Virgin Media V Plus

Three tuners, so you can record two programmes simultaneously while watching a third ; easy recording ; good high-definition pictures and sound

Limited amount of high-definition programming, although more is coming

A cheaper alternative to Sky HD, but still less HD content than we'd like

Hi-def and three TV tuners

On-demand HDTV is a limited afterthought

Easy to use and packed with features, Virgin's VPlus Box surpasses SkyPlus, but there's not enough hi-def content to match SkyHD.