Forum Discussion

andyk8870's avatar
andyk8870
Just joined
5 days ago

UHD SKY SPORTS NO LONGER WORKING

Hi there. Can anyone help. I've recently renewed my contract for a further two years and low and behold all of my UHD channels have gone greyed out. Called up virgin yesterday and spent over an hour on the blower with yes you guessed it no answer to my question. The call handler just said there was a technical glitch and it should be resolved within four hours. I just kept saying to him that  It was working two weeks ago when all the family was over watching the footy. 

Now it's now an option when I select sky sports UHD. I get an error message saying UHD not supported. Go to your setting on your box and check that UHD is selected.  How can I do that when it's not even an option in my settings. So today I call virgin again and this time the call handler tells me that that those channels are not supported anymore???? This blew my mind as I'm now being asked to pay for something that I'm not actually getting any longer. The mind boggles. Can anyone shed any light on this at all ???? Have those channels now been restricted to all ????

11 Replies

  • newapollo's avatar
    newapollo
    Very Insightful Person
    5 days ago

    Hi andyk8870​ 

    Log into My Virgin Media and check your latest contract - you should have an add on named Sky Sports Ultra HD showing (see screenshot below) if that's missing then you need it adding back on.

    Otherwise I don't know but the following staff post might explain why you've lost UHD

    Ultra HD & HD TV | Virgin Media Community - 5671953

    It's also possible that you may need a different high speed HDMI cable that should be HDCP 2.2 compliant such as <This one>

     

  • Zaxx's avatar
    Zaxx
    Tuning in
    5 days ago

    Do you have a soundbar connected?

    If you have try the Virgin box connected directly to the tv.

  • andyk8870's avatar
    andyk8870
    Just joined
    5 days ago

    Hi . Thanks for the replies. I have got UHD listed on my new contract as it was listed on my old contract as well. I haven't changed the package just renewed the contract. Also I haven't changed any cables etc or settings on the tv or soundboard and lastly I do have 4k hdmi cables but not sure if I need to upgrade them. I cannot understand why everything was working two weeks ago. I'm Just baffled by it.

    • Zaxx's avatar
      Zaxx
      Tuning in
      5 days ago

      Some Samsung soundbars require a firmware update to rectify this kind of problem.

    • roy247's avatar
      roy247
      Hero
      5 days ago

      The channels shouldn't be greyed out if they are on your account. Wonder what the "technical glitch" was you mentioned in your original post, someone pressing the wrong button.

      You do now get this message if you go to your uhd recordings and select edit recording it comes up with "Please make sure your TV and cables support 4K Ultra HD playback", you also see it when setting a recordings, all possibly due to to the link newapollo posted below, make sure everything in your HDMI chain is V2.2 compatible.

      If it is you should still be able to see the Virgin UHD channel on 175 +999

       

  • Roger_Gooner's avatar
    Roger_Gooner
    Alessandro Volta
    4 days ago

    What is make and model of your TV? If the HDMI port is not HDCP 2.2 compliant then there will be a problem with UHD streams - meaning catch-up, on demand and apps. Some TVs mark “HDCP 2.2” next to the compliant HDMI ports but not all do, so forcing you to hunt for the  information buried in the user manual or spec sheet! If only one port supports HDCP 2.2, it would most likely be HDMI 1.

    Note that this does not affect UHD broadcasts or HD broadcasts and streams.

  • ezy's avatar
    ezy
    Up to speed
    4 days ago

    It looks like VM have changed the way the box works were before the 4K channels could be watched with a Full HD channel...   but suddenly all 4K channels including VM, Sky and TNT now display a 4K symbol and a warning the tv may not be capable...  

    So with all these people seeing sudden problems I bet it is the box code that has been fkd

    • Gareth_L's avatar
      Gareth_L
      Icon for Forum Team rankForum Team
      2 days ago

      Hello again ezy.

      We can see you've already posted on another thread.

      It might be best to keep the post to one thread so as not to confuse matters.

      Gareth_L

  • BlueLou's avatar
    BlueLou
    Virgin Media Staff
    10 hours ago

    The new software relase is applying the newest version of content protection, as required by Virgin Media O2's content partners.  As a reuslt any TV equipment (including sound bars and amps) and cables will need to be fully 4K compliant.  If you are seeing the channels greyed out with a message saying your equipment isnt compliant then you will need to upgrade it to watch Ultra HD.  

    • newapollo's avatar
      newapollo
      Very Insightful Person
      7 hours ago

      Further to BlueLou​ 's post, all devices in the chain need to be fully 4K compliant. A possible workaround with soundbars/amps that aren't compliant would be try using an optical cable instead of HDMI.

      If a soundbar supports 4K video pass through, it usually (but not always)  supports HDCP 2.2. Also  it may or may not support HDR depending on the specific model. Some early 4K capable soundbars only support HDMI 2.0, not 2.0a that is required for HDR. But both support HDCP 2.2

      When all the devices in the HDMI chain identify and authenticate with the source, they all tell their capabilities to the source. The source then sends the best quality it can but if one of the components in the chain has older HDMI chips, it will default to the best capability of that device for the whole system. That is why some UHD Blu-Ray players have two HDMI outputs, one for the audio and one for the video. That way the video doesn't get downgraded for an audio component that doesn't have the latest HDMI version.

      HDMI 1.4 - 10.2gbs (4K) is NOT compliant

      The following cables are compliant providing the rest of the equipment in the chain is too.
      HDMI 2.0 - 10.2gbs (4K and HDCP 2.2)
      HDMI 2.0a - 18gbs (4K with HDR and HDCP 2.2)
      HDMI 2.1 - 48gbs (8K, with HDR and HDCP 2.2)

      The BT website have an article <here> that lists a large number of TV models by manufacturer and the ports that are 4K compliant (for example older Samsung's that use (MHL) and/or the Samsung Evolution kit

      • Roger_Gooner's avatar
        Roger_Gooner
        Alessandro Volta
        6 hours ago

        I'd like to clarify something: HDMI 1.4/2.0/2.0a/2.1 are the versions which refer to the HDMI interface specification. Cables don’t have HDMI versions—they have performance classifications and are officially categorised as follows by the HDMI Licensing Administrator, Inc. (HDMI LA).

        • Standard HDMI - often wrongly sold as "HDMI 1.4 cable"
        • High Speed HDMI - often wrongly sold as “HDMI 2.0 ready”
        • Premium High Speed - often wrongly sold as “4K 60Hz / HDR” certified
        • Ultra High Speed - often wrongly sold as “8K / 48 Gbps / HDMI 2.1”

        I care about standards and correct use of technical language and I'd like a few more to do the same.

        Back to HDCP 2.2: the minimum cable category which must be used is High Speed HDMI and I believe that this is what VM supplies (and if you need longer for up to 5m then use another High Speed HDMI cable). If you need up to about 7.5m buy a Premium High Speed cable and any cable length greater than about 7.5m should be active or optical for reliability.