Virgin Media has confirmed plans to jump on the 4K bandwagon with its own Ultra HD-friendly set-top box.
In a bid to catch up with Sky Q and BT, Virgin Media today revealed that it will soon launch a 4K box. The revelation came during the company’s first-quarter financial report for 2016, with Virgin Media saying it is “preparing to launch a new set-top-box platform”.
This platform will feature Ultra HD broadcasts, and is likely to support 4K-friendly apps like Netflix, just like the existing TiVO box.
Speaking to What HiFi, a Virgin Media spokesperson said:
“There will be a new set-top box coming later this year, and it will support Ultra High Definition video. Before that we will be updating the existing TiVO set-top box to make its menus slicker and more picture-based.”
Sky’s Sky Q box already supports 4K
Virgin Media is under pressure to compete with a growing roster of competitors – like Sky Q and BT Vision – that already offer 4K content. Last year, TrendForce predicted that 4K TVs would reach 23% market penetration in 2016, which is also likely to be weighing on Virgin Media.
Unfortunately, Virgin Media hasn’t revealed much about its new set-top box, so we’ll have to wait for further announcements before we have a clearer idea of the company’s 4K strategy for 2016.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.