[tmoney468]

Hi all,


I've encountered a problem with my new Samsung TV (32" 550a model) and my HD Comcast box. The problem I have is that every time I turn on both the cable box and my TV, the cable box won't respond to input from the cable remote for about 3-5 minutes. The cable box responds fine if it's turned on (and TV is off). Also, when both the box and the TV are turned on together, I'm able to adjust the volume on the TV with the cable remote, it's just that I can't change the channels on the box.


Has anyone encountered this problem before, and would this be a problem with the cable box or my TV? I've already swapped the cable box for another one and the problem still happens (in fact it takes even longer for the box to respond).


I supposed I'll give Comcast another call today when I get home, the person I talked to in the store said that this freezing is normal for some TVs, which I don't believe. Moreover, I have a 64U Sharp downstairs with a Comcast HD DVR and it experiences none of the problems I have with the new box. any ideas?

 

[7558037]

Some, maybe all Samsung TVs seem to need a certain order of turning on the connected devices (a "handshake" problem?).


Try turning on the TV 1st then the box, and vice versa.

 

[walford]

What resolution are you sending over what interface to the Samsung?

Are the two units connected to the same wall outlet?

If the TV is on a splitter have you tried bypasssing it?

 

[tmoney468]

@wajo


I'll try turning the TV on first and see if that helps (I tried leaving the cable box on and turning off/turning on the TV and the problem was still there, so this would be the reverse).


@walford


The comcast HD box is set to output to 1080i, and this is sent over an hdmi cable (which I believe the cable is a cheapie from a store around here).


Funny enough I did a search about my problem and I found someone who said that if the box and TV were plugged into the same outlet/circuit, it would lead to freezing problems. I tried plugging the box into another outlet and while I thought it worked the first time, I tried again last night and the thing was frozen for 5 minutes. Also, the cable isn't on any splitter but it is a fairly long cable at about 15ft or so. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Nato]

I'm encountering the same problem with my Toshiba XV545U and my Comcast/Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 8300HD. Online, I've found multiple similar complaints from people with Samsung and Sharp HDTVs.


The problem seems to be that when the backlight powers on, it initially pumps out a lot of infrared radiation, which seems to block the cable box from receiving any infrared signals from the remote control. After a while, the radiation from the backlight settles down, and the cable box can receive signals again. I haven't had a chance to try any of the suggested fixes yet, but solutions (of apparently varying effectiveness) that I've seen posted online include:


- Cover the cable box's IR sensor with a piece of masking or blue gaffer's tape.

- Rotate the cable box 45-90 degrees in either direction.

- Try moving the cable box to a different location, either to the left or the right of the TV. One person reported that when the box was located above the TV, it worked just fine.


Again, I haven't tried any of this myself. I sure hope it works, for both our sakes.

 

[Nato]

Just to update -- after much fiddling around yesterday, I discovered that by rotating my cable box almost completely sideways, so that the right side of the front display was deeply in shadow, signals from my remote got through after the TV had been on for about 10-20 seconds. I could then navigate like normal, and after the TV had been on for 20 minutes or so, I could rotate the box back and use it normally.


Obviously, this is a less than ideal solution, so I'm hoping the Comcast guy coming Friday will be able to help me move the box somewhere else in my cabinets that won't cause so much of a hassle.


In the meantime, hope this trick works for you, too!

 

[tmoney468]

So you're saying that by rotating the cable box 90 degrees one way and having the IR sensor on the cable box in a shadow, you were able to improve the response time of the remote?


This is a really annoying problem to me, and I believe it's the fault of the cable box and not my TV, as it has happened with other makes and models, and the problem always occurs with a Motorola box.


I'm now debating what I should do with my TV, I bought a wall mount for it last week and planned on installing it this weekend, but I don't want to go through the entire process only to find out that the cable box is getting the "radiation" from the TV. Apparently Comcast is coming over here on Saturday to look at the issue, but I have my doubts that they'll fix this problem. The first thing I'll mention is the info online I found about how the TV is interfering with the IR sensor on the box. Paying an extra $15 a month for something that's causing this problem is extremely frustrating.

 

[Ratman]

Here's a previous discussion:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...9#post15015439

 

[tmoney468]

Thanks RatMan, I did search on here but I never saw that thread, I'll try the masking tape on the cable box and see if that helps.


Reading that thread made me wonder why does the IR sensor on the TV work fine with the TV and Cable remotes, but it's only the IR sensor on the box that gets interfered with? Is the IR sensor on the TV somehow shielded better?

 

[Ratman]

The IR receiver in the TV is what has been referred to as "friendly". Designed to work properly with that technology (plasma/LCD). The cable box... they don't care apparently.

 

[tmoney468]

This is a stupid question, but does anyone know where the IR sensor is on the Motorola DCH 3200? It's not really apparent because the dark bar extends all the way across the front of the box:

http://www.motorola.com/consumers/v/...008406b00aRCRD


BTW, I tried a couple pieces of blue painters tape and the freezing did still occur, all though the remote started working about 45 seconds after being turned on.

 

[Ratman]

Shine a flashlight on the front. Should be a "red" window (square) behind the "smoked" panel.

 

[DAB]

OP-- look to TV menu. does it have -- CEC ---?? for [consumer electronic]. see if you can turn it OFF. That might be causing the interference.

 

[tmoney468]

@Ratman


My dad mentioned that idea and I was able to find it...I actually got the remote working with 5-6 pieces of that blue painter's tape!!!

 

[Ratman]

Good news... enjoy!

 

[Nato]

I found that folding a sheet of regular white printer paper 3 times over, and placing it over the IR sensor, cut out the interference but still let the remote's signals go through. At first I taped paper over the whole front of the display, but with some trial and error, I was able to narrow down the location of the IR sensor, and just tape a small dot of three-layered paper there. (On the Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 8300HD, it's below and to the left of the time on the front display.) So far, it's working great.


-- Nato

 

[tmoney468]

I saw on another thread that someone mentioned using the leader from camera film to cover the IR sensor and that supposedly fixed the problem as well. I may try that to see if it works, as it would match the black bar on the front of the box (much more so than the blue painter's tape

Either way I'm happy, and thanks again to everyone for their insight and help!

 

[Ratman]



Quote:
Originally Posted by tmoney468 /forum/post/15506581


... someone mentioned using the leader from camera film to cover the IR sensor

Sounds like a good idea. Give it a try see what develops!