Help with DSS & TV (1 Viewer)

[Mike L-field]

I have the an older Toshiba RPTV. I have the TV connected through an RCA satellite receiver (DRD480RE): Coaxial Cable from the wall (no cable box) to the "antenna In" on the satellite receiver; Coaxial cable from the satellite dish to the Satellite receiver "In from Satellite"; Coaxial cable from the satellite receiver "Out to TV" to the "antenna 1" on the TV. I also have an S-video cable connected from the S-video jack on my satellite receiver to the "Cable/sat S-video input on an Yamaha A/V receiver, and left right audio RCA cables to the cable/sat in on my A/V receiver, and an S=video cable from the A/V receiver "Monitor Out" to the S-Video in on the back of the Toshiba TV.

Up until a few days ago, I could watch the satellite channels by turning on the satellite receiver and pressing the TV/Video button on my TV remote 'til it highlighted "Video 1". I could watch my cable channels by turning off the satellite reciver and tuning to the desired cable channel with my TV remote. THEN my wife pressed some button on the satellite +/or the TV remote and now we can no longer tune to our cable channels, no matter what buttons we try. I think I have tried every combination.

I thought perhaps there was a problem with the coax cable in from the cable line, so I ran the coax from the wall cable directly to the TV; could not get a picture. Then I disconnected the cable line from the satellite receiver and from the TV. I connected the cable feed from the wall directly to another TV . The cable line was fine; it worked normally.

Prior to this the TV, the satellite receiver and the A/V receiver worked fine together. Can you advise - What am I missing here? or what mistake am I making? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

 

[BruceSpielbauer]

1.) Are you still able to "access" a video 1 on the TV? Or, does the TV simply "skip" this. In other words, do you see an indicator that you are looking at Video 1, but with a blank screen (or blue, or black, or noise?) OR, do you not even see any Video 1 indicator at all.

Some TV sets (mine, for example), allows you to tell the set which inputs have something plugged into them, and which do not. So, if you do not have anything on an input, you can "skip" it, instead of wasting time cucling through inputs that are empty. Could someone have accidentally told the TV to skip Video 1?

2.) On some sets, (again, mine is one), you must also tell the set WHAT is plugged into each input. What "kind" of signal, or cable. For example, my Input 1 can handle Component, or Composite, or S-Video, but you must go into the menu settings and tell the TV which one it should try to recognize. Could someone have played with this setting, so your TV set is looking for (perhaps) an S-Video cable when you are using a different kind?

3.) The same sorts of functions are sometimes built into set top boxes. I do not know yours, but I have read where some set top boxes require you to switch between, for example, a satellite feed and an antenna feed, or a cable TV feed, but you have to actually hit a switch. Other set top boxes can pass these (several signals) through without hitting a switch -- BUT, you must still enter a user menu on some, and TELL it to do this. Could someone have changed this setting, so it is no longer "passing" that signal through?

You might get out the manuals, if they are handy, for both the STB and the TV.

-Bruce in Chi-Town

 

[Mike L-field]

Hey Bruce. Thanks for the reply. I'll have to check some things to answer some of your excellent questions; I'm just confused because I've tried so many combinations of remote buttons, I'm not sure. Your questions are helpful though, because I think you're on the right track. I THINK the TV may be skipping the TV input. When in Video 1 mode, if I hit the pip function on my TV remote and then hit the PIP source button, I seem to get the cable signal in the pip, but it won't swap pictures with the sat. I've been rereading all the manuals 'cause I don't know yet the source of the problem (the Sat receiver, the A/V receiver, or the TV connections. Trying to absorb three component manuals at once is more confusing than helpful. This week I guess I'll start with the TV manual, and if I can't figure out the problem with the TV, I suppose I'll just tear the system down and reconnect evrything and program everything "from scratch". Again, thanks for your input. I'll post whatever I find out.

 

[Mike L-field]

Well I disconnected everything and then ran a coax cable straight from the wall to the TV. I now get snow. If I hit PIP, the cable broadcast appears in the PIP box, still with a "snowy" picture; if I hit "swap" it moves to video 1 for the PIP source and the picture looks good and clear, but no matter what I try I cannot get the cable to be displayed in full screen. I'm thinking the TV does not have a dual tuner, because the swap button switches sources when depressed. Maybe it would help if you could venture a gues as to - How would I connect a cable (NO cable box; just the coax from the wall) and an AV receiver, and a satellite receiver so that I'll be able to view cable when I want to and satellite when I want to. I really don't care about a PIP function; I never used it and now it's just in the way. In looking at the TV manual the only connections they show by diagram involves a VCR. I do not have and really don't care to have a VCR in play. I tried assuming that my satellite receiver was a VCR, and hooked the components up per the manual diagram for connecting cable thru a VCR but that didn't work either. This is becoming maddening, especially since, in the end I figure it will turn out to be something very simple. Thanks for any advice you may have.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

I have a Hughes sat system, but their remote has a button labeled 'input'. When I press it I can switch between sat and CATV.

It's the only thing I can think of and I know that a lot of people just don't use certain buttons on remotes. I know I don't use some of them, but I like that one. Check your manual.

Glenn

 

[Rob Dawn]

Mike, you've really got a stumper here!

If you have a VCR around that you know the tuner works on try running the cable's coax directly from the wall to the VCR, then coax from the VCR to the TV. Tune the TV to 3 and try changing channels on the VCR to see if you can get a good picture. If you do, I would wonder if the tuner has gone bad on your TV??

- How would I connect a cable (NO cable box; just the coax from the wall) and an AV receiver

Run the cable's coax directly from the wall to the TV's antenna input and an S-Video cable from the Sat box to the Video 1 input. Then you can switch inputs on the TV to watch what you want. If you want the cable audio to come thru your Home Theater's speakers, run RCA cables from the audio out on the TV to the receiver.

Let us know how things are going and good luck,
Rob

 

[Mike L-field]

Well guys - It turns out that the main tuner is bad according to a reputable repair shop. I don't know if I'll get fixed or not. I might just put a VCR in the ;oop for now. Thanks for trying to help.