Hi there,
There is always a possibility of getting a lemon when you buy any new electronic device, but I hope this is not the case here. From what you describe, it would appear that the channel scan is not finding anything and the TV is stuck in installation mode. There are several possible reasons why this could happen, but let's start with the 2 most common ones first:
- The devices are not connected correctly meaning there is no signal to the TV;
- The wrong scanning option has been selected;
I thank you for providing such a detailed description but I'm going to need some more information from you to solve this problem. Specifically, I need to know:
1. What is the signal source for the TV? (antenna, cable, satellite, etc)
2. How are all the devices interconnected? Basically what is connected to what else.
3. Model numbers of the TV and Shaw PVR
4. Any other detail which may be relevant - types of cable used to connect the devices, etc.
Please reply to me from within this page with the information requested and hopefully I will be able to solve this problem for you fairly easily.
In the meantime, if you are using a cable/satellite receiver or digital converter, try connecting this directly to the TV and scan again. It would be a good test to determine whether the TV is working and therefore something is wrong with the setup.
Thanks,
BElectric
Hi There,
Thanks for the information. It would appear that your connections are incorrect. You stated the PVR was only connected to the TV but also it needs to be connected the cable feed to work correctly. In addition, you also need ro run the channel scan with the source set to CABLE and not AIR. I need to check some details on the PVR quickly, then I will post back with some setup diagrams shortly -there are a couple of ways to do this.
BElectric
Sorry, two more questions:
1. Do you have a cable box or is it a direct cable feed from the street with no box.
2. Please click on the link below, view the diagram and then let me know which sockets you are using to connect to the TV:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57298187@N02/5405699676/sizes/l/in/photostream/
I have removed all of the socket names which are not relevant.
I apologise for all of the questions but different cables and sockets may mean that the correct setup method is different. If you can let me know the answer to these, I can give you all the correct setup details without further delay.
Thanks,
BElectric
Hi,
Thanks again for the information - I'm fairly sure I know what you've done (or rather, not done) but I've had to call an interpreter to decipher it all. I'm joking of course - I simply need to read it a few times and write some instructions for you. I will get back to you shortly.
Please note: If you are notified of further messages from me and you are unable to locate them, please scroll to the bottom of my last visible message and then click on "View More Comments" in the light-blue bar below.
Thanks,
BElectric
Hi there,
Sorry for the delay. I was trying to track down info for your TV so that I could give you 100% product specific information. As this is not a major brand, I was unable to obtain this, so I will have to give you slightly generic information in a few places. However, rest assured these methods are the same on almost every TV, so hopefully this wont cause any confusion.
For future reference the brand / model number of your TV is: Fluid / LE-23G90.
I think I've worked out what's happened and the solution is relatively simple. I think your TV just needed to be run through the installation sequence before it would allow you to use the Shaw PVR with it. From what you've told me, I believe you have actually now done this, so resolution of this problem should only be a small step away. Please run through the following instructions/checklist. At the end of this you should find the PVR is setup and working correctly. I think you have just missed a simple step in the setup process somewhere.
Instructions / Checklist
1. Connect the cable feed to the CABLE IN socket on the TV and run the channel scan with the source set to CABLE.
This step is simply to ensure that the TV has completed the initial installation sequence. Some TVs cannot be used for anything else until this has been done.
2. Switch the TV off (standby is fine) and with the PVR also switched off, connect the Shaw PVR to the TV as follows:
It is not essential that you use an HDMI cable for this. However as the PVR is an HD device, a cable suitable for carrying an HD signal should be used. From your description, you already have a suitable cable for this purpose. Please connect the PVR to the TV as follows.
A. Connect the 3-plug RCA type cable (red/orange, yellow and green color coded plugs) to the COMPONENT OUT sockets on the back of the PVR. If you are uncertain which ones to use, they will be next to the heading "OUT" and individually labelled "Pr" (Cr) "Pb" (Cb) and "Y".
Please note: Cr and Cb are simply alternative labels used on some devices in place of Pr and Pb respectively. There is no difference.
B. Connect the other end of this cable to the corresponding "Pr" (Cr) "Pb" (Cb) and "Y" IN sockets on your TV. All three of the plugs on this cable are used only for video/picture. A separate audio cable is also required (see C below). Follow the color coding on the sockets as best as possible however, it's not vital which plug you use for which as long as Pr on the PVR is connected to Pr on the TV, etc.
C. Connect another 2-plug RCA type cable (red and white plugs) to the red and white colored AUDIO OUT R (right) and L (left) sockets on the back of the PVR.
D. Connect the other ends of this cable to the red and white colored AUDIO IN R (right) and L (left) sockets on the back of your TV. Red is normally Right and White is normally Left however, as long as you connect R on the PVR to R on the TV and L to L, it will work correctly.
