# STB Channel Change Problems



## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

Have a fairly standard set-up with the Tivo controlling an old Nokia STB, the combination has worked well for a while.

Tonight for no apparent reason the STB is refusing to change channels when requested to by the Tivo. Have checked the wand using a digital camera and can see that it is emitting an IR signal, the STB does respond to its own remote. The wand hasn&#8217;t moved from its taped position on the front of the STB, have also tried removing all extraneous remotes from the room to rule out random IR signals.

Nothing changed re my set-up, so any ideas anyone?

Pretty please.

Thanks

Nero


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## BrianHughes (Jan 21, 2001)

Put in any low energy bulbs recently?


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## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

BrianHughes said:


> Put in any low energy bulbs recently?


Nice call, and yes I have. But I also turned them off to check that they where not causing the issue.

Thanks for the input.


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## staffie2001uk (Apr 1, 2004)

You don't say where you are in the UK, or if you have powered down your STB since the problem occured, or what platform you are on. 

If you are using Freeview then "advances" in the Freeview system may have rendered your old Nokia unusable. "Split tables" is a term I remember someone using when my old On-Digital box stopped working.


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## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

staffie2001uk said:


> You don't say where you are in the UK, or if you have powered down your STB since the problem occured, or what platform you are on.


I'm down in Wiltshire, don't think the FreeView channel changes affecting the south coast will affect me. Platform - Just Digital Freeview, nothing fancy. Have power cycled both the STB and Tivo since the problem occurred.



staffie2001uk said:


> If you are using Freeview then "advances" in the Freeview system may have rendered your old Nokia unusable. "Split tables" is a term I remember someone using when my old On-Digital box stopped working.


The STB is working just not changing channels when requested to by the Tivo.

Any more ideas peeps?

Thanks


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## staffie2001uk (Apr 1, 2004)

Try changing the TiVo's STB control code to a different one, and then change it back to the correct one for your box. Maybe the setting has got corrupted.


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## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

staffie2001uk said:


> Try changing the TiVo's STB control code to a different one, and then change it back to the correct one for your box. Maybe the setting has got corrupted.


Nice call, I gave it a try. But no joy.

Any more?


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## johala_reewi (Oct 30, 2002)

Have you tried the Tivo front IR blaster instead of the wands?
You say the wand is emitting IR but it could be corrupted by a fauly wand lead?

Have you tried getting Tivo to send 3 digit codes (so it sends 002 instead of 2)?
How about the fast, medium, slow options?


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## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

johala_reewi said:


> Have you tried the Tivo front IR blaster instead of the wands?
> You say the wand is emitting IR but it could be corrupted by a fauly wand lead?
> 
> Have you tried getting Tivo to send 3 digit codes (so it sends 002 instead of 2)?
> How about the fast, medium, slow options?


Have tried the front blaster, no joy I'm afraid. Faulty wand lead, maybe, how could I test this theory?

Have tried fiddling around with the actual codes, and speed all no joy.

Thanks for the input.


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## OzSat (Feb 15, 2001)

On the stb remote - do numbers come up when changing channels?

If so, does anything happen when TiVo tries?

Have you recently unplugged the leads and put them back again?


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## healeydave (Jun 4, 2003)

As Ozsat says, you need to identify if this is a Tivo or a Nokia issue.

If you have switched the front IR blaster on and it made no difference (making sure the Nokia was in a good position for the IR signals to bounce into it of-course), then that probably suggests its not an IR wand problem either!

Channel changing issues are usually down to interference, particularly when its proven working system that hasn't had any alterations to settings etc. Some likely causes are stray signals from another remote with a book on it (constantly sending) or an addition of a radio transmitter (like a signal sender) etc.

If its one of those old Nokia on-digi boxes, I wouldn't be surprised if it started to fail, I had one which worked for years but gave up the ghost a long times ago!


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

healeydave said:


> If its one of those old Nokia on-digi boxes, I wouldn't be surprised if it started to fail, I had one which worked for years but gave up the ghost a long times ago!


My 10 year old Philips OnDigital DTX6370 is still going strong at my Mum's house. It shows no sign of requiring retirement before the change from 2k to 8k transmission from Crystal Palace in 2012.


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## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

ozsat said:


> On the stb remote - do numbers come up when changing channels?
> 
> If so, does anything happen when TiVo tries?


When using the STB remote to control the STB I do get the "numbers up" but not when Tivo tries to change channels on the STB.



ozsat said:


> Have you recently unplugged the leads and put them back again?


Since having this problem I've unplugged all the damn leads and re-plugged them, but not before.


