Freeview possible connected to Virgin Cable?

[jacktaylor88]

Good morning,

I have just moved into a new property where it appears the previous tenants had a Virgin Media cable connection. In my previous flat, I had freeview (just plugged through my TV into a bog standard aerial socket).
I'm wondering if it is possible to buy a converter to attach a normal aerial cable onto the Virgin Media connector (which appears to be a screw in connection), or do you need a set top box to connect to this?
If so would an old sky box work to view just free view on?

Thanks for any help. I'm clueless.

[MovedGoalPosts]

to Cable Forum

Freeview is supplied over terrestrial (rooftop type) aerials.

The Virgin Media TV services do not carry freeview, but their own often encrypted signals. These can only be read by use of a Virgin Media Cable Set Top Box (STB). You need a current subscription with VM, where they will supply the STB as part of that subscription. Don't be tempted to buy a box off ebay or similar as STBs are hired, not sold, for VM cable and won't work if not part of a siubscription.

[jacktaylor88]

Thanks for the response.

The problem is we already have Broadband and Phone with Sky (I transferred over my package from previous tenancy). My parents have an old sky box at home that they can provide me, but from what you are saying, it seems unlikely to work then?
There is a satellite dish on the wall outside the property, but it is currently not wired in (from what I can tell, no idea why not). A sky engineer is coming next week to sort out the broadband. Would they be able to quickly attach it through the wall or do they not do this?

ask them offer them 20 quid to wire the LNB up for them

---------- Post added at 11:40 ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 ----------

You do get freeview channels through virgin boxes without a sub but as Rob says you can not buy them and if you do you are receiving stolen goods

[Rjkr4]

If u have a sky dish then it is quite simple to get freeview. I have a spare sky box and all I did was run a rg6 coax cable with f connector on the end attached to the spare port on the dish LNB, still through my wall and f connector on other end of coax to sky box. My boys have got it in each room. U can't use a splitter for multiple rooms each room has to connect to a spare port on the dish

Originally Posted by jacktaylor88

Thanks for the response.

The problem is we already have Broadband and Phone with Sky (I transferred over my package from previous tenancy). My parents have an old sky box at home that they can provide me, but from what you are saying, it seems unlikely to work then?
There is a satellite dish on the wall outside the property, but it is currently not wired in (from what I can tell, no idea why not). A sky engineer is coming next week to sort out the broadband. Would they be able to quickly attach it through the wall or do they not do this?

The sky tech who comes to set up your broadband may or may not be a dish installer. I don't know how they divide up the jobs. But if he is, and you bung him a few quid, he may well be prepared to wire up the dish for you.

Once you have a feed from the dish into your living room, you can use an old Sky box to get free channels, provided that box has a current viewing card in it. Sky reissued all it's viewing cards about 2 years ago. If your parents' old box hasn't been used in that time, it may have the wrong card in it. If it has the wrong card, then you won't get the correct regional channels on 101 and 103. You can get a FreesatFromSky viewing card by buying one from Sky.

Alternatively, get a decent Freesat HD box and use that with the dish. We replaced a Sky box running in freesat mode, with a proper branded Freesat box, before Christmas, and it is much better. Sky's freesat service is designed to persuade you to upgrade and it's electronic programme guide is a complete mess because it's full of all Sky's channels which you can't see, but which they want to sell to you. A true branded Freesat box has an 8-day programme guide that contains only the channels you can actually watch.

EDIT

oh, and to answer your earlier question - there is no 'unlikely' about it, a Sky box connected to a Virgin Media cable outlet will most definitely not work. Nothing will work except a box supplied by Virgin Media for which a monthly subscription is being paid.

Originally Posted by Chris

The sky tech who comes to set up your broadband may or may not be a dish installer. I don't know how they divide up the jobs. But if he is, and you bung him a few quid, he may well be prepared to wire up the dish for you.

Once you have a feed from the dish into your living room, you can use an old Sky box to get free channels, provided that box has a current viewing card in it. Sky reissued all it's viewing cards about 2 years ago. If your parents' old box hasn't been used in that time, it may have the wrong card in it. If it has the wrong card, then you won't get the correct regional channels on 101 and 103. You can get a FreesatFromSky viewing card by buying one from Sky.

Alternatively, get a decent Freesat HD box and use that with the dish. We replaced a Sky box running in freesat mode, with a proper branded Freesat box, before Christmas, and it is much better. Sky's freesat service is designed to persuade you to upgrade and it's electronic programme guide is a complete mess because it's full of all Sky's channels which you can't see, but which they want to sell to you. A true branded Freesat box has an 8-day programme guide that contains only the channels you can actually watch.

EDIT

oh, and to answer your earlier question - there is no 'unlikely' about it, a Sky box connected to a Virgin Media cable outlet will most definitely not work. Nothing will work except a box supplied by Virgin Media for which a monthly subscription is being paid.

I agree it would do my head in seeing all the stuff I can not watch lol