# Please prevent me from taking a sledge hammer to my television. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2004, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427 "2004-05-10T07:50:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/1 "2004-05-10T07:50:16Z")
Ten years ago I bought an international televison (there’s a switch that will change it from SECAM to PAL to NTSC) from a friend of mine. It’s been in storage the last five years or so and I can’t remember how to tune the damn thing. On a normal television channel 2 is on channel 2, and channel 4 is on 4, and 9 is on 9. On this TV, to tune it, you hit the “Auto” button and the first channel it finds is channel 1, the second channel it finds is 2, etc. and so on, up to channel 29. This was not a problem when I had 12 channels, but now I’m living in a house with cable and have inherited a VCR. I _know_ there is a way to tune the television to pick up the VCR signal (and, ergo, run the cable stations off of it.). I also know that with the VCR on and running, selecting “auto tuning” should allow the television to pick up the VCR signal. It’s not working, and I can’t remember how to make it work. I just remember two things: 1. Whatever it is I have to do is really, REALLY simple. 2. When my friend explained it back then I remember thinking to myself, “Self, you should write this down on this connection sheet thingie so you don’t forget it.” For the record, the television is a Panasonic TC2160EX and the online manual is useless. The VCR is a Symphonic. The cable signal runs into the VCR and out to the television via coax, although I’ve tried using AV cables between the VCR and TV to no avail. Anyone have any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/2 "2004-05-10T07:54:37Z")
Well, only since you said REALLY simple, did you try hittting the TV/VCR button on the VCR? ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/3 "2004-05-10T07:55:37Z")
Have you pushed the TV/VCR button? (Well, you did say it was something simple…) Also, can you manually tune the TV to pick up the VCR? See if it’s coming in on 1, 2, or 3 – or then manually tune it if you need to. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/4 "2004-05-10T07:57:13Z")
Damn, great minds think simple…or was it, simple minds think…oh nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/5 "2004-05-10T07:57:17Z")
> [@leander](#): > > Have you pushed the TV/VCR button? (Well, you did say it was something simple…) It wasn’t THAT simple. I tried it both ways about sixteen times, just to make sure. 😛 > [@](#): > > Also, can you manually tune the TV to pick up the VCR? See if it’s coming in on 1, 2, or 3 – or then manually tune it if you need to. Yep. Also tried disconnecting the cable to tune in _just_ the VCR. No joy. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/6 "2004-05-10T08:04:12Z")
When you plug the cable directly into the TV, you can pick up 29 channels? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/7 "2004-05-10T08:06:19Z")
I don’t have anything to offer. Just checking in to speak up for the TV. It doesn’t deserve a sledgehammer! ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/8 "2004-05-10T08:09:33Z")
> [@leander](#): > > When you plug the cable directly into the TV, you can pick up 29 channels? Yes. With a little bit of manual tuning I got rid of all the public access, sports, and religious channels - I deleted the channels I didn’t like and tuned in the ones I do. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/9 "2004-05-10T08:10:53Z")
Had another idea… With the cable to VCR to TV config. – Put a tape in the VCR and play it. Then try to “find” the channel it’s playing on. Whether through manual tuning or just searching all the channels. When you find that channel, then try auto tuning your VCR. Hope it helps… ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/10 "2004-05-10T08:13:28Z")
> [@leander](#): > > Had another idea… > > With the cable to VCR to TV config. – > > Put a tape in the VCR and play it. Then try to “find” the channel it’s playing on. Whether through manual tuning or just searching all the channels. When you find that channel, then try auto tuning your VCR. > > Hope it helps… Tried that already, too. _sigh_ > [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Smeghead** > _I don’t have anything to offer. Just checking in to speak up for the TV. It doesn’t deserve a sledgehammer!_ I don’t want to sledgehammer it! I just want it to work! ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/11 "2004-05-10T08:15:00Z")
Damn…sorry… What happened when you played a tape? Couldn’t “find” it anywhere on the TV? ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/12 "2004-05-10T08:17:16Z")
Exactly. Twenty-nine cable signals, no VCR signals. It’s annoying. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/13 "2004-05-10T08:20:34Z")
Does your cable have a channel 3 or 4? Did your TV recognize them? Does your VCR have a switch on the back to select channel 3 or 4? Have you tried playing a tape and trying channels 0-4 on the TV? ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/14 "2004-05-10T08:21:31Z")
How about disconnecting the cable, so only the VCR is connected to the TV. Then try playing a tape and doing an auto search for channels. See what it finds. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/15 "2004-05-10T08:24:28Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > Does your cable have a channel 3 or 4? Did your TV recognize them? Well, yes, but not in the same way an American TV does. > [@](#): > > Does your VCR have a switch on the back to select channel 3 or 4? No. > [@](#): > > Have you tried playing a tape and trying channels 0-4 on the TV? Yes. > [@leander](#): > > How about disconnecting the cable, so only the VCR is connected to the TV. Then try playing a tape and doing an auto search for channels. See what it finds. Already tried that. ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/16 "2004-05-10T08:27:52Z")
Okay, one more… On your TV onscreen menu, does it have an “input”? I.E., input “cable” or “tv”? Try changing that to TV… ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/17 "2004-05-10T08:29:21Z")
…or vice-versa. Mine has a “Cable: ON” or “Cable: OFF” See if that changes anything… ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/18 "2004-05-10T12:45:43Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I don’t have anything to offer. Just checking in to speak up for the TV. It doesn’t deserve a sledgehammer! Maybe [it does?](http://www.turnoffyourtv.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/19 "2004-05-10T15:26:14Z")
The manual is available on PDF here: [http://support.panasonic.co.uk/sys/ttips/panasonic/Visual/Televisions\_NON-TEXT/TC/2160/B2160.pdf](http://support.panasonic.co.uk/sys/ttips/panasonic/Visual/Televisions_NON-TEXT/TC/2160/B2160.pdf) Briefly, you must (1) assure that the TV/AV button (TV or remote) has been pressed to select “AV”; (2) if using RF connectors, you must make the VCR channel “0” on the TV. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2004, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427/20 "2004-05-10T16:38:49Z")
Why do you have a multisystem TV? If you changed systems by moving from Europe to America (or vice versa) you may have to switch systems on the TV to get the TV to work again. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-prevent-me-from-taking-a-sledge-hammer-to-my-television/244427.md?page=2)