General Chat

I am on virgin media for tv phone and internet.

I have a TiVo box in the lounge and an older box in the bedroom that you can't record or get Netflix on( I have just joined Netflix)

So I was told I qualified for a free upgrade on the TiVo box Just pay for the engineer to install

Was ok with that and arrangements made for yesterday

Had thought it was the current TiVo box being upgraded but was pleased to find out the old box is out so the engineer would take out both boxes ,put the new one in the lounge and the older TiVo box in the bedroom

Soooo ok so far

But ain't happy . I bought a new tv in jan 2016 and grandson set it all up for me with a same make sound bar . All working fine including a DVD player.
The engineer did install both boxes and a new router that I wasn't expecting but he had problems with the tv picking up the signal for programmes

He had pulled out the HDMI cable from the sound bar and didn't know how to reinstall so I have the tv speakers not the sound bar and can't play the DVD player

He said no ideas sorry as I don't know about sound bars

As I said I am not a happy bunny

If he couldn't simply replace the HDMI cable into the HDMI port on the sound bar then he no right to be called an "engineer". All you need do is refer to the hand book which came with the soundbar, identify the HDMI port and insert the fitting - making sure right way round so dont force it. A simple task for anyone just have the sound bar switched off at mains tho.

...so you paid this person to do a job - and he couldn't do it?
I hope you've contacted the company :-|

sorry didn't explain properly, the HDMI cable is in the back of the sound bar but he pulled it out of the back of the tv and didnt know how or where to put it back

the socket he did put it in was wrong as that was for the tv cable
having swopped it over he got the tv working but no sound bar cable now in the back of the tv

I have looked at the tv and sound bar instruction books but its a clear as mud to me

Difficult to know without actually seeing your set up.

However, your TV is likely to have a number of HDMI connections on the back. Why not try plugging the cable from the sound box into each one in turn and see what happens.

Similarly with the DVD, it should have its own HDMI cable connecting it to the TV.

Or, call on grandson for a favour?

Grandson is a lorry driver and away all week on the continent .plus he doesn't live locally . He lives 40 plus miles away

May have to ask him though for an enormous favour to come up to me

I would try plugging it in but its a 48 inch tv on a stand and would be very easy to tip

I would have to pull out the tv unit to get behind it

All in all not an easy thing for me
:-|

I'd still call the company, and explain that the set-up (as left by the 'engineer') isn't working.
No point in having a new box - and not being able to use what you had before it was fitted!

I would definitely complain to Virgin media, he was there to make an improvement not mess up your existing set up.

I have VM Tivo6 and am well pleased with it.

It is dead ez to install yourself without forking ut for a VM engineer.
VM are currently giving Tivo6 boxes to all of their customers for free but charge for the installation.

There are a few gotchas.

The router should NOT be very near to the TIVO box or the TV.

By default the TIVO is set up linked to the router using ethernet cable. . However it works better over 5GHz wifi but you have to select that from the settings.

The current router "SuperHub3" has bugs inc a serious security one. It is essential to change the default router password. If you have the old SH2 stay with it.

Whichever SuoerHub you have they are all mediocre at best. By far the best option is to kick it in to modem mode and get a proper router with decent wifi and DNS & VPN options.

Virgin are setting up people's routers to act as network contact poijnts for anybody strolling past with a VM mobile phone. If you don't fancy this then you will have to ask VM to disable it. If the router is in modem mode share is auto disabled,

It does not matter much which hdmi port stuff is connected to. The Tivo6 router would normally connect to HDMI1 and then other stuff in what ever order you want. Older sets often only have one or two HDMI ports but an extender is cheap on eBay. Older soud bars may use TV analog output but modern kit usually uses hdmi. Just plug it in.

Virgin have a variety of older boxes. The early one did not do recording at all and is no longer supported. The later ones did do recording but the user control menu was pants, buggy and slow. These units can access stuff stored on the Tivo6 unit (and vice versa).

The current unit can also be controlled from a VM mobile phone and will allow viewing of tv programs on the mobile if there is a fast enough connection available. The mobile cannot view saved programs though.

By default VM TIVO will "suggest" programs to be recorded and these can quickly hoover up the disk space. Best bet is to turn "suggest" off.

BTW if you UG your VM sub. ( eg by adding a mobile phone, higher level TV etc etc ) they can be persauded to give you quite a jolly tablet which usually sells for £ 200.

Shirley had an engineer to set the system up - so there's no reason she should have to reset it herself.
He didn't do his job - no matter how 'ez', you claim, so an engineer should be sent out to do the job properly- free of charge!

