Problem with analogue tuning

[davads]

Hello, wonder if anyone out there can help me. I've just moved house and have been connecting up my TiVo. I've used it at previous addresses with a cable box and had no problems.

However my new address currently only has TV via a conventional aerial, so I have done Guided Setup accordingly. The problem is that, although the TiVo is showing channel identification and schedule information for the five channels, it's not tuning into them. Channel up/down just gives a blue screen with the programme information overlaid on it for a few seconds, then it's back to the "The Recorder cannot display Live TV" screen.

I know the aerial is functioning as I can get the five channels on the TV and through the VCR. Could there be something amiss with the TiVo's tuner? (As I say I have only previously used it with cable.) Is there any test I could do to ascertain this?

Thanks very much in advance for any help anybody can offer.

David

[blindlemon]

What versions of the 5 stations have you selected in "Channels I receive"?

You may need to manually tune to each of the analogue channels in the 1 to 60 range to find which stations are on which physical channel.

[davads]

What versions of the 5 stations have you selected in "Channels I receive"?

Ah, well the thing is I wasn't sure which ones to select so I just did "Add all channels"...and I'm not getting a picture on any of them. This is what makes me wonder if something's up with the tuner.

[blindlemon]

Have you tried changing to the same channel number with the numeric keys on the remote twice in a row - eg. 23.... wait for it to change... 23?

This is used to force the TiVo to select a different input and may help if your TiVo is mistakenly looking at the AUX SCART for instance.

[davads]

Hmm...no, that's not doing anything either.

I have got everything connected up properly haven't I? Currently I've got the aerial wall socket connected to RF In on the TiVo, then RF Out to the back of the TV. Then I've got a SCART from the back of the TV to TV SCART on the back of the TiVo. (This is leaving the DVD player out of the equation for the time being.)

[ad_jack]

why don't you route the dvd through tivo using the vcr scart:)

[davads]

why don't you route the dvd through tivo using the vcr scart:)

Yup, done that now. Got everything all nicely connected up together...but still not getting any of those TV channels through the TiVo :(

I'm still wondering if there's anything wrong with the TiVo's tuner - nobody got any way I can easily test this? (I'm leaning ever more towards just getting a Freeview box - but it would be nice to know.)

[martink0646]

why don't you route the dvd through tivo using the vcr scart:)

Just my two penn'orth, surely if you route the DvD through the VCR SCART that will drastically reduce picture quality down to composite as it is not RGB enabled. If that is the case you might as well use a VCR:).....or does it have RGB pass through?

Martin

[RichardJH]

.or does it have RGB pass through?

I do believe it has

[AMc]

The RGB pins on SCART are shared so they are either input or output but not both at the same time. Most of the other pins (composite, left and right audio) are dedicated so a signal can be input and output simultaneously through one connection.

The Tivo VCR SCART takes an RGB input and routes it to the TV SCART output.
If you use the record to VCR options then the output over the VCR SCART socket is only composite.

So if you have a DVD player you should connect it to the VCR SCART to share a single RGB socket on the TV.

If you have a DVD recorder (with 2 SCARTs) you should connect it between the Tivo TV SCART and the TV to allow you to archive recordings from Tivo to DVD in RGB and playback DVD in RGB.

[aerialplug]

You'll need to work out which analogue UHF channel each channel is broadcasting on and manually tune it in yourself. The post code database used by TiVo is pretty hopeless in determining which stations you can recieve as it seems to rely on the fact that there are no mountains or hills in the UK so presents you with many transmitters you have no hope of recieving as well as the one you need to use.

Check out which transmitter is available from your area by looking upthis website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception/transmitters/tv/index.shtml) and by looking at where other aerials are pointing.

You should find a version of each channel represented in TiVo's setup screen next to the appropriate UHF channel number - select this.

Also, you may be able to get these numbers from other auto tuning devices such as a modern TV.

[davads]

You'll need to work out which analogue UHF channel each channel is broadcasting on and manually tune it in yourself.

aerialplug, when you say "manually tune" do you mean it's possible to manually tune the TiVo - and if so, how...? :confused:

[AMc]

In the list of 'channels I receive' buried under the recorder setup stuff there is a list of the channels Tivo expects to be able to find in your postcode. There will be several for all the main terrestrial channels with (aer) next to them. You need to work out which ones you need for your particular location. There may also be others based on (cab) and I assume (sat).
IIRC you can simply select all the (aer) channels then go back to LiveTV and use channel up and down to note the ones that work then remove the rest from the list.

[davads]

Done that now. Selected only the five signals I should be getting based on what the VCR uses.

But I'm still getting nothing but that blue screen with the programme information overlaid for each channel when I scroll through them...

[AMc]

If you've tried selecting the same channel twice using the numbers on the remote (to toggle between SCART and RF if that's the problem) then I would check what Tivo says in the recorder information screen. Does it still think it's looking for a SCART input?

Finally if all else fails I would consider a hard reboot followed by rerunning guided set up now you know which channels you need to select.

A bit mysterious though isn't it?

[davads]

I would check what Tivo says in the recorder information screen. Does it still think it's looking for a SCART input?

Nope, Programme Source is Aerial Only and Source Input is Coax RF In.

Restarted recorder and repeated Guided Setup too, to no avail.

[AMc]

Sounds like the analogue tuner is kaput. If you have a VCR etc that outputs on a known RF channel you could try and test it but if I were you I would look for a cheap Freeview box and cross your fingers you don't need an aerial upgrade.

[davads]

Sounds like the analogue tuner is kaput. If you have a VCR etc that outputs on a known RF channel you could try and test it...

Thanks AMc. I think I probably will go down the Freeview route, but just out of interest, how would I go about testing the TiVo tuner via the VCR, as you mention?

[AMc]

If you're VCR has an RF output (most do) - i.e. you can tune your TV to watch videos without a SCART connection. Select the RF output channel on the VCR to a frequency for a channel Tivo thinks you can get at your postcode. Then you should be able to connect the RF out of the VCR to the RF in on the Tivo. Stick a video on play and see if Tivo can see it.
That's it really - it could prove that the Tivo RF tuner is still working and the problem lies elsewhere - but I think you've done enough investigation to conclude Tivo doesn't like your terrestrial set up anyway.

[peterseventy]

Hello, wonder if anyone out there can help me. I've just moved house and have been connecting up my TiVo. I've used it at previous addresses with a cable box and had no problems.
David

Not sure whether this will help with your aerial tuner problem, but one of the setup quirks after using TiVo on NTL/Virgin analogue cable is that Guided Setup does not at first appear to work with Virgin Digital cable. It is first necessary (as explained by TiVo help desk before sanity finally departed) to run Guided Setup for Aerial Only, and then run it again for Virgin Digital + Aerial – it works! Maybe a re-run of Guided Setup in one way or another would also resolve your aerial problem?

[Pete77]

Thanks AMc. I think I probably will go down the Freeview route, but just out of interest, how would I go about testing the TiVo tuner via the VCR, as you mention?

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[TCM2007]

You can always be sure Pete will be along promoting Rupert's offerings. Are you commission? ;)

[Pete77]

You can always be sure Pete will be along promoting Rupert's offerings. Are you on commission? ;)

Wake up at the back there TCM these offerings are sanctioned by son James Murdoch and his fellow Sky directors these days and not by father Rupert.

Also the only Sky offerings I enjoy promoting are those which will actually cost Sky money (so long as people are not daft enought to succumb to Sky's blandishments to continue subscribing after the free trial period is over) and which at the same time will continue to offer them a far wider range of 24 hour news offerings than what will shortly become the mono culture of BBC News 24 on Freeview or even on BBC Freesat (where Sky News will soon not be available for the new BBC Freesat service once Sky make it FTV and available free only for owners of Sky boxes with working viewing cards instead of FTA to all comers as it currently is)