What's new

Dog shutting off the tv with magical dog powers? (1 Viewer)

Tim Kline

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 1, 2000
Messages
245
Real Name
Tim Kline
My girlfriend has a 60" LG plasma tv. She also has a little dog (a cavalier) that has some magical power to turn the tv off. we'll be watching something and the dog will walk in front of the tv and it shuts off! then it turns itself back on a second later. We thought maybe the plug was a little loose and she was making enough vibrations in the floor to make the plug wobble, but it's in there good and when we walk by (we're heavier than a 15 pound dog) nothing happens. Her dog is kinda staticy right now so could it be some kind of static charge that is making the tv do that? But, it still did it in the summer time when there wasn't much static around. Anyone ever heard of something like this happening? what can we do other than get rid of the dog? (thats not gonna happen)
 

drobbins

Screenwriter
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
Messages
1,873
Real Name
Dave
Does the dog have a collar on that has a gem on it or something? Possably it is refracting light in to the correct IR frequency?
 

Tim Kline

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 1, 2000
Messages
245
Real Name
Tim Kline
No actually the dog has no collar at all.

I did some googling a little while ago and found other people who have had problems with their tvs shutting off and on. some said it was a cable box setting but we messed with a bunch of settings and nothing has changed and it really seems like it only does it when the dog goes near the tv. Not every single time but once in a while it walks by the TV and it shuts off and goes back on. It's not like a back screen when it changes resolutions or anything like that, it clicks and shuts off, then comes back on.
 

Greg_S_H

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 9, 2001
Messages
15,846
Location
North Texas
Real Name
Greg
Some people think black cats are witches trapped in animal form, and I think your dog is a wizard thusly imprisoned. I imagine he just doesn't like the shows you watch and is sending the only message he can. Try to figure out what shows the three of you can enjoy together and it'll stop.
 

Bryan X

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Messages
3,469
Real Name
Bryan
That's ridiculous, Greg. Clearly the dog has ingested Silica, and the Silica is absorbing the electrical signals causing the TV to turn off. The only solution is to give the dog a bath in Salsa.
 

Chris Lockwood

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 21, 1999
Messages
3,215
Does the TV ever shut itself off like that when the dog is not around?

Perhaps you need to add a cat to the house to equalize the energy vibes.
 

Greg_S_H

Senior HTF Member
Joined
May 9, 2001
Messages
15,846
Location
North Texas
Real Name
Greg
Originally Posted by Bryan X
Clearly the dog has ingested Silica, and the Silica is absorbing the electrical signals causing the TV to turn off. The only solution is to give the dog a bath in Salsa.
I've seen better dog tricks at the Mall of America.
 

Tim Kline

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 1, 2000
Messages
245
Real Name
Tim Kline
The tv used to shut off and on a bunch before we noticed it was always happening when the dog walks by, now whenever the tv shuts off we look down and the dog is there. She's not a wizard or a witch she's the sweetest dog in the world :) Shes very furry and staticy so thats why I thought it was some kind of static charge.
 

Tim Kline

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 1, 2000
Messages
245
Real Name
Tim Kline
As far as my girlfriend loving big TVs I'm just lucky to have her in so many ways :)
 

Steve Schaffer

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Apr 15, 1999
Messages
3,756
Real Name
Steve Schaffer
In ancient times when tv remotes were ultrasonic rather than infrared (that's where the term "clicker" for the remote control started, btw) I used to be able to change channels by shaking my car keys.
 

Bryan X

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2003
Messages
3,469
Real Name
Bryan
Originally Posted by Greg_S_H /forum/thread/297693/dog-shutting-off-the-tv-with-magical-dog-powers#post_3656938
 

Selden Ball

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 1, 2001
Messages
412
Real Name
Selden
If it has anything to do with static, you might try getting a large "anti static mat" and putting it in front of the TV where the dog walks. Your GF will hate it, though: they're ugly black plastic(*), and it'll need a wire running to a water pipe or other good ground, so it could be a tripping hazard.

____
* they're black because they have a high carbon content. They're high resistance conductors: enough to draw off static charges, but not enough to allow a dangerous amount of current to flow.
 

Eric_L

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2002
Messages
2,011
Real Name
Eric
If you think static electricity is the problem then you should address that. Here is a device that is made for automobiles. I am sure with some modification you could install it on your canine. If static electric discharge is really your problem this will solve it. Give it a try and let us know how it goes.




http://media.uxcell.com/uxcell/images/item/catalog/ux_a07111300ux0038_ux_c.jpg
 

Jay H

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 22, 1999
Messages
5,654
Location
Pittsfield, MA
Real Name
Jay
My cat likes to sometime hop up on my media center, and sit on my center speaker and watch my LCD there... Especially if it's some kind of nature show. I have never had my TV go off too so maybe it is only a dog thing. (Another reason to have cats :) )

Jay
 

Tim Kline

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Oct 1, 2000
Messages
245
Real Name
Tim Kline
I think we're just gonna have to get ahold of LG since it's still under warranty but it's way too big and heavy big to ship anywhere and we didn't keep the original box. We've been Googling around and there's a lot of folks having problems with both plasmas and LCDs just shutting off and turning on again and no one seems to know what the problem is. Firmware updates don't help either. It just seems like every time it happens, the dog is right there. At first I thought it was something with HD channels and the TV trying to autodetect and it kept changing resolutions but it does it no matter what settings we change the cable box to and happens on both HD and SD channels. Maybe if everything wasn't made by the lowest bidder in china things would work better... :(

Getting a cat instead won't help :) neither of us are cat people and in fact she's very allergic to cats. Like the your whole body puffs up and you can't breathe and die unless someone shoves a needle in your heart kind of allergic.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Top