I suppose you also missed the bit where Shirley says she doesn't feel happy about moving the TV .

He job was to install the Tivo6 and leave when it was working which he did. It was not his job to optimise and reconfigure her whole media set up inc such matters as sound bars. Read the contract (it is online).

Mission creep can be very expensive ; support firms both for the gen public and commerical need to dig in against it if they wish to remain solvent. As it is appears that the VM engineer went well beyond his remit by reinstalling the old kit.

There is an excellent online forum for VM plus the Tivo6 box comes with copious illustrations on how-to-install. The content is a lot mroe useful than MW's trilling.

RTR, so politely put, probably because, for some reason, when questioned, he unnecessarily feels the need to be rude, and have his own 'hissy': :-D :-D :-D
"The content is a lot mroe useful than MW's trilling"

How much mroe? :-D :-D :-D
I assume this isn't a spelling mistake - you (apparently) 'never' make them.
You really must stop using the Urban Dictionary, - some of it's rude :-D
Fyi - I don't have a mole, so I don't understand what you've written, as a sentence, it's rubbish!

His 'job' was to install the box, as an addition to what was there.
If this interfered with the rest of the set-up, he should correct it.

If, say, an electrician rewired a light fitting, would you expect him to fit the 'body' of the fitting, and the shade ring, or not bother?
Also, if he set the fitting so low the door hit the bulb - would you regard that as a 'job well done'?

Although Rollo has a point, its an awkward situation isn't it?

Its one thing for a fit and able person to follow on-line instructions, but different when doesn't have the strength or expertise.

Our neighbour has been warned by Open Reach that they may have to dig up her crazy paving drive, part of her garden and possibly part of our garden to find the fault on her phone line. No doubt they'll back-fill but its highly unlikely they'll restore to anything as it was before.
She's physically incapable of restoring it herself, and is desperately trying to preserve her dwindling capital.

Shirley falls within the physically incapable (moving the TV to access the rear) bracket.

He was to remove the old unit as it is no longer supported by virgin media
It was the basic unit that didn't record

He said it would be better to put the upgrade on the main tv and put the older TiVo box on the bedroom small one

I pay for the extra box anyway

Rollo I am 81 next month and not capable of moving furniture around or electronic literate to install things either

Fairly computer literate because have worked on them since the 1980,s

Had the guy said the sound bar would be a problem I would have said ok just change the new box over onto to bedroom tv .He Didn't !!

So I have been left with a sound bar that isn't working

Spoke to grandson and he can't remember how it's set up as he can't visualise it
He seems to think the TiVo box should go through the sound bar and the hdmi lead to the tv BUT he can't be sure

He is going to paint my kitchen for me as I can't do ladders now and he will take a look when he comes up

Could be a few weeks though

At least I have the tv speakers but the sounds is not as crisp as the sound bar

Both units are Sony and were bought as a compatible package the tv is a Sony Bravia

What a foul term 'Mission creep' is. It may be okay for the Military, but hardly compatible with civilian situations.
We normal mortals usually refer to it as 'Customer Service'.
But then, I suppose those who don't care about Customer Service, only profits, would use such a vile sounding term

My daughter regularly stays at work later than she should - I don't think she refers to it as 'Mission Creep' or, actually, even 'Customer Service', to her it's ensuring a mother and baby are comfortable and happy.

The person who came to Shirley's could have been a sub-contractor, but enough complaints could see him out of a job, so it's to his advantage to ensure things are working properly, and the customer is happy.

Is the sound bar Sony as well? Which model?
I have Sony Bravia too and the sound is fine

Yes they are both Sony. Bought as a package

The tv sound isn't as good as going through the sound bar. Once you hear both you can tell the difference
I have had to put the sound enhancement on on the tv Sound settings to get a good level of sound

Try reading this then (slowly)
Only applies to fairly recent kit such as yours.

https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/hdmi-arc-explained-works-care/

https://www.cableforum.uk/board/showthread.php?t=33702913&page=207&styleid=29

RTR, try reading Shirley's threads (slowly)
Did you miss the bit where she said she wasn't confident about moving the TV to plug/unplug things?

No amount of 'superior' Googling, of threads will change this situation, neither will your 'insisting' it's easy, work.

If, as you are so patronisingly 'hinting' it's so 'easy', why couldn't the engineer have done it?
A couple of minutes is hardly 'Mission creep' is it?
It's called doing a 'proper' job.