Tivo/ReplayTV/PVR Etc. Questions & Answers & Tips
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: Tivo/ReplayTV/PVR Etc. Questions & Answers & Tips
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Archive through August 26, 2003 25   08/26 07:02am
Archive through October 05, 2003 25   10/05 09:11am
Archive through November 22, 2003 25   11/22 04:45pm
Archive through November 23, 2003 25   11/24 02:17pm

Draheid

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 11:57 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Colordeagua: Your question unfortunately requires a little more clarification to answer. I'll have to presume that your complex has a 'Master Antenna' system where everyone is connected to one antenna. In this case, are you the only one having trouble or is everyone on the antenna system seeing the same thing? What channel numbers are you specifically having trouble with? Is it the same on all TVs in your residence (presuming you have more then one, if not nevermind! lol)? What type of wire (round [coax] or flat [twinlead]) connects from the wall to the TV??

I'll be happy to give more information with this information.

Wendo

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 12:33 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Luvmyjrt, glad to hear you were able to find a work around for the land line phone requirment. Once you start recording, let us know how you like it. :)

Colordeagua

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 05:07 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Draheid: Yes, we have master antenna system. (Many in the building do have cable. I don't and don't intend to.) The two channels that give me problems (not constant) are 2 (CBS) and 5 (NBC). Only have one TV. There aren't too many in the building that don't have cable. Figured others were having same problem, but don't know. Have to ask around. Wire from the antenna hook-up in wall is coax.

Luvmyjrt

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 05:09 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Well all, I'm ashamed to admit it, but Tivo got the best of me. I will try again when they have a system that can use Cable modems. It was waaaaayyyyyy to confusing. Got a DVR-RW instead. (Hangs head in failure!)

Draheid

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 05:47 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Luvmyjrt: Of course it's nothing to be ashamed of. I had hoped they would be updated enough by now to avoid the hassles you encountered. There may be other options I could suggest if your interested. Enjoy your DVR-RW and let me know if there's anything else I can help with.

Draheid

Sunday, November 23, 2003 - 05:59 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Colordeagua: I would suggest you ask around to other users of the antenna system to see if the problem is isolated to your TV or a problem with the antenna itself.

The channels you are having problems with are also in a range where amateur radio, broadcast radio, and even power lines may be causing interference. Only the amateur radio would appear intermittent though as the other two sources are fairly constant. It could be as simple as having the master antenna adjusted. Of course, this would only be applicable if others are experiencing the same thing.

If the problem is only seen on your TV, then I would suggest checking the cable itself to be sure the connections are tight and there isn't any damage in the cable.

What type of connector(s) do you have on your TV? Older sets have coax for VHF and twinlead (two screw terminals) for UHF. If your connected with a transformer to the UHF and nothing connected to VHF (channels 2 & 5 are considered VHF) then that could explain part of the problem.

Let me know if this helps.

Luvmyjrt

Monday, November 24, 2003 - 07:26 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Ok Dra, here's a stumper..........(I think I am electronics challenged! Have a DirectTv with a Hughes receiver (Model HBH-SA) a Sony tv and a Polariod DVR-0900 Player/Recorder. Not getting any sound when I record. I've elevated you to genius status, so if you can help, I'd sure appreciate it!

Colordeagua

Monday, November 24, 2003 - 02:00 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Draheid: My neighbor, who also is hooked up to antenna (no cable), has the same problem -- same channels, etc.

Draheid

Monday, November 24, 2003 - 02:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Luvmyjrt: The only Polaroid model DVR I could find is the DVR-0800. To determine why you are not getting sound when recording, I need to know how you have everything connected. Specifically what type of cables and which inputs and outputs are connected on each unit. My first suggestion is to use the DVR-0800's Speaker Test to determine if you are getting proper sound from the DVR. If so, I would suspect the connection from the DirecTV receiver and the DVR.

Hope this helps.

Draheid

Monday, November 24, 2003 - 02:17 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Colordeagua: Since your neighbor has the same problem, I would recommend that you check with the complex management to see what can be done to fix the problem in the Master Antenna system. They may need to adjust the position of the antenna, or they may have a bad distribution amplifier causing the interference and problems.

Good luck. Let me know if you aren't able to resolve this with them.

Luvmyjrt

Monday, December 01, 2003 - 07:36 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Dra: Well, I wanted to update you on how my DVR hunt has gone! I finally (after 5 returns to Best Buy) purchased a Panasonic DMR-E80H. It is the answer to my prayers! It has a hard drive that will record up to up to 80 hours a la Tivo and well as a DVR Ram to transfer from hard drive to DVR Ram discs. It's certainly be trial and error, but I've found that ONE that will let me have the TiVo experience without the phone line! Thank you thank you thank you!

Not1worry

Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 10:55 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I finally took a good look at my cable bill and saw I'm paying $10.00 per month for unlimited dial-up. I never, ever use it. It would be a major hassle to even find a phone cord, go behind the computer, hook it up, etc. I feel dumb that I've been paying for it for so many months, but I did cancel it today.

Now the good part is that with that savings, I'm going to get digital cable with DVR in January! This is my treat to myself for DH being gone an extra 2 months. Of course the $10 doesn't cover it all, but it will average out to less than $15 a month extra on my bill. I keep squashing down that little voice that is telling me there are better things I could spend $15 a month on.