Using a VCR to send a TV signal to a second room
A question submitted online by visitor Liz Hearn:
“I inadvertently ordered a Virgin HD box instead of a V+ box. Before I fitted the new box I could run cable upstairs and watch it there (same channel as downstairs). Now I can’t. How can I do this without having to buy a new box?
I was told by someone at Maplins that I can connect the upstairs cable through the video. Wish I’d left well alone!
When told Virgin to reconnect my old box, I was told they couldn’t.”
Our Answer
The new Virgin Media set-top boxes don’t support sending the TV signal to a second TV set using a TV aerial lead.
You have three options:
- Use a wireless transmitter to get to the second TV set
- Buy a box called an RF modulator to use your existing aerial connector
- Connect to the second TV set via a video recorder
Using a video recorder
The aim here is to “modulate” the signal from the Virgin Media box, so that it can be sent over aerial cabling to another TV set. Here’s how to do it:
- Connect the output of the Virgin box to the input of the video recorder. You should connect from the virgin box using a SCART lead
- Set the video recorder so that it is on the feed from the Virgin box. The video recorder should be set to the Line In feed (which may be labelled AUX / AV or Line)
- Connect the RF aerial output of the video to the second TV set
- Tune the second TV set into the video channel
That should do it. Whatever the video recorder is watching (i.e. a video, or a feed from the Virgin box), will be fed via the video recorder, to the second TV set