I feel your pain! We have 3 hd boxes, multiroom and we are forever rebooting it as recordings keep failing and channels blue screening! This applies for 2 out of the 3 and the third now and again cuts off, absolutely useless and am toying with going to virgin. What's the script with hd and multiroom on virgin does anyone know? Don't think we have the cable in place that's the only thing can this be overcome or not?
If you have a cable point out on the pavement, then VM will run the cable to your house as part of the install. They will work with you to find the best route - no digging up of driveways
If you go for the Premiere collection or higher then you will get a TIVO (pretty much the best STB available in the UK) plus a standard HD STB for a second room, 23 HD channels, 60mb broadband (not some rubbish upto gimmic you get down a phone line) once the broadband upgrade is complete across the country and every channel you receive on the main box is also available on the second box HD included.
However you won't get Sky Atlantic at all, or Sky Sports 3, Sky Sports 4 or Sky Sports F1 in HD as Sky won't let VM have them - OFCOM had to force Sky to give VM Sky Sport 1 & 2 in HD (only available in the VIP collection)
VM don't have anything like Sky Go at present
My old STB died after 18 months, and was replaced as part of the service - you only rent the boxes, you don't buy them