I’ve got a strange problem that I need some help with.
Here’s how I have my TV set up currently: line in from wall to VCR to TV. There’s no problem with this, at least I don’t think there is, but I have a strange problem with the channels that come through the VCR while whatching the VCR. Both my TV and VCR are only a year old or less.
Here’s what happens, I have around 70 channels from the cable, all come through while just watching the TV. When I go to tape something the VCR does not pick up the correct channels. Actually I only get about 25 channels coming through the VCR. The lower channels, 2-15 or so are ok, at 16 instead of showing that channel it gives me a channel that’s 50 or so channels away, so instead of getting FX on 15 I get Comedy Central, 16 is the Weather Channel instead of whatever 16 is supposed to be.
The main problem is that the network channels are all in the 20s so I don’t pick them up. I bowl on Sunday nights so I need to know how to fix this so I can tape the Simpsons etc. Is there a way to fix this? is it my VCR that is causing the problem or is it the cable is screwy? I get Comcast cable in Montgomery Co MD.
This cable company has had other strange problems too, before they mad a big switch a few months ago the “basic” cable would show the golf channel and a few other channels but no network channels?!?!
On another quick question is there going to be a Simpsons Halloween episode this year? I haven’t seen anything about it, though I don’t watch a lot of TV, and the Simpsons web site didn’t say anything.
This is not a problem with the VCR working incorrectly. It is a problem with setting up the VCR incorrectly.
The VCR has several settings which tell it where to look for the various cable channels. Check your VCR manual for how to change those settings. If the VCR remote control has a “menu” button, try that. Or call the VCR manufacturer for instructions.
Newer VCRs usually have a selection in the Setup menu to scan for channels (or some wording to that effect) or “auto-program”.
It should scroll thru all the numbers and “remember” the channel broadcasting on that frequency. It will inactivate numbers on which there is no signal.
The key thing is “cable” versus “broadcast” channels. It sounds like the VCR is set up to receive channels off an antenna and you need to switch to cable.
Look for something like “CATV” or “Antenna setting” or something in the VCR setup menu.
On my VCR you must pick CATV or On-Air before doing the Auto-Program mentioned by NutMagnet.
I had a similair problem but with a VCR that is now about 13 years old. There were 2 cable TV settings and one of them would only go up to a certain channel.
I know I had an issue where I had to use my cable box with a bit of tinkering. I could get all my channels except my premium channels without my cable box. So if I wanted to tape something from HBO, I had to set my vcr to channel 3, changet it’s input from the regular cable to the cable box outlet and set the cable box to HBO. Then I would switch my tv back to the regular cable input if I wanted to watch something else.
I may be way off base here though. It was just a thought that hadn’t been covered yet.
I got a pretty nice switcher from radio shack that worked well for what I was doing. I could choose from 5 inputs for my tv or vcr.
The why of this is that there are large gaps between adjacent broadcast channels. There’s room for 14 channels between broadcast 6 and 7, and room for 42 channels between 13 and 14. Assuming the cable company packs in as many channels as they can, cable channel 70 is at about the same frequency as broadcast channel 14. So if you’re set to receive broadcast instead of cable, you’ll get channels 70 on up on the UHF channels. The VHF channels are kept in the right place, so those aren’t messed up.
There are two or three ways the cable channels are set up, so YMMV on which cable channels you get on UHF
I’ll look tonight at some of the stuff. I’ve had the VCR for a year now it’s just never been hooked up to cable as it was a play only type of thing. I did try to reset up the channels on the VCR and it wouldn’t let me do it, it was one of those, you’re too stupid to do it so we will kind. The menu actually consits of what language do you want me to be in. If I can’t figure it out I’ll try and post more info later. I don’t have the manual with me right now so that’s no help.
I’m in PG Co. and have Comcast and I’m having problems. my son just put in a new vcr for me and had the cable going through it; this was the day after Comcast shuffled their channel numbers and I wondered if that had something to do with my problem. I wasn’t getting all the channels and only one HBO channel. I reconnected the cable to the converter box so it’s not going thru the vcr; it was okay for a day or two, but now they’re all fouled up again. I’m not getting a lot of the channels, and only one HBO channel; I am getting a premium channel (Starz) that I’m not supposed to get. The thing is, I have cable on my bedroom tv(no HBO) and it’s okay. I’ll have to print out this thread and review later to see if any suggestions here might help. Don’t have time to deal with it tonight.
Connecting directly to the converter box is a useful step in diagnosing the problem, but in theory looping through the VCR should make no difference. Also it’s hard to explain the fact that you’ve since lost channels that were working fine.
Can you describe simply what’s actually happening? Suppose you had a channel coming in at say, position 14 on your converter box. Now what happens when you go to number 14? Is it a scrambled signal, or no signal at all, or what?
It’s worth saying that your VCR might not be able to pick up some of the cable channels at all. Our local cable company broadcasts a channel at 480 MHz and another one at 520 MHz; two of our TVs and our VCR are incapable of tuning to these frequencies.
Well I got it to work last night so thanks for the suggestions.
What it was is it was set up as default to look for the antenna. (in this day and age?) The thing is it still tried to “find” all of the channels. I guess if I lose power I’ll have to go through it all again.
I’m also guessing that’s what the TV did when it was getting strange channels. The thing is on all the TVs and VCRs etc I’ve bought this is the first time it’s happened to me.
I’m not getting most of the cable channels – no Discovery, Sci-Fi, History, TLC, A&E, TBS, TNT, or AMC. I should have three HBO channels, but have only one. When I put in the channel numbers for the other two, I get ESPN and Comcast SportsNet.
ESPN should be channel 11, but it turns up on 21B, which should be an HBO. That SportsNet thing is turning up on a lot of other channels too. I DO get one premium channel I shouldn’t – Starz. None scrambled – just not what I should have and the few I have, not where they should be. When cable was going thru the vcr, I was getting everything but HBO. I called Comcast and they said I had to use the converter box to get HBO. (How dare I think I could get out of paying that monthly rental fee for the box.) After reconnecting thru the box, things were okay for a few days. I guess I need to read my vcr owner’s manual to see if I can get a clue.
P.S. I DO get USA on channel 13, which is where it should be. Most of the ones I don’t get is because the channels won’t go any higher than 26. For instance, if it’s on 26, and I punch in 62 for the Sci-Fi channel, it just stays at 26.
