V!rg!n: when is digital TV not digital?

custardy

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Eh, I dunno whether the connector supplied for the old telly was scart or not. What might one of these look like? Is this the thing that converts digital info to analogue? I suspected all along that I was being sold HiDef capability when I don't necessarily want or can afford HDTV. I just want to watch telly so I'd be quite happy with standard def!

I used all of the input selections available and AV was one of them.

I'm not actually blaming anyone. Yet. Naturally it's my own lack of technical understanding that's preventing me from getting handle on what's going on here.

forget digital
run the scart(as posted) directly from the cable box to the TV
look on the socket. often TVs have the input listed by the socket eg AV1,scart 1
If you can post the make/model of TV we can try and give more specific guidence

BitterAndTwisted

Thanks for your help everyone. There is not SCART lead. I always thought that thing in the pic was a nine or thirteen-pin connector (or however many pins there are on those doodads). The only lead coming out of the set-top box to the telly is a round connector thang which looks just like the one in the wall for the communal aerial. Perhaps I could need this new box after all. Which I don't want and will not be paying for. I might just have to be patient and wait until my landlord has installed this digital aerial business so we can get Freesat. Well, that's what they've told us, so it must be true.

custardy

but does it(the box) have a scart socket?
on a coax set up you will need to manually tune into the VM output channel

Tiexen

Look at your virgin box and tell us what it says - make and model

Kurtis_Blue

1. As above, buy a scart lead and use that.

2. In the mean time or if you do not wish to spend the £2-3.00 then turn ON the stb and set your TV to ANALOGUE then retune.
The issue is you are watching the inbuilt DIGITAL TV tuner but the signal coming from the rear RF out is ANALOGUE so you need to use that tuner. If you state the TV we type and model some one will tell you what button on the remote to switch between the two.

3. This is not VMs fault.

JimmyTheWig

Do you have a scart lead (looks like the pic in post #11) at all? E.g. do you have a DVD player?
Is there somewhere on the Telewest box to plug it?
Is there somewhere on the TV to plug it?
If so, connect the two with the scart lead and see what happens.

katejo

JimmyTheWig wrote: »

Do you have a scart lead (looks like the pic in post #11) at all? E.g. do you have a DVD player?
Is there somewhere on the Telewest box to plug it?
Is there somewhere on the TV to plug it?
If so, connect the two with the scart lead and see what happens.

if you have an old V box, you should have a scart lead with it. I have just excehanged my old V box with scart sockets for one with HD sockets and I have to return the old box, together with the scart cable to Virgin.
Don't worry about paying for a new V box with HD sockets as it actually make very little real difference. My pictures were fine before i got the HD box.

almillar

OP - plain and simple - if your telewest box, and your TV, both have SCART plugs then you need to find a SCART cable (Tesco will have one if you don't) and connect them. Then the picture from the box will appear on the TV when you select one of those AV channels, or your TV might actually switch to it automatically.

BitterAndTwisted

Thank you so much for your very patient guidance and advice everyone.

The set-top box appears to have two SCART outlets neither of which are currently being used as the cable connecting the box to the telly is one of those RF doodads. I appear to have two choices: either nip out and buy a SCART lead or spend twenty quid on a cheap Freeview box until I get Freesat. Naturally, in true MSE stylee I'll be trying the cheapest option first.

Sorry if I've sounded completely thick about all this but I'm a woman and electronics is not an area of particular interest or expertise. However, I do understand a bit more about it than before I started this thread. Cheers folks, it's very much appreciated!

spike7451

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Thank you so much for your very patient guidance and advice everyone.

The set-top box appears to have two SCART outlets neither of which are currently being used as the cable connecting the box to the telly is one of those RF doodads. I appear to have two choices: either nip out and buy a SCART lead or spend twenty quid on a cheap Freeview box until I get Freesat. Naturally, in true MSE stylee I'll be trying the cheapest option first.

Sorry if I've sounded completely thick about all this but I'm a woman and electronics is not an area of particular interest or expertise. However, I do understand a bit more about it than before I started this thread. Cheers folks, it's very much appreciated!

Cable channels are usually on Ch60 or 65 depending on the area you live in.If you go to the TV tuning menu & retune the programme,usually programme 6 on the TV,to the channel 60/65.Make sure the cable box is turned on tho.

By channel I refer to the frequency that the cable station on the tv is tuned into,Programme refers to the stations on the TV...IE;

BBC1-Programme 1
BBC2-Programme 2
ITV-Programme 3
ect ect.