Magnavox 537, 535, 533, 515, 513, 2160A, 2160, 2080 & Philips 3576, 3575 - Page 774

Originally Posted by Manocheese 

I've got a question about my 2160. When I hook the cable up to it and do a channel scan, I don't get any channels. However, I can hook the cable up to other devices and get channels, so I know there's a signal there. Is there something I can do to get channels with the 2160? Thanks.

Originally Posted by gastrof 

Are you seeing ANYTHING from the 2160 on the TV screen?

How is the 2160 feeding into the TV?

Have you had the machine working prior to this?

Why did you decide to do a channel scan now?

Originally Posted by dweezil is in 

...[ my brand new 537]... The color seemed weak, dull, and with less sharpness in comparison to my 515 (that I've had for a year and a half).

I finally had time to look into the picture problem further. All HDMI settings are the same between the units (1080P and progressive on, color RGB, and normal). I switched around HDMI cables about 5 times (and brought the HDMI cable for my 3575 into the mix). And I switched between the different input HDMI ports on my Samsung TV about 5 times. I also swapped the coax inputs to the 537 and the 515. This is what I found: None of the HDMI cables or the coax swap has anything to do with it. One of the HDMI in's on the TV yields a result that I can't make sense of. The 537 gets the substandard picture whenever it is connected to the #1 input on my TV - the one labeled HDMI/DVI (#1). But if I connect the 515 to this HDMI input port, it works perfect (which is just below quality of the TV tuner alone). Connect the 537 to another HDMI input on the TV - HDMI (#2) and it works much better. Almost (yes almost) as good as the 515. The difference is about the same amount as the difference between the TV tuner and the 515 tuner. The TV is best, then the 515, then the 537. The 537 is ok but with countless A - B tests, depending on what's being shown, I can tell a slight difference between its picture and the 515's picture. Some things show no difference, like supremely colored cartoons. But the Oscars (I wasn't going to watch any of it but it's perfect for this kind of test) has spots the reveal a difference. The color on the 537 is ever so slightly duller but nothing like what (as bad as) it is when it (the 537) is connected to the HMDI/DVI (#1) port (which the 515 works great with). Since none of this make any sense, I've spent HOURS shutting everything off, switching, reconnecting, and retesting, and the result is always the same.

Also, the 537 does not keep it's digital channel when shut off and restarted. It has been restarting on channel 24.1 which happens to be nothing. And when I enter 7.1, it goes to channel 7.0 (many times have I repeated this). So I have to go up a channel to get 7.1. If I enter 7.1 when it's on 7.1, it stays there. But if I'm on 8.1 (or anything else) and I enter 7.1, it goes to 7.0 (which is ABC but a lower quality picture). I haven't set the channels on the 515 lately and it doesn't have 7.0, so perhaps this 7.0 version of ABC is new.

So - I'm taking the 537 back to Walmart and ordering a new one online right now. Crazy.

Originally Posted by Manocheese 


Yes, the other features of the 2160 have worked fine since 2009. It's hooked up via RCA cables. I decided to do a channel scan now so that I could record TV shows.

Originally Posted by DigaDo 

The composite (RCA) connections do not feed a signal to the internal tuner. That's why there are no channels found with a channel scan.

The channel scan requires a coax cable connection from an antenna or a cable company raw coax cable feed. With the cable company raw coax cable feed a channel scan will find only NTSC analog channels and/or (non-scrambled) clear QAM digital cable channels.

If the cable company coax cable feed is from a converter box or DTA a channel scan will find only one analog channel, the device's analog output channel, number 3 (or 4).

Originally Posted by mdavej 

I understand the $8 per outlet (which I agree is ridiculous). But I thought we were talking about DVR replacements. A comcast DVR is still $27/month when all is said and done. That's why I was surprised at the $8 figure being batted around.
I'm cheap too. I'm not advocating spending $27/month on a cable DVR. I'm advocating using a cable card tuner and getting full HD recordings, full guide and schedule, limitless recording space, gorgeous user interface, integration with netflix and hulu and your personal music/photo/video library, easy expandability to every screen in your house, and 4 tuners. So unlike the maggie, no more manual timers required, no more crappy SD picture, no clunky editing, no limited recording space, no having to watch the same channel you're recording (assuming you use a cable box). Just seems like a better, cheaper solution. Not cheaper than $35, but still pretty cheap, $100 maybe.

Originally Posted by JimLely 

Because I'm cheap and can't resist a bargain, I bought a WD $35 500GB SATA refurb drive form NewEgg with free shipping. I confess that it's an unauthorized drive (AA rather than AV) so we'll see how it works out. Anyway installation in my 2160A was easy thanks to the clear instructions in this great thread and for now the Maggie is working well.

JL

Originally Posted by dweezil is in 

I decided to program a recording of channel 7.1 to make sure that 7.1 ABC would be recorded and not 7.0 ABC (since I can't get to 7.1 by entering 7.1, only can get there by moving up or down to 7.1). ......... And the result: 7.0 got recorded instead (which is an inferior digital broadcast) so apparently, until 7.0 is stopped being fed in (by Cox I guess), I can't record 7.1 with my 537.

I only programmed to record 5 minutes and when I turned the 537 back on, the analog channels are ok again (the static went away).

Lose one, win one (but the static is unlikely to be a one-time occurrence). Shoot.

Originally Posted by wajo 

dweezil: I don't remember all that went on with this either, but if you have an analog ch. 7, have you tried deleting that analog channel and see if that might have been interfering with digital 7.1 etc.?