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## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

healeydave said:


> If its one of those old Nokia on-digi boxes, I wouldn't be surprised if it started to fail, I had one which worked for years but gave up the ghost a long times ago!


I'd be tempted to agree with you save for the fact that the STB responds to its own remote but not the IR signals from the Tivo wand.

The box essentially works but for some reason is refusing to be subservient to its master the Tivo.

Thanks all for your help so far.


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## staffie2001uk (Apr 1, 2004)

If your STB responds correctly to it's own remote and you've confirmed that the TiVo wands are emitting IR then I can only think that the wrong signals are being output and the only causes that come to mind are: 

The wrong control codes are selected - I think you've investigated this. 

The control code database is corrupted - I'm not sure how you would erase it and download a new copy. I know that updates come with the daily calls when new codes are added. Maybe a guided setup would do it. 

There is a fault in the TiVo IR hardware - probably fatal for your TiVo.


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## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

*Result.*

Investigating the physical state of the IR wand, I noticed that a small kink in the wire, I was fairly sure this was too insignificant to be an issue. Suddenly remembered my spare boxed-up Tivo under the bed, so swapped the IR wands, and hey-presto.

So it seems that whilst IR wand was emitting a signal, the kink was somehow causing a degradation in the signal quality.

Final question, where can I buy a new wand from? Dont want to leave my spare Tivo incomplete.

Thanks one and all for your replies, much appreciated.

Nero


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## verses (Nov 6, 2002)

I'd be surprised if one of the regulars on here didn't stock them, TivoHeaven/TivoCentral/TivoLand.
Although I believe in the past people have had success in getting a free set by calling Tivo Customer Services, I'd guess it's worth a try.

Cheers,

Ian


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## healeydave (Jun 4, 2003)

That doesn't explain why it did not work when you switched to using the Front IR Blaster unless the positioning of the Tivo and the STB were jut not suitable for the signals to be reflected.

Anyway, glad you got it sorted.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

Nero2 said:


> Final question, where can I buy a new wand from? Don't want to leave my spare Tivo incomplete.
> 
> Thanks one and all for your replies, much appreciated.


Tivo Customer Services used to have a large box of them and send them out free of charge but they may have run out and you would need to get to one of the supervisors or someone who knows Tivo well (rather than a normal Sky worker assigned to take the occasional Tivo calls they still get) in order to have any luck.

Alternatively you can buy a set from www.tivocentral.co.uk/accessories.php for £12.


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## healeydave (Jun 4, 2003)

Yeah, thanks pete, has the impartiality completely gone from this forum these days?


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

healeydave said:


> Yeah, thanks pete, has the impartiality completely gone from this forum these days?


Dave,

I checked both your website and that of the Lemon's and neither of you showed the IR wands as a spare part you were selling. I did notice that you were selling the IR board, even though those hardly ever fail. If either you or the Lemon had listed the IR wands I would have provided appropriate links to your websites.

So far as impartiality goes for ages you seemed to be busy with other matters than Tivo upgrading (you hardly ever posted in the forum) and people reported having to wait a few days for your drive upgrades to arrive compared to the citrus and Mike.

As long as your upgrade prices are competitive I am more than happy to recommend them alongside those of the other two currently active Tivo upgrade suppliers.


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

P.S. I now find you do stock them as an Accessory rather than a Spare Part (as I would have thought they actually are) at www.tivoland.com/buy_accessories.html but given a choice between your £16.99 delivered and Mike's £12 delivered it seems fairly obvious which supplier most customers are likely to choose.


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## healeydave (Jun 4, 2003)

This is nothing new, these accessories, in fact every part for the Tivo has been available from tivoland.com for several years now. That is one thing we are unique for!


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## Pete77 (Aug 1, 2006)

healeydave said:


> This is nothing new, these accessories, in fact every part for the Tivo has been available from tivoland.com for several years now. That is one thing we are unique for!


Yes true but the cost of a power supply from you has gone up rather a lot, perhaps due to under pricing them initially and then huge numbers of people unnecessarily ordering them just in case (largely based on blindlemon's advice as he at one stage seemed to recommend a new power supply as a cure for all manner of Tivo ills).


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## Ashley (Apr 20, 2002)

You can check whether the wand is sending IR by looking at the end with a camera phone or digital camera via the viewfinder. They are normally sensitive to IR.


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## Nero2 (Aug 22, 2005)

Ashley said:


> You can check whether the wand is sending IR by looking at the end with a camera phone or digital camera via the viewfinder. They are normally sensitive to IR.


From post #1:



Nero2 said:


> Have checked the wand using a digital camera and can see that it is emitting an IR signal,


Cough, cough.


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