Tiscali Broadband, Talk & TV - Option 2 Broadband Bundle

Review of Tiscali Broadband, Talk & TV Option 2

THE greatest TV, broadband and phone bundle you have never heard of, the Tiscali Up to 8Mb Broadband, Anytime Talk and Tiscali TV package is such a stupendously good deal we can’t understand why everyone in Britain hasn’t signed up yet.

Well, possibly because it is not available to everyone in Britain, but you get what we're saying!

Perfect mid-range digital TV package

If you are one of those people who fancy a bit more than what your freeview box offers, but don’t yet want to take the leap to full digital TV as offered by Sky or Virgin Media, Tiscali’s digital TV service slots into place beautifully as the perfect mid-range digital TV package.

Of course it is not just TV you get here, you also get a fantastically fast unlimited 8Mb Tiscali broadband package as well as unlimited home phone calls (and free line rental) with Tiscali’s Anytime Talk home phone package.

But it is the Tiscali TV package which is what will draw most people to this Tiscali bundle in the first place and who are we to argue?

Over 60 channels

Boasting over 60 digital TV channels (including the coveted Sky One - the loss of which, in a clash of egos and a messy court case, proved to be Virgin Media’s biggest blunders) and a double fistful of digital radio stations, Tiscali TV is delivered over your broadband connection.

Hold on! Does that mean you have to watch Tiscali TV on your computer rather than your TV set?

Not at all. Tiscali only use broadband technology (along with some proprietary tech-know-how and data farms dotted around the country that make it possible to send a clear signal over a simple broadband line) to send the digital TV to your home.

Once it gets there it is relayed from the phone plug to a great little set top box (with remote control) that sits on top of your TV.

Better than Freeview?

So what makes Tiscali TV so much more than an expanded version of Freeview?

For starters, Tiscali now boast the UK’s largest selection of on demand movies (currently over 1000) which you can watch on a pay-per-view basis whenever you fancy. There are also music videos and popular TV shows that can be watched on a similar basis.

Tiscali TV also offers a free catch up service of the previous week’s TV, including over 350 free on-deman programmes including top UK and US comedy and drama series.

You can also bolster the Tiscali TV service with some very reasonably priced extra mixes, such as the Entertainment Mix or the Music Mix which can be included for just £6 a month each.

There are some excellent sports channel add-ons too, and if you’re the type to sit up late with the sound turned low, Tiscali offer a bunch of popular Adult channels too.

8Mb unlimited broadband

The broadband part of this Tiscali TV bundle is Tiscali’s finest 8Mb unlimited broadband which includes a free wireless router.

We're pleased to note too that Tiscali's broadband service has improved markedly in recent months, as evidenced by an ever decreasing number of complaints about Tiscali.

Free anytime calls

The bundled home phone package is the superb Tiscali Anytime Talk which gives you free calls to UK landlines at any time as well as free phonecalls to 10 international destinations at any time.

That includes Australia, New Zealand, France and the USA.

If you are not a big natterer and don't need free calls anytime, save yourself a handful of £1 coins each month by opting for the Tiscali Broadband, Talk & TV Option 1 instead, which only offers free weekend calls.

Includes line rental

Oh, and did we mention this Tiscali bundle includes line rental too?

So you can mentally knock £11.75 off the price if that is what you are currently paying to BT.

The only catch to this jaw-droopingly good TV bundle is that you have to be living within Tiscali’s unbundled broadband area to get it.

The good news is that over half of the country is now eligible. You can check this during sign up.

	Tiscali Broadband, Talk & TV - Option 2 is currently offering £19.99 for the first 3 months. Also FREE line rental (worth £126).

A little more detail

Broadband

			Special Note..	Any good?
Package Name:		Up to 8Mb	-
Connection Type:		ADSL	-
Max Speed:		8Mb	-
Usage Limit:		Unlimited	Fair usage policy applies
Hardware:		Wireless Router	-
Anti-virus Protection:		No	Email security does include anti-virus email checker. Regular Anti Virus software available from £2.50 per month
Firewall:		No	-
E-mail Account:		Yes	Up to 10 email addresses
Webspace Provided:		Yes	100MB of webspace
Domain Included:		No	-
Backup Dialup:		Yes	0844 backup dialup
Consoles Supported:		All major consoles supported	-

Home Phone

Package Name:		Anytime Talk
UK Weekend Tariff:		Free to UK landlines
UK Evening Tariff:		Free to UK landlines
UK Peak Tariff:		Free to UK landlines
International Tariff:		Free to 10 international destinations including USA & Australia

TV

Package Name:		Variety Pack
Included Channels:		Over 60 digital channels
Optional Channel Add-ons:		Add additional mixes, including adult channels (from £6)
Video on Demand:		Yes, UK's biggest video-on-demand service
Pay Per View:		Movies, TV shows and music videos
Record TV / TV Hard Drive:		Yes
Hardware:		Tiscali Set Top Box
Extras:

Payment, Installation and Contract

Payment Method(s):		Direct Debit / Credit Card
Activation Fee:		£30
Installation:		Free
Minimum Contract:		12 months
Line Rental:		Line rental must be taken with Tiscali (free)
Support:		Free online support, otherwise 10p per minute support line (5p for calls from Tiscali Talk landline)

Actual User Ratings

At a Glance

Our Rating
Max Speed	8Mb
Usage Limit	Unlimited
Monthly Price	£24.99
Set Up Cost	£30.00
Min. Contract	12 months

	Bundle details:
	Phone: Anytime calls to UK landlines
	TV: Choice of 60 TV channels - including Sky One - (plus 19 radio channels)
	Mobile: Not included

	It is best suited for:
	Families and other users who don't want big style digital TV, but want something better than Freeview along with a good broadband connection and anytime homephone plan.

Customer Reviews

Add your own review of Tiscali broadband...

Remember, the customer reviews below are subjective (and are not the opinions of ChooseISP.co.uk).

No name given from writes... 30/04/2008

"If you require a stable, fast connection, or play online video games, use a bit torrent client to download video music ect, or expect a reasonable level of customer service, or technical support, do not use Tiscali as throttling of p2p clients is active each day. The connection is interleaved giving latency issues (online gaming) 24/7. Yes they are cheap but I wish I had chosen a diferent ISP and would have gladly payed more for a good service level on all the fronts."