Virgin Media has began to embrace 4K Ultra HD. In July 2018 it announced the arrival of the BT Sport 4K UHD channel to its top TV bundles, and in September 2018 it added Virgin TV Ultra HD, an entertainment channel dedicated to 4K Ultra HD, available through its Virgin Media V6 box. However, there are two other ways to find 4K content on the V6 box; streaming over Netflix (if you have a Premium subscription), and by streaming 4K videos on YouTube.
How to watch 4K content on Virgin Media
You need to have a compatible Ultra HD 4K TV, the latest Virgin Media V6 box, and a subscription to Virgin TV's Full House or VIP bundles. However, those with an existing subscription to BT Sport get the BT Sport 4K UHD channel added at no extra cost, while those taking a Player or Mix bundle can add all BT Sport channels, including 4K UHD, to their package for £18 per month.
What's on BT Sport 4K UHD?
At channel 555, BT Sport 4K UHD already includes an impressive breadth of sports in 4K. BT has the rights to 351 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League games alongside 42 live Premier League matches, the FA Cup, European Rugby Champions Cup, Boxing, and MotoGP. Most of its Premier League matches are broadcast at 17:30 p.m. on Saturdays, athough from the 2019-20 season it will broadcast matches on Saturday lunchtimes and during the week.
What's on Eurosport 4K?
Full House customers who visit the regular Eurosport 1 HD or Eurosport 2 HD channels (channels 521 and 522) and press the red button will sometimes find Eurosport 4K content. Earlier in 2018 it hosted the Wimbledon tennis finals and French Open finals live in 4K.
What's on Virgin TV Ultra HD?
Scroll back two rows from BBC One at 101 and you arrive at channel 999, Virgin's new dedicated Ultra HD channel. Unfortunately, this is only a part-time, prime-time channel, beginning around 20:00 p.m. and closing down around midnight. For now, it's a mix of 13 different documentaries and dramas that play on a loop, so more of a showcase than a must-have channel, but it's nevertheless got some great content. At the moment, the channel isn’t available on catch-up, but you can record all episodes using Series Link+.
Drama in 4K Ultra HD on Virgin Media
StartUp
Produced by Sony's Crackle streaming service in 2016, this drama about tech entrepreneurs stars Martin Freeman as an FBI Agent. If you're a fan of his, don't miss it.
Shut Eye
Originally on Hulu in 2016, there are two 4K seasons of this drama about a scam artist, starring Jeffrey Donovan.
House of Cards
You've seen this political thriller, of course you have, and it's already on Netflix in 4K. If you don't have the Netflix Premium subscription, here it is in 4K.
The Art of More
A former soldier uses his secret past to expose the crime behind the elite and glamourous world of New York auction houses.
Masters of Sex
This hit drama from 2013 set in the 1950s chronicles Dr. William Masters' research into human sexuality, starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan.
Documentaries in 4K Ultra HD on Virgin Media
The Big Dry
This great-looking three-parter from Love Nature charts the tough dry season in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, one of Africa’s last great wildernesses.
Great Parks of Africa
Nine 45-minute episodes, originally from the Smithsonian Channel, explore the wild lands of Africa.
Great Blue Wild
Another Smithsonian Channel documentary, this 14-parter explores rare and exotic fish, sea turtles and sharks from the Bahamas to Indonesia.
Mysteries of the Mekong
A trip down the Mekong River through Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The crumbling ruins of the Khmer empire at Angkor Wat look jaw-dropping in 4K.
Brazil Untamed
Who needs another documentary on the Amazon rainforest when Brazil has the Pantanal? The world's largest tropical wetland is home to some of the most endangered animals on the planet, including the giant armadillo, giant anteater, giant otter, and jaguars.
Live music in 4K Ultra HD on Virgin Media
Elvis Costello: Detour Live At Liverpool Philharmonic
The cult singer-songwriter in a 4K 'best of', from Oliver's Army and Pump It Up to I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea and Alison.
Peter Gabriel Back to Front – Live in London
Filmed in 4K over two nights at London's O2 in October 2013, and also available on Ultra HD Blu-ray.
