Virgin Media unveils new HD set-top box

Following the steady drip of new HD channels available on its TV platform, Virgin Media has announced the launch of a new set-top box which will be available to new and existing TV customers from 22 March 2010.

The V HD Box will be on offer to new customers signing up to the 'M+' TV tier for a one-off cost of £49 plus an installation fee of £35. Alternatively, existing customers will be eligible for this box if they are willing to upgrade.

Those keen to save as much as they can on their TV subscriptions may also be interested to hear, from 1 April 2010, Virgin Media will be offering a self-installation (Quick Start) option for homes already connected to Virgin Media's cable network. Quick Start will be free to existing customers confident enough to set up their new device throughout April, or £15 in all other circumstances.

The V HD Box comes to Virgin Media 3D-ready and includes all essential extras such as HDMI, SCART, USB and Ethernet ports. It's also promised to be a good energy performer as it cuts power usage by 95 per cent when it's in stand-by mode.

Virgin Media has added a number of HD channels to its service over the past couple of months; the latest of these being the introduction of SCI FI HD and the promise of all World Cup 2010 coverage in high-definition through either ITV1 HD and BBC HD from 2 April. Currently, all of Virgin Media's XL TV customers are able to receive all of the available HD channels as part of their package.

For more information on Virgin Media's products, including bundled broadband and TV packages, check out Broadband Genie's Virgin Media Overview .