# Tivo wont change channels unless I sit with it!



## Phoebe (Jan 31, 2003)

My tivo has started behaving very oddly. Unless I sit within 4 feet of it, it will not change channels - it does not send anything to the IR wand. It is an expanded Panasonic Tivo which I have had for about 6 months now and this is the first time I have had this problem. Have rebooted both the Tivo and the Sky box several times.

There are no other remotes in the room that could be sending conflicting signals.

Can Tivos get lonely?

Phoebe.


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## Automan (Oct 29, 2000)

low energy lamps, video senders, laptop IR and of course double check for a remote under a cushion etc with a button stuck down.

Automan.


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## Mike B (Sep 16, 2003)

Panasonic TiVo? All of the UK units (as far as I know) were Thomson Scienum PVR10UK models.

As for your problem, have you got it set to use the 'Front IR Blaster' or the IR Wand?

Has any furniture significantly changed in the room that could be affecting things?


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## TCM2007 (Dec 25, 2006)

Sounds like you are using the front blaster and it's bouncing of you - switch to using the wand instead.


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## Phoebe (Jan 31, 2003)

Mike B - yes Thomson (senior moment). Have taken out all electronics of any sort I can find. Had changed the furniture about a week prior to the problem starting and tried putting it back the way it was, but to no effect.

I'm using the wand (the little black things?) and tried each wand separately, wrapping the other in silver foil. No difference.
Interestingly, if I put a piece of silver foil in front of the wand and around the front of the sky box, so no other interference is possible, it won't change channels at all, even with me right in front of it. 
Is this more likely to be the Sky Box? Sky box works fine with it's remote and every other aspect of the tivo works fine, so am a bit baffled!


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## threadkiller (Dec 12, 2002)

Phoebe said:


> I'm using the wand (the little black things?) and tried each wand separately, wrapping the other in silver foil. No difference.
> Interestingly, if I put a piece of silver foil in front of the wand and around the front of the sky box, so no other interference is possible, it won't change channels at all, even with me right in front of it.
> Is this more likely to be the Sky Box? Sky box works fine with it's remote and every other aspect of the tivo works fine, so am a bit baffled!


It still sounds like your using the front blaster. The wands may be plugged in, but unless they're switched on in the TiVo software they wont work. have you checked the TiVo option for wand/blaster? its in recorder & phone setup >set-top box control. If you skip through the settings till you get to use/dont use front blaster


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## Phoebe (Jan 31, 2003)

Sorted! Turned off Front IR Blaster AND found the wands were plugged into the seriel port. A mystery how it ever worked! 

Thanks everyone for your help, life can return to normal.


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## mikerr (Jun 2, 2005)

Yes, a bit silly having the serial port and the IR port using the same type of connecter and so close to each other IMO


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## iankb (Oct 9, 2000)

mikerr said:


> Yes, a bit silly having the serial port and the IR port using the same type of connecter and so close to each other IMO


Almost as silly as somebody designing a USB port that allows you to try and connect it upside down 50% of the time.

Maybe somebody will design a connector that allows you to connect it either way, and autosense which way it is. At least network hubs now tend to sense whether a connected cable is straight-through or crossed.


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## Pugwash (May 23, 2003)

The SCART sockets give me grief. They're so fiddly to get in when you're hanging over the top of a large TV or something. Not so much of a problem not I can turn my flat TV around, but still the most difficult plug to insert in the dark.


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## Ashley (Apr 20, 2002)

And they have the annoying habit of working loose so you lose one sound channel or one colour.


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## Ashley (Apr 20, 2002)

iankb said:


> Almost as silly as somebody designing a USB port that allows you to try and connect it upside down 50% of the time.
> 
> Maybe somebody will design a connector that allows you to connect it either way, and autosense which way it is. At least network hubs now tend to sense whether a connected cable is straight-through or crossed.


The ideal connector would be a sexless co-ax connector.


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## Pugwash (May 23, 2003)

Ashley said:


> And they have the annoying habit of working loose so you lose one sound channel or one colour.


Yes! There's few things more annoying than coming to watch your favourite programme and having no sound because a kitten has been behind the TV! Even worse when you find out it was 2 days ago too. :down:


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

iankb said:


> Almost as silly as somebody designing a USB port that allows you to try and connect it upside down 50% of the time.


Reminds me of the numerous times I tried (and succeeded) to plug a USB cable into the 'front' USB socket of three on the side of my laptop but then found that the USB device didn't show up. This was always correctable by removing the USB cable and plugging it into the 'middle' socket so for a while I just assumed the front socket was dodgy.

It was only after a few months when I actually bothered to _look_ at the sockets rather than plugging the cable in by feel that I realised the 'front' socket was actually an RJ45 network socket - doh!

Try it sometime - you'll be amazed what a good fit a USB cable is in an RJ45 socket!!


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## blindlemon (May 12, 2002)

Phoebe said:


> A mystery how it ever worked!


Were you wearing this  at the time?


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## ciper (Nov 4, 2004)

blindlemon said:


> Try it sometime - you'll be amazed what a good fit a USB cable is in an RJ45 socket!!


He is right. If inserted at the right angle the USB cable fits BETTER in the network jack!


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## iankb (Oct 9, 2000)

blindlemon said:


> Were you wearing this  at the time?


One of my old work colleagues had managed to fully-insert a VGA plug upside-down, flattening most of the pins to do it. Apparently, it was quite a tight fit. 

Even a D-type plug is not invincible.


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