your favourite TV shows, movies and sporting action are all happening at the same time, don’t panic. Virgin’s V6 box allows six recordings to be made at once meaning you should never miss a moment even when there’s a TV scheduling clash. If that’s still not enough to keep you entertained, then you can actually watch a seventh programme whilst the other six are being recorded.
This is made possible via any shows you already have stored on the V6 box or on catch-up on the BBC iPlayer or Netflix apps.
FIND YOUR REMOTE
If you’re anything like us the remote always seems to go missing just when you need it the most. Luckily Virgin has an easy way to track this channel changer down. When you can’t find the remote simply head to the V6 box and hold the Channel Up button. Wait for up to ten seconds, then that all-important accessory will start to bleep.
DISCOVER THINGS TO WATCH
Can’t find anything to watch? You might not know that your telly box can actually suggest for TV shows and movies it thinks you’ll love. To find a wealth of recommendations, simply go to Home, click on Shows & Recordings, then select My Shows and choose Suggestions.
Here you should find some great new telly aimed just for you.
VIRGIN BROADBAND TIPS
GIVE EVERYTHING A REBOOT
It may sound pretty straightforward, but sometimes it’s worth switching off your router for a few minutes to help boost your broadband speeds. Leaving these devices on for long periods can mean they get clogged up with digital data and a quick reset will help to clear any congestion.
Most Virgin routers have a switch on the rear case which will cut all power and help you reset things.
It will take a few minutes before all of your gadgets get connected again but it could be worth the wait.
CHECK THE POSITION OF YOUR ROUTER
Putting your router in the right place is vital if you want the very best signal beamed around your home. It can be very tempting to hide the ugly black box behind the TV but this can seriously impact the quality of your broadband signal.
Virgin says it’s a good idea to put your router out in the open and away from anything that could block things. You should also always try to keep the router away from other digital devices such as televisions, wireless speakers and cordless phones as these can also slow your downloads down.
DON’T LIE THINGS FLAT
Another top tip is to keep your router upright. You should also make sure it is facing into the room with lights clearly visible on the front. This makes sure the signal goes outwards and around your home.
WATCH OUT FOR FISH
Your pet goldfish can unwittingly affect your broadband speeds. It’s a well-known fact that Wi-Fi hates water and having your router next to the fish tank can cause things to stutter.
