Digital TV News

Virgin Media plans 3D TV to rival Sky

Tuesday 15 June, 2010

By Becca Talbot - becca@consumerchoices.co.uk

Virgin Media TV customers could soon be watching the likes of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland in cinematic 3D from the comfort of their living rooms.

Virgin Media is about to make 3D the new digital TV battleground.

Virgin Media (www.virginmedia.com) customers could soon be watching 3D films and TV programmes at home, after a Virgin Media boss revealed that the provider is keen to launch a service that will rival Sky’s 3D offering.

Cindy Rose, executive director of digital entertainment at Virgin Media, told the Daily Telegraph that “Virgin’s 3D ambitions will launch later this year, along with an unlimited music subscription offer.”

As well as a 3D TV service, the TV, broadband and home phone giant is also planning to unveil its eagerly anticipated unlimited music legal download service, which will challenge similar applications from Spotify and Sky.

Earlier in the year Virgin Media publicised its plans to incorporate TiVo technology into its next range of set-top boxes. The new set-top boxes will allow customers to access a whole host of internet TV services, such as the BBC iPlayer and ITV Player, as well as certain websites and back catalogues of on-demand TV programmes, all through their TVs.

Though a launch date hasn’t been specified yet, Rose said: “There is a now a generation of people who are not satisfied with the linear TV experience - we need to be ready for them.”

Last week Virgin Media revealed that it will be offering its subscribers access to some of Sky’s premium high-definition channels at a discounted price, from 1 July.

Rose added that she believes “high-definition will soon replace standard definition fully.”