[bxs122]

I love my UTV - I was one of the first customers and have kept up with software updates and added a 120G HD over two years ago (the week it was figures out how to upgrade)


After all this time I am finally seeing a problem and of course its frequency is going up. We'll be watching something and the picture will go out...the TV will display a 'Video 1' while the sound continues uninterrupted. It is as if someone unplugged the RCA video at the TV leading from the the UTV unit.

To work around the issue I turn off the UTV wait a minute, turn it back on and resume watching whatever it was we were watching.

If the problem occurs while recording something the recorded show is not disrupted.


Anyone else experience similar -- is there any hope of getting this resolved?

Should I cut my losses and pick up a Tivo this weekend? I would probably pick up a Tivo but know I won't be able to recover my 120G harddrive in the UTV.


Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[lgodavid]

Hi,


Have you had any recent tuner issues? Tuner Signals should be stable.


I'd suggest first eliminating heat build up as a possible cause.


Make sure your UTