AV geeks! HELLLP!! (need answer fast!)

Factual Questions
1

One of my elder care clients has grown increasingly dissatisfied with the (lack of) content on cable TV, and has decided he wants to switch to Netflix.

He’s got a great big honking 60" 3D plasma TV. Brand spanking new.

So I go to Netflix’s website & sign him up. He downloaded a couple movies, and watched them on his PC. Which led to the realization that he wants to stream movies on his TV instead.

So I opened a chat online with a Netflix rep. After some lengthy research, it is determined that the big honking TV is not “Netflix ready.” He says we can still hook it up with Gaming Console X, Y, or Z.

So my client goes to Amazon & orders an Xbox 360. It arrived today, and it fell on me to hook it up. Ah, but I have no experience with TVs, VCRs, consoles, etc. I do everything on my PC.

I hooked everything up as best I could, considering there is practically no information that came with the console.

Never did get the console screen to come up on the TV. The controller is wireless, and it’s connected to the console. Guess I have to mess with the input on the TV, but that’s not my problem right now.

I got home from work, a long bike ride away, and commenced decompression procedure.

Only to have my peace shattered by a phone call from the old man, in a COMPLETE AND UTTER PANIC because his TV has no sound.

He unplugged the composite video and the audio cables that go from the Xbox to the TV, and still has no sound. He has called me FIVE TIMES since then wanting to know what I am going to do about it — and I don’t know what to do! I don’t even have a TV!

Dear God, please help me!

2

Did he hit the mute on the remote?

3

Do you have a teen-aged nephew? Neighbor? Anyone?
As with cars, the the year, make and model will help us help you.
First, let’s get sound back. Pop’s been messing with the TV remote for hours. Og knows what he’s done. He didn’t break it. Just disabled it.

Work with the remote control, and find the menu button. In the menu you’ll be able to access audio settings. I suspect Pop’s just killed the internal speakers. Select them, and you should be good to go. If not, let us know. Either way, let’s get sound independently of the console before moving on.

Next is the Xbox. Let’s make it simple. Use an HDMI cable to connect the Xbox to the TV. Done. It’s cleaner, it’s easier, and I think you’ll get a better picture than component cables.

Turn on the Xbox. Make sure you have fresh batteries in the controller, and hold down the middle button to turn on the console.

Now, to view the console input you will need the TV remote to select input.
You may see “input”, “source”, or similar button. Push it, and select with the up/down buttons until you see the game input. This is where you’re going to have to think a bit; I can’t tell you what the button or menu will look like without more information.

When you get the Xbox input up, you should have a home screen similar to this.

Use the contoller’s left joystick to select “Apps” on the top row. Since I don’t remember the details, let’s have the kids at Netflix show you how to download the app and use it.…

Once it’s an installed application (app), the Netflix logo will probably appear in the “recent” tab on the home screen (bottom left).

Select “recent” and then Netflix. Give it a moment, and you should see the Netflix home screen and you guys can figure it out from there.

Keep us posted…

4

Oi! Tell him to return the Xbox pronto and get a Roku 3 instead. MUCH easier to use and your client won’t have to pay a monthly fee for the XBox Live Gold subscription.

And yes, use a HDMI cable instead of component and it’ll take care of audio and video both for ya automagically.

5

you are lying. the 360 comes with a one-sheet setup guide, which tells you what you need to know to connect it.

6

That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?
Maybe they forgot the sheet, maybe it’s still in the box, or stuck in the middle of a 20 page disclaimer.

7

no, it isn’t. I have a boxed 360 on hand, and the setup sheet is as clear as can be.

besides, none of the OP makes any sense. A brand new TV has HDMI input. A brand new Xbox 360 has HDMI output. If neither the OP nor his client can connect one single cable from the console to the TV, then I don’t know what help we can be.

8

Oh, come on, this is an “elder care” scenario. It’s already pretty impressive that he knows what Netflix is, much less wanting an Xbox 360. Many versions of the console don’t come with an HDMI cable and it’s not immediately obvious to the uninformed that one magic cable can replace the trusty old RCA composites. This is why they have professional TV installation services – not everyone grew up in the gaming generation.

9

No current version of the Xbox comes without an HDMI cable and port. I am doubtful that you could find a new boxed copy without one, especially from a major retailer that goes through stock quickly, such as Amazon. But anyways.

You need to buy an Xbox Live Gold account before you can use Netflix. You will want to look into that.

10

I don’t feel like I’m lying! The Xbox came with a one-sheet guide that has pictograms of things like how to plug the power cable into the power supply, and where to plug in the RCA jacks for AV on the television. There is no written description.

The xbox360 shipped with a regular composite video cable. He does not have an extra HD cable lying around, and according to Xbox’s site, it will work with this cable.

I should also mention that he gets his internet through AT&T, and his cable TV through Comcast. Do I understand you to say that he will have to pay for separate ISP hookup for the Xbox in order to stream Netflix on his TV?

The TV, BTW, is a Samsung HD 3D plasma smart TV. Bigger than the county of my birth.

He insists the mute button (which was activated while I was setting up the Xbox) was not the problem. I should also mention that he has his TV’s sound going through a mixer to a gigantic bank of speakers.

Ducati: Lol Yes, I have called every teenage person I know. :slight_smile: They were all unavailable – you know, afternoon naps & such. I called my brother, he said, “I don’t know, I usually hire a geek when I need one.”

11

So basically, if I never was able to find and adjust the TV’s input settings in the first place; and the Xbox is disconnected from the TV — there is no reason that the TV’s sound should have been diverted, right?

12

Oh, and for the record, the Netflix guy said “Xbox 360,” so we went straight to Amazon, typed in “Xbox360,” and bought one. Ordinarily I would be more careful and do a bit of research first but he was all like, “Just do it!”

13

Are you sure about that? Here are several versions of it from Amazon, none of which come with an HDMI cable (according to the details and reviews, at least):

(These were just the results that come up first when you search for Xbox 360. I didn’t specifically search for non-HDMI ones or anything).

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-4GB-Console/dp/B003O6JKLC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372303470&sr=8-1&keywords=xbox+360

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-250GB-Spring-Value-Bundle/dp/B00BBU8VFY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1372303470&sr=8-3&keywords=xbox+360

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Kinect-Holiday-Value-Bundle/dp/B0096KENEO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1372303470&sr=8-5&keywords=xbox+360

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-4GB-Kinect-Nike-Bundle/dp/B009VS8G80/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1372303470&sr=8-6&keywords=xbox+360

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-250GB-Holiday-Value-Bundle/dp/B0096KEMUY/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1372303470&sr=8-7&keywords=xbox+360

14

Seriously, just return the Xbox 360 and buy a Roku. Use the leftover money to pay some kid on Craigslist to hook it up for you. Or hire a professional from the A/V store. Problem solved, no recurring monthly fees.

ETA: And to answer your question about the ISPs, no, he already has internet access through AT&T. What he DOES need to buy is a Netflix subscription (obviously) and also an Xbox Live Gold account with Microsoft, which is totally not worth it if he’s only going to watch Netflix. The Xbox controller will also fall asleep halfway through every show he’s watching and it will probably bug him to death. And it’ll want to update itself all the freaking time for no reason when he just wants to watch TV. God help you if/when Microsoft decides to change the whole interface again – guess who’s going to be tech support? Seriously, it’s the wrong device for the job.

15

This was the very first hit when we searched Amazon for Xbox360.

Note at the bottom where it says that it ships with a standard cable.

16

Moderator Note

jz78817, this is uncalled for. If you can’t give advice without making personal accusations, then don’t bother. No warning issued, but dial it way back.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

17

What is an Xbox Live Gold account for, if not for internet access?

Seems to me it would be easier to just send the vid signal from his PC to his TV …

Sheesh, when I helped him sign up for Netflix, I thought he was just going to watch them on his PC monitor. (also freaking gigantic.)

It is called NETflix, after all.

18

Making Microsoft a bunch of money for gaming features your guy will never use.

That way lies pain.

This a thousand times. I have an Xbox. I like it. I work with a number of Xbox clients. I want them to do well. But if all you need to do is stream Netflix to a TV, get a Roku or an Apple TV. Cheaper, waaay easier to use and no Xbox Live subscription needed. And connect whatever you get to the TV with a single HDMI cable. Composite is for the birds.

19

It’s impossible to know without knowing exactly how he has his home theater system hooked up. You or he may have pushed some button, loosened some cable, etc. You could take a bunch of pictures of the wiring and maybe we can help then, but otherwise it’s easier just to find someone who can do it in person.

The Gold account is Microsoft’s rip-off fee for using an Xbox online. It’s just another revenue source for them; they charge it because they can and because people like your client apparently don’t know any better. The Playstation 3, Roku, Apple TV, Google TV, etc. can all watch Netflix without any similar monthly fee.

And no offense, but if you can’t figure how to connect a 360, connecting a PC would not be any easier. You would have to worry about the video card, monitor resolution scaling, contrast/saturation settings, overscan, dual monitor mirroring/extending, power modes so it doesn’t fall asleep through a show, the lack of a remote control, another cable for audio or HDMI audio drivers, etc.

Get a Roku. Pay a dude to install it.

20

Goddamned edit window.

Re: connecting the computer to the TV…

That way lies pain. Do not succumb to the temptation. Your guy managed to unknowingly disable the audio on his TV. Multiply that times a thousand when you try to imagine the number of ways the computer could get jacked up.