To determine if you require the media-adapter go to channel 999 and then press the red button. You will either see a screen saying everything is good or you will see a help type screen which takes you through various steps to verify cables and the installation of the media adapter.
I'm not exactly sure what role the media adapter plays because the guy in the shop gave me a coax cable with slightly different connectors on each end. He said if it works then I would not need the M'Adapter. Mine is now working 100% with no M'adapter in place.
Unfortunately he took back the M'adapter so I can no longer show you a picture of it, but it measured approx 6x5x2 and has various coax connectors protruding from it and it also had an optional face plate to change the configuration of connectors which provides customers more options to plug it into different types of boxes that occur in the wall.
A huge thanks for this Noth. I was dismayed when the box (a new replacement box) froze on Saturday night with no technical support, and this was just the job.
You're 100% welcome, I just wish Cablecom could bother to have this kind of info displayed on their support site. I seem to be extra good at killing firmware, my home theater system froze badly too last month... two days in a row. I keep the cdrom with the updated firmware in a secure place!