Forum Discussion

lmh1's avatar
lmh1
Tuning in
2 months ago

Is it possible to get terrestrial TV/freeview with our current setup?

Hi and apologies if this is a very stupid question....but from my research it seems like I can't get wifi and terrestrial tv through this Virgin socket, but I'm not sure what can be done instead as these seem to be the only sockets we have. 

We moved into our flat a while back and just had Virgin wifi for a while but recently bought a TV and want to be able to watch terrestrial TV (so that when there's big sporting events like the World Cup that there's no delay - as we've found if England score when streaming a match you can hear neighbours cheering a minute before the goal goes in for us!)

I'm assuming if we upgraded to Virgin TV they might provide us with a setup that works but at the moment we're planning to just have freeview channels and then use apps for Netflix, Prime etc - so want to know if there's cables/splitters to achieve it ourselves?

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

14 Replies

Sort By
  • japitts's avatar
    japitts
    Very Insightful Person
    2 months ago

    The install side isn't my speciality, but those look like standard co-ax ports to me.

    I'd just question what you mean, by referring to "freeview". Freeview itself is a broadcast digital-TV platform which carries the signals through the air, and are picked up by a rooftop, loft-mounted or in-built antenna. In other words, it's not anything to do with Virgin Media.

    VM is a cable-TV platform whose TV signals are carried through cables & co-ax, not through the air. I think what you're asking for, is a basic-level TV package that carries the "free to view" channels without any premium ones?

    If so, the next thing to query is whether you want a TV box that picks up the traditional broadcast methods (via the coax) and has a recording facility as well as whatever streaming apps you use.... or whether you're looking for the Stream internet-based platform that doesn't record but just uses the numerous apps to access back-catalogue content.

    • lmh1's avatar
      lmh1
      Tuning in
      2 months ago

      Sorry it was bit unclear and thanks for your questions.

      So yes I'm looking to just have "free to view" channels without any premium ones, I don't need a TV box that has a recording facility and on top of those "free to view" channels we'll just be using the apps that are available on the TV I've purchased to watch Netflix etc.

      The reason I mentioned VM is that the socket shown above is the only one we have that I think could potentially received a TV signal -  but I'd seen someone online saying that socket is only for broadband and wouldn't get a TV signal (but I'm not sure if that's true).

      I purchased a 2 way splitter and a TV coaxial cable that I thought might do the job but these have slightly different connections than the VM socket and broadband cable (see photo attached - left cable is TV coaxial cable with thicker connector, right cable is the Virgin broadband cable which has a thinner connector which fits the socket but not the splitter I've purchased). 

      So before I start trying to buy more cables/adaptors etc I was hoping to work out if the setup I want is actually possible with the socket we have.

       

  • roy247's avatar
    roy247
    Hero
    2 months ago

    Just to add, if you just want Freeview to your TV through the aerial connection on your TV then you can't connect to this Virgin connection because it doesn't carry those signals, you would need an external aerial for the best signal.

    A TV contract with Virgin would involve either a 360 box that you can record with or a Flex box for streaming so there are slight delays with both options.

     

    • lmh1's avatar
      lmh1
      Tuning in
      2 months ago

      Sorry I replied to japitts comment above before seeing yours. 

      Thanks for the info - do you know if it's possible to have that Virgin socket changed to one that would carry those signals (but also keep the broadband connection). Our flats were built in the 60s so I assume there had to of been a communal aerial that would've come into each flat previously, so not sure why that would've been removed. 

      • Tudor's avatar
        Tudor
        Very Insightful Person
        2 months ago

        "do you know if it's possible to have that Virgin socket changed to one that would carry those signals (but also keep the broadband connection)."
        Not possible at all. VM cables and Freeview TV cables cannot be joined together, they are totally separate systems.

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    2 months ago

    VM's TV is encrypted, so needs a VM box (a 360 or Flex) to do decryption. In both cases VM's broadband will be needed as well for these boxes to work. The cheaper option is the streaming-only Flex which gives you all the basic channels but several others like Sky Sports cost extra.

    https://www.virginmedia.com/the-edit/tv/flex-channel-guide
    https://www.virginmedia.com/the-edit/tv/virgin-tv-360-channel-guide