Help! Virgin V6 box and Harmony Remote

[uv431232]

Does anyone know how to add a V6 box to a Harmony 900 remote? I found something online from 2011 suggesting that you add it a virgin media PVR by adding the device as a Cable Box, choosing Cisco as the manufacturer and then entering a model number CT8685 but this didn't work... it wouldn't allow me to programme anything other than Power on/off toggle - no other buttons?

I spoke to a guy at Harmony for 85 mins (USA) who tried loads of things, confirmed that they supported the Virgin V6 box but when he added it, it still didn't work? In the end he asked me to contact Virgin Media and get them to email me the 'Pronto Hex code' for the box. I haven't done this yet as I can only imagine the trouble I will have asking their call centre for this so I thought I would check here in case anyone has any ideas? I can't be the first person to add the V6 box to a harmony remote? I can't see why a 900 model would be any different to the other models now..... I have tried adding it as a Virgin cable box, Cisco and Tivo - none of them worked.

The strangest thing in all my attempts was that when using the 'learn commands' manually method - and using the virgin remote to programme key presses on the Harmony.... only the Power Toggle one worked. Any other button would not be recognised by the Harmony.

If anyone has any ideas or another method to add a Virgin V6 remote to my Harmony, I would be very grateful.

thanks a lot.
Paul

 

[zacpac]

I have a v6 but I have the elite remote with the hub, as far as I can know the virgin remote is not infra red, Does your 900 only handle IR commands.

Adding a device I searched for Virgin and the model v6

 

[qwakuk]

I have a V6 and it the desktop software shows it is set as Tivo CT8685

 

[uv431232]

I have a v6 but I have the elite remote with the hub, as far as I can know the virgin remote is not infra red, Does your 900 only handle IR commands.

Adding a device I searched for Virgin and the model v6

Thanks Zacpac ... my 900 can use RF blasters although I haven‘t bothered setting them up to now.... I did check the technical specs to confirm the V6 box takes IR signals. so just checking, when you added it to your elite, did you add it as :

Add device
cable box
virgin media
v6
?

i tried that and whilst it added the pvr it wouldn’t control anything and didn’t show any ‘soft buttons’ in the display.

 

[zacpac]

Using the Harmony pc program, I just entered virginmedia as the manufacturer and v6 as the device model and it adds it to the remote as VirginMedia DVR.

You're right the v6 is IR but the remote virgin remote might be set in RF mode which may explain why you couldn't learn the functions

To enter IR mode, press and hold the TiVo+Red C buttons until the activity indicator on the remote control lights. The remote remains in IR mode until you enter the key combination that puts the remote into RF mode

 

[uv431232]

Using the Harmony pc program, I just entered virginmedia as the manufacturer and v6 as the device model and it adds it to the remote as VirginMedia DVR.

You're right the v6 is IR but the remote virgin remote might be set in RF mode which may explain why you couldn't learn the functions

To enter IR mode, press and hold the TiVo+Red C buttons until the activity indicator on the remote control lights. The remote remains in IR mode until you enter the key combination that puts the remote into RF mode

Thank you - I'll try this... can you clarify,,, when you say hold the TiVo+Red C buttons - I can't see a button on the remote marked TiVo (I have a home button (black with white writing), a red R (which will be record I assume), thumbs up and down and a yellow pause button... - I do have the usual unlabelled red, green, yellow and blue buttons - I assume the Red C you refer to is the red button unlabelled?

thanks again.

 

[zacpac]

Sorry not sure, that was copied from a virgin help page. Easy way to check the remote, cover the top of the remote with your hand to block the IR and see if it still works, if not then it's IR

 

[uv431232]

Thank you for your help. I finally figured it out. My Virgin V6 remote was operating in RF only mode. Once I found a way to switch it to IR mode, I was able to programme all of the buttons on my Harmony with the Virgin buttons. For anyone else needing to do this you first of all reset the virgin remote by pressing Clear and TV on the virgin V6 remote at the same time until the light on the remote flashes green twice (takes about 10 seconds). Press thumbs down three times then press OK. The LED will flash green twice and exit programming mode. This now means the virgin remote is transmitting in IR mode so will be able to programme the harmony.

To add the V6 box, I used the Harmony software and :

Add Device
Select Cable Box
Select Manufacturer (Cisco) - this just allows it to be a programmable box)
Enter model number CT8685

Once you have done this click on done. Then go back to the Cisco box device which is now showing in your devices list (as a PVR). Click on the 'learn IR' button and then work your way through each of the buttons on the virgin controller adding them.

Once you have done this click on done and then click on the update the remote which will change the settings on your Harmony remote.

Done and working. Thank you again to zacpac for your assitance too.

 

[qwakuk]

I have a V6 and it the desktop software shows it is set as Tivo CT8685

I told you too add CT8685 above , all commands work without having to learn anything