Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

I have a V plus box on my main set and an HD box on my second. I want to receive terrestrial channels only on a third set. If I connect the virgin cable to the aerial socket on the set will it work as an aerial?

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

I don't think the analogue channels are sent over the VM cable any more, so unless you had a TV with a DVB-C tuner built in I doubt it.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Thanks
Excuse my ignorance but what, other than a cable box, could I connect between the cable and the third set to receive a basic signal?

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Nothing..

Only a VM cable box supplied by VM will work with VM cable

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

As Kymmy says, nothing. There's nothing on VM's cables any more except digital cable TV channels that require the use of a digital cable box.

If you want basic free telly on your third set, you need to go for Freeview, if you have a redundant TV aerial on your roof, or, if you have an unused satellite dish, you could go for Freesat instead.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Your only cable option is to plug an old video recorder (or similar) into the scart socket on the back of one of the boxes and feed the aerial output from the video to your third TV.

This would let you relay the channel being watched (or whatever you play on the video) to the third TV.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Or get a digisender from Argos for £25, the ATI one on there works fine for me. Also you can buy and try from Argos if it doesn't work for you take it back under their moneyt back guarantee.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

it would cost you about 150 for a new ariel and around 90 to put a extenstion on to a old arial, no you cant get freeview channels via plugging the cable wire into ypur ariel port, you will need a viewing card for a 3rd box, unless you want less channels then what you geton freeview

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Huh? :confused: Sounds a bit Heath Robinson for what's required. ;)

My Pace Di4000-N V Box has an RF out socket on it, although perhaps later V+ or V HD boxes do not. In any case, that's probably not what John needs, simultaneous viewing of what's on in another room. I think he really wants independent access to the basic channels.

Is anyone in an area where they can receive DVB-T (Freeview) on a set-top aerial? I'm hoping to try it next week when I borrow a Freeview box from my in-laws. Otherwise I'll need to put up a new roof-top aerial or aerials. I'm positioned nicely to receive at least three regions and possibly more. The old analogue aerials were taken down some years ago rather than performing essential maintenance on them.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Only the older SA V+ boxes have an RF output, the Sammy V+'s don't. Plus many new TV's don't have an analogue tuner now, only digital, so would not be able to receive the box output anyway.

Set top aerials for Freeview are OK in strong signal areas, but pretty useless everywhere else.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

That is a bit of an antique and should really be upgraded, does it run on steam.:D

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

I'd imagine that the majority of TVs in use, by a huge margin, still have analogue tuners and I doubt that John wants the terrestrial channels for his 2012 model, 50-inch, flat panel, HD, 3D TV that he uses as his third set. :p:

Perhaps John can qualify his original post to give us a better idea of what he wants to achieve so that we can better assist.

Er, yeah, as one would expect which is why I asked "Is anyone in an area where they can receive DVB-T (Freeview) on a set-top aerial?" just to get an idea of how rare or common it is. :erm:

No steam, I've converted it to run on bio-fuel. I bet it's not the oldest box out there though. I expect there are 1000s and others of that ilk still in use and holding back the V Box EPG due to their memory and CPU limitations. My ex-NTL Di4000-N had a three day EPG before we merged with 'those' people. Now we have the lowest common denominator EPG in order to support the decrepit kit from other areas.

Does anyone know who has what? Can the network tell what boxes are out there? :confused:

So, Masque, send me something better as a self-install and take one more vintage box off the cable. :cool:

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Ring in with a fault and get an engineer out job done.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

It works just fine for me!

I can't be bothered fitting an aerial (would have to be 15 feet above the roof level where I live), so it gives me a signal to the kitchen TV. And if the main TV is being used for bluray, the virgin box can be tuned to whatever channel the person in the kitchen wants to watch.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Typical call centre response, it's not an obsolete box and us techs are told not to swap them unless faulty, we get measured on box swaps

---------- Post added at 16:52 ---------- Previous post was at 16:50 ----------

Engineer finds no fault, job not done

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Probably not, but you did mention the Pace box and I just wanted to emphasise that this is not the way forward with a modern set, as I have seen posts from people expecting digital output from the RF socket.


I do. I use an amplified set-top aerial on a window sill to receive Freeview in one bedroom. It is clear line of sight to the Hemel Hempstead relay 2 miles away, and I get 70 - 80% signal strength on all muxes

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Hmm! I can't think of any equipment, even a PC, where that might be the case but there's bound to be one. I'm involved in amateur radio and there are amateurs who transmit digital TV but I doubt that it is receivable by a standard DVB-T TV tuner although possibly it could be tuned manually.

Here in Aylesbury, I have a choice of muxes, Oxford, Sandy Heath, Hemel Hempstead and maybe a couple of others but receiving HH on a set-top aerial through the Chilterns without line of sight straight down the A41 might be a bit ambitious. :(

---------- Post added at 16:51 ---------- Previous post was at 16:05 ----------

Yeah, I knew Masque was talking out of his analogue RF socket extension! :rolleyes:

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

We were told that anything older than a 4200 was obsolete and if called to a property with one an automatic replacement work order would be generated even if you were looking at another box, this was when we were crosstrained onto FMC.

That box must be at least 8 years old and starting to creak.

---------- Post added at 17:23 ---------- Previous post was at 17:23 ----------

How old is the box and read the above.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Hemel would not be an option for you, although Crystal Palace might be after the London Area switches over. Your strongest signal will be from Oxford, but bear in mind Mux A,C & D cannot operate at full power until April.

See if you can get a set-top from an outfit that will allow you to return it if proves not to work.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

How does one reliably age a box?

It's not our original 4000 which passed away after a long illness a few years back, maybe October 2009. Regular reboots would fix it but eventually, IIRC, it wouldn't power up at all. So we got a replacement Di4000i and now there are some problems but I'm not sure if it's the box or the TV. Also we have a low signal issue which I will report when I am in a position to schedule an appointment.

I was only kidding when I said that you were talking out of your "analogue RF socket extension". ;) BTW, the acronym was accidental but priceless! :)

---------- Post added at 23:23 ---------- Previous post was at 23:17 ----------

Oxford, Sandy Heath and probably Crystal Palace should be good for us and, with a few decent roof-top aerials, I'm sure we can get a couple of others. I'll have another look at the coverage maps in the spring when more transmitters are switched over and running at full power.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

Model number easy enough to work out its approx age.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

SpiderPlant is going to work it out from the MAC address. :tu:

Of course, that's just a ruse, in reality he's checking to see if it's a stolen, cloned or otherwise bogus box! :td: It's not that he doesn't trust me, it's just that nobody can believe that there's a ten plus year old Pace Di4000-N still out there and working! :rolleyes:

P.S. I just noticed that I said "Di4000i" in my previous post. It was late and I was just off to bed! Unfortunately the Edit option is no longer available on that one.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

No surprise there.

Re: Terrestrial channels via VM cable?
 

If I had known that in September, we'd have had cake! :birthday: