[MKCable]

I have recently moved to Milton Keynes, which I have been told was built on a cabletv network. My building has no aerial or satellite attached to it. I think I'm reciving limited channels through cable. I get BBC1/2/news24 ITV channel4/5 and E4. I'm using a signal booster because the images are fuzzy. My TV recives these channels on analog only DVBt picks up nothing. I have a few more channels but they appear split (like a bad VHS tape!).

Does any one know how I can recive freeview or make the additional (split) channels viewable?

Any advice or direction is welcome.
Thanks.

[Boostrail]

Originally Posted by MKCable

I have recently moved to Milton Keynes, which I have been told was built on a cabletv network. My building has no aerial or satellite attached to it. I think I'm reciving limited channels through cable. I get BBC1/2/news24 ITV channel4/5 and E4. I'm using a signal booster because the images are fuzzy. My TV recives these channels on analog only DVBt picks up nothing. I have a few more channels but they appear split (like a bad VHS tape!).

Does any one know how I can recive freeview or make the additional (split) channels viewable?

Any advice or direction is welcome.
Thanks.

Hi MKcable - welcome to AVForums, I do hope we can help.

I am 99% certain you are on cable - Virgin Media.
What you receive is what they are obliged to supply to MK for free. However it should not be that the images are fuzzy - complain about this. You should however be able to subscribe to a Virgin V or V+ digital TV package -without incurring an installation fee! along with this you may be able to bundle a reasonable phone package and a very good BB package.
You will not be able to receive Freeview DVB-T via this connection - you will need an aerial to do this .

However you do need to find out from whatever council that governs MK what they have negotiated with VM to replace the current obligated anlaogue service after it is switched off after DSO in 2011?

( I do not live in MK perhaps others who live there may be able to add to this?)

[radriderx]

Originally Posted by Boostrail

Hi MKcable - welcome to AVForums, I do hope we can help.

I am 99% certain you are on cable - Virgin Media.
What you receive is what they are obliged to supply to MK for free. However it should not be that the images are fuzzy - complain about this. You should however be able to subscribe to a Virgin V or V+ digital TV package -without incurring an installation fee! along with this you may be able to bundle a reasonable phone package and a very good BB package.
You will not be able to receive Freeview DVB-T via this connection - you will need an aerial to do this .

However you do need to find out from whatever council that governs MK what they have negotiated with VM to replace the current obligated anlaogue service after it is switched off after DSO in 2011?

( I do not live in MK perhaps others who live there may be able to add to this?)

If he isn't using a virgin stb then he isn't using cble

[Ben]

Originally Posted by radriderx

If he isn't using a virgin stb then he isn't using cble

How else do you explain him receiving an analogue version of E4?... It's not available on analogue terrestrial.

[limegreenzx]

Originally Posted by Boostrail

Hi MKcable - welcome to AVForums, I do hope we can help.

I am 99% certain you are on cable - Virgin Media.
What you receive is what they are obliged to supply to MK for free. However it should not be that the images are fuzzy - complain about this. You should however be able to subscribe to a Virgin V or V+ digital TV package -without incurring an installation fee! along with this you may be able to bundle a reasonable phone package and a very good BB package.
You will not be able to receive Freeview DVB-T via this connection - you will need an aerial to do this .

However you do need to find out from whatever council that governs MK what they have negotiated with VM to replace the current obligated anlaogue service after it is switched off after DSO in 2011?

( I do not live in MK perhaps others who live there may be able to add to this?)

Isn't MK one of these strange areas where you can only get analogue TV from Virgin ie there no digital TV service at the moment. The problem is down to BT owning most of the network in MK but not being allowed through legislation to operate a TV distribution service. Virgin can run the TV distribution service but it is not up to them to upgrade the network to a proper digital network as they only lease the network. So MK have ended up stuck in the 1980's as far as cable TV is concerned.

[rosso]

I'm not actually happy with my Cable service at the moment

[mike7]

From the outset Milton Keynes was deemed to be an 'aerial free' zone. A basic cable service was installed many years ago. This had nothing to do with Virgin Media, which did not exist at the time. I am assuming that this service was 'analogue only' when it first went in. I live on a estate in Norwich where we had similar service put in. It still works and was upgraded a few years ago to give us a fairly mediocre Channel 5. Ours will also respond to Digital signals and I can feed it to a Freeview box or TV and get all the channels. It is totally independant of the VirginMedia system which uses separate cabling. I would suggest that MKCable chats to few neighbours. I have a feeling that the Milton Keynes system is now somewhere in between very basic and VirginMedia. The basic channels have to be provided free. I also recall that the system once had a 'local' channel. In some areas Virgin are dragging their heels a bit over converting from Analogue to Digital services. This is largely dependant on who installed the cable system in the first place, and how old it is.

[miltonkeynes]

Originally Posted by rosso

I'm not actually happy with my Cable service at the moment

Join the petition - it's all BT's fault - they are using their ownership of the cable tv network in Milton Keynes and Westminster as a "blocking bid" to stop cable operators from competing with BT retail in these lucrative areas.

A few years ago things were ready to go digital but BT stopped it in it's tracks .. for fear of losing customers on ADSL and it's forthcoming BT Vision (which then launched few years later).

Add your voice below... and send an email to the address in petition too... to register with virgin on when it will be upgraded..

Petition to OFCOM