Originally Posted by gohokiez 

All color has gone black and white including all screens including ones that are usually blue are all now black and white. The recorded items also play black and white as well as the channels tuned in through the DVD player.
Has anyone ran into this? If so any fix or time to get a newer model? It is not the TV.
Thanks for all the help.
Gohokiez

Originally Posted by Manocheese 


I should clarify what I meant. The RCA cables are only being used to send the 2160's picture to the TV. The actual cable signal is coming from a coax cable. When I hook the coax cable up to other devices like an HDTV, I get channels.

Originally Posted by dingo9 

It looks like $200 for either to work with cable not OTA. I spoke with Comcast, they are OK with the idea, will provide a no charge cable card. Now that I've upgraded I could never go back hence the disappointment with the 533's SD limitation.

BTW Comcast confirmed that most everything they are sending me is scrambled.

Originally Posted by gohokiez 

Maybe a better TV down the road. Thanks again!!!!

Originally Posted by gastrof 

And what source do you have your recorder set to get input from? Is it set on A/V inputs, or one of its tuners?

Also, is it set for digital TV, or analog?

Not to be unkind, but do you have your owner's manual there?

Originally Posted by wajo 

dweezil: I don't remember all that went on with this either, but if you have an analog ch. 7, have you tried deleting that analog channel and see if that might have been interfering with digital 7.1 etc.?

EDIT: If you have ANY analog channels, you should not only delete analog ch. 7 but also check EVERY analog channel for the same network, channel call sign and content as your digital ch. 7 channel(s)/subchannel(s). If ANY duplicates ANYWHERE in the analog tuner, delete those analog channels also.

Originally Posted by dweezil is in 

Joe - I have no confidence in Cox helping with anything (I wrote about my past experiences earlier to explain why) but I could try again. To be sure it's not entirely the unit, I could rescan channels on the 515 to see if "digital" 7.0 shows up now there too. But I don't want to risk screwing up the 515 as I am having no problems with it.
I assume the harddrive should be the only difference.

Originally Posted by twarren 

I know this is probably covered somewhere on the thread, so apologize in advance if its a duplicate question regarding Daylight Saving Time. I have DST turned ON and so expect it to be applied on or about 2am Sunday morning. If I am trying to record a program that starts at 1:30am Sunday and is 1.75 hours long, will I be ok to program it from 1:30am to 3:15am or do I need to make it end time of 4:15am to adjust for the forward time advance at ~2am? (In other words, does the recorder compute elapsed time at beginning of recording and then record for that amount of time or does it use end time and record until that time is reached or ...) OR is it better to just disable DST until later that morning

Originally Posted by wajo 

twarren: Nothing internal can interrupt a timer program, especially a time change. A manual STOP command is about the only thing you'd have to "worry" about... I've found that timer programs are pretty much "bulletproof" once started.

Adding an hour can't hurt either... sort of like wearing a belt with suspenders.

P.S. Check your clock an hour or so after the end of the timer program (or next morning in your case) to make sure the DST command worked and your clock is now synced.

Originally Posted by kenavs 

My recollection, differs from your statement.
It has been a while, but I used to record something on Sunday mornings that ran from 1:30AM to 2:30AM. I believe it was on my 3576(of course, the Magnavoxes could be different). As I recall, I set it to run till 3:30AM, just in case. Again, to the best of my memory, during the fall transition, I got a 3 hour recording and during the spring transistion, I got a 1 hour recording. Although, the best of my memory, is not what it used to be.
As you suggest, the extra hour may be unnecessary, but it can't hurt, as long as you delete the extra hour, before the buildup eats up the hard drive space.

Originally Posted by wajo 

I've found that timer programs are pretty much "bulletproof" once started.

Originally Posted by poweranimals 

Does anyone else know how to fix the loud obnoxious buzzing sound that comes on sometimes. It used to stop after a few minutes but now it keeps going. If I shut it off and turn it back on, the noise comes back. This is for the 513H by the way.

Originally Posted by wajo 

As a final test, I'd do a "Clean Tuner" procedure, which means:

1. Do an Auto Channel Preset > Cable (Analog/Digital) WITH THE COAX OFF to clear all channel memory.

2. Do another analog/digital scan WITH COAX OFF THRU THE ANALOG CHANNELS. Reconnect coax only after you see the first digitals.

3. See if the 537's tuner behaves this way in the digital realm.

If the digital tuner acts right, this might mean it has a problem with ANY analog channels in memory and could be defective?

The only hardware diff. between the three 53x units is HDD, so another 537 would be as OK to try as a 535.

Originally Posted by dweezil is in 

So I now have no analog channels and only digital and the crappy 7.0 still is there on digital and 7.1 works the same way meaning the good ABC can't be programmed to be recorded.

Originally Posted by dweezil is in 

I did the auto channel setting procedures exactly as stated. So I now have no analog channels and only digital and the crappy 7.0 still is there on digital and 7.1 works the same way meaning the good ABC can't be programmed to be recorded. I guess this leaves it open as to whether the problem might be with what's coming from Cox or there's a problem with the 537.

Originally Posted by artwire 

Wondering if the timer program works for you if you leave it preset to 7.1 before the recording starts and leave the unit ON. I have one set of stations that overlaps (channel 22 shows MPT 22.1 22.2 and 22.3 AND mhz 22-1 22-2 22-3 ) so, if I want to record a PBS show on the first set of 22s, I leave the tuner set to the correct iteration of 22 and leave the box on-- unattended timer recording works well, but of course, that wont work if you need a different channel prior to that (for multiple recordings). In this set up, if I turn the box off it reverts to the other 22 and I get the wrong recording so I just leave it on all the time. I record the default 22 a lot , using the tuner, and try to remember to record "the other" 22 via cable box, but sometimes that's not feasible. Frustrating, but workable most of the time - admittedly, it's easier if you have a few machines.

You guys are making me nervous about the 537 - sounds as tho you've run into lots of problems with the tuner. .I haven't had time to install mine, yet, but will try to do it this weekend and will report back.