What a nightmare. I had my Virgin Media service installed a couple of weeks ago now, and I'm very much struggling to use the TV box in any practical way.
Firstly, I bought a HDMI to DVI cable, which plugged into my HDCP compatible PC monitor's DVI port (it only has DVI and VGA), along with an analogue to digital audio converter so that I could connect the optical audio out to the stereo phono connectors on my sound system. The fruits of these efforts were a functioning virgin media menu and tv guide, but no picture or audio for any of the actual channels. I am baffled by how simply running HDMI through to DVI can eliminate both picture and audio. I didn't even think it was possible to prevent that from working, since it's a fairly simple digital to digital conversion.
So after many technician visits, all of them equally puzzled by the box's inability to send a digital output to a digital HDCP-compliant device, I'm still at square one with regards to getting my TV service to a point where I'm actually able to use it. On today's technician visit, I borrowed a TV from my next-door neighbour - surprise, surprise, it works fine when plugged into that. Here's the problem though, I have neither the space nor the money for a separate TV.
Given that all the VM support line has been able to do so far is send techs, and that the best the most knowledgable tech could do was to say "get a TV", I figured that the only place left to turn was the support forums. I know I'm not alone in wanting to run my service in a way that is not at all uncommon and has no reason not to work.
And here's the best part - apparently the boxes which they used to install were perfectly fine with these kind of things. Nice to know that technology's moving forwards.
Any words from people who have overcome similar problems would be hugely appreciated. A similar attitude would be extended to anyone from VM who can give me any advice or reasons why their box is so backwards when it comes to compatibility.
Thanks in advance,
Rob.
