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Pre installed virgin aerial to smart TV connection

asb216
Joining in

Hey- I have an issue with my smart TV connecting to terrestrial channels (we are not a Virgin TV customer only broadband). The previous owner had Virgin installed- broadband and TV.

It all routes out of the wall from one socket via a "technetix" where there's then a splitter that our broadband is connected into, the other wire is a TV satellite wire. We've tried plugging this into our smart TV but the channels aren't coming up with anything and I suspect this is because it's connected to the Virgin wires. We have tried plugging the F type plug in directly and also converting it to an aerial and plugging this in.

Our TV asks us to specify whether we're Aerial, Cable or Satellite to set up the channels but none of these bring anything up when plugged in. This is the only aerial point in the room!

 

Thanks! 

3 ACCEPTED SOLUTIONS

Accepted Solutions

nodrogd
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

Virgin does not connect to an aerial. Its a service cable where TV, Broadband & Phone all use radio systems in the same cable.

Virgin is a "closed" cable TV setup, so there are NO free channels available. All the channels are encrypted & can only be decoded by Virgin's TV boxes, unlike "open" systems where free channels can be tuned directly on a TV.

You will need to have a rooftop aerial installed for Freeview direct to the TV. In some areas with a strong signal a set top aerial can be used, but you usually have to have sight of the transmitting mast outside to use these effectively. Alternatively, if the set also has Freesat you can get an installer to put a dish up for using this.

VM 350BB 2xV6 & Landline. Freeview/Freesat HD, ASDA/Tesco PAYG Mobile. Cable customer since 1993

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japitts
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

It depends what you want from your TV service.

The cheapest Virgin TV-only package is Mixit TV at £5/month on an 18month contract, or £24/month with a phoneline. That'll get you a TiVo box with recording & CatchUp/OnDemand facilities.

Your Smart TV will give you the Freeview channels for £0/month through an aerial, and (if you connect it via WiFi to your home router) basic CatchUp facilities too.

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nodrogd
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

You are looking at a one-off fee of around £100 to £120 to install a satellite dish, or a standard TV aerial. With an aerial the size (& cost) will depend on if there are any reception problems at your location. With a dish, as long as you have no obstructions (tall buildings or tall trees) to your South East this might be the easier option as most of the time this can be installed on a house wall rather than the roof.

VM 350BB 2xV6 & Landline. Freeview/Freesat HD, ASDA/Tesco PAYG Mobile. Cable customer since 1993

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media. Learn more

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4 REPLIES 4

nodrogd
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

Virgin does not connect to an aerial. Its a service cable where TV, Broadband & Phone all use radio systems in the same cable.

Virgin is a "closed" cable TV setup, so there are NO free channels available. All the channels are encrypted & can only be decoded by Virgin's TV boxes, unlike "open" systems where free channels can be tuned directly on a TV.

You will need to have a rooftop aerial installed for Freeview direct to the TV. In some areas with a strong signal a set top aerial can be used, but you usually have to have sight of the transmitting mast outside to use these effectively. Alternatively, if the set also has Freesat you can get an installer to put a dish up for using this.

VM 350BB 2xV6 & Landline. Freeview/Freesat HD, ASDA/Tesco PAYG Mobile. Cable customer since 1993

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media. Learn more

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Thank you for your answer- I spent 1 hour 10 minutes on the phone to virgin technical support and they couldn't tell me this information. They've actually organised for an engineer to come look next week 😖 .

From your experience, would it therefore be cheaper to get Virgin TV than it is to install a new TV aerial for our smart TV to run off?

thanks! 

japitts
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

It depends what you want from your TV service.

The cheapest Virgin TV-only package is Mixit TV at £5/month on an 18month contract, or £24/month with a phoneline. That'll get you a TiVo box with recording & CatchUp/OnDemand facilities.

Your Smart TV will give you the Freeview channels for £0/month through an aerial, and (if you connect it via WiFi to your home router) basic CatchUp facilities too.

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media. Learn more

Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer or use Kudos to say thanks

nodrogd
Very Insightful Person
Very Insightful Person

You are looking at a one-off fee of around £100 to £120 to install a satellite dish, or a standard TV aerial. With an aerial the size (& cost) will depend on if there are any reception problems at your location. With a dish, as long as you have no obstructions (tall buildings or tall trees) to your South East this might be the easier option as most of the time this can be installed on a house wall rather than the roof.

VM 350BB 2xV6 & Landline. Freeview/Freesat HD, ASDA/Tesco PAYG Mobile. Cable customer since 1993

I'm a Very Insightful Person, I'm here to share knowledge, I don't work for Virgin Media. Learn more

Have I helped? Click Mark as Helpful Answer or use Kudos to say thanks