3. Next, remove the cable feed from the back of the TV and connect it to the CABLE IN socket on the back of the PVR.
4. Switch the TV and the PVR on. You now need to change the TV to the correct INPUT setting for the Shaw PVR. The correct input setting depends on how they are connected - in this case, it is by COMPONENT cable and there should be a button on your TV remote, labelled INPUT or SOURCE. Your TV should follow one of these two methods for switching inputs:
A. Press the INPUT/SOURCE button slowly but repeatedly until you can see the picture from the PVR. The name of the currently selected input should appear briefly on the TV screen each time you press this button
B If your TV displays a menu/list of inputs the first time you press the INPUT/SOURCE button on the TV remote, use the directional arrow keys on the remote to highlight an input, then press the OK/SELECT button on your TV remote to select an input. The correct input should be called COMPONENT. If this is not listed, try each one in turn until you can see the picture from the PVR.
That's it!
You should now be able to watch cable via the PVR and record cable channels. The downside of this is you will only be able to record the channel you are watching. You will also need to use the PVR remote control to switch channels.
In order to record a different channel, an additional connection between the PVR and the TV is required and this will also require some additional instructions. There is already a lot of information in this message so it would be better to cover this part in a separate message. Let's make sure it's setup correctly and working first and then we'll cover the extra bits.
Please complete all of the above instructions and then get back to me. If you get stuck at any point - or anything I've said doesn't make sense, or doesn't match your equipment - don't go any further, just post a message here and we'll deal with any problems as they arise.
I realise there it a lot of information here. If it seems a little daunting, just do one step at a time and let me know as soon as you hit a problem.
I'll wait to hear back from you but, in the meantime, I will start writing the additional instuctions for watching/recording different channels.
Good luck!
Regards,
BElectric
That's fantastic! "Patience solves problems" is my motto ;)
By amazing coincidence, I was in the middle of writing a message to you when I received your update. As I hadn't received a reply to my previous message, I was concerned that you hadn't been able to find it in the "more comments" area. I'm not particularly fond of this feature!
I'm very glad the instructions were easy to follow. I always try to cover any points where confusion may arise. As a result they can look rather complicated and even I read them back sometimes and wonder if they would make sense to me if someone else had written them.
Don't forget, you can also watch one channel on the TV and record a different channel on the PVR, but you will need another cable between the PVR and TV to do this. This requires a coaxial cable to be connected from the TV OUT socket on the PVR to the CABLE / RF / ANTENNA IN socket on your TV. You will also need to activate the RF BYPASS feature from within the menu on the PVR. This should be explained in the Shaw manual, but if you would like any assistance setting this up or using it, please post another message on this page and I will be more than happy to help you with this.
I'm glad I was able to help and I appeciate you letting me know it's all working - many people never bother and I'm left wondering what the outcome was. The most enjoyable part of doing this is when I get a message saying "It works!".
Thanks,
Nick / BElectric
If you're happy with it, then so am I. I'd appreciate it if you would click the accept button below my solution to indicate your problem has been solved. This will ensure I am credited for solving your problem and prevent it from being returned to the unsolved problem list. If you need any further assistance with it at any time, you can still post a message to this page and I will be notified. Thanks. Nick / BElectric.
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Here is the additional information you requested:
1. signal source - cable
2. TV is the only device connected to PVR
3. Model #s - TV - 1602104 PVR - TDC776D
4. type of cable - standard issued by Shaw cable
I also connected the cable directly to the TV and it does appear to be working fine, but does not say anything about setup, though it does have the correct local time on the screen
Let me know if you need anything further. Thanks
YIKES!! I may know what the problem is. I did not realize I needed an HDMI connection.
Could that be it??
Just to clarify and try answering your questions. I may have misunderstood what info you wanted I had another TV set up to the PVR and just plugged in cables to the new TV as they were before, with the exception of the cable that came with the new TV that had a 3-prong cable (red/orange, yellow and green), where the old one had only 2-prongs (red and white). I am not sure I plugged them in correctly, so perhaps that is another error. The cable in that room comes directly into the house and then into the PVR; there is another TV in the livingroom that has a cable box. This morning took the cable going into the PVR out and put it directly into the TV and that is how I found out that the TV does work, and all the "set-up" info is correct so I am wondering if it set automatically digitally, and then went directly to "channel scan" where I ran into dificulty that prompted your service. Ilooked at the diagram you sent and it is not quite the same as my PVR. I did not have or use and S-video output and the Video (baseband) output on my PVR sockets are white and yellow on top (L to R), and orange and red below (L to R) sockets rather than 6 sockets in the picture. Hope you can understand and make sense of all the stuff that I've bombarded you with! Thanks.
I printed the instructions you sent and went through them step-by-step and all seems to be working just fine now...yeah!! Too bad there wasn't a decent manual that came with it walking me through the steps on my own. Thanks for all your help...you were very patient with me! I'll definitely use this service again.
Thank-you for the additional information. I think I will leave everything the way it is before messing with a good thing! Thanks once again for all you help.
I'll do that right now. Thanks again Nick!
VERY! I am up and running now with my new TV and will use the service again if I ever get myself into the same kind of mess again. Thanks so much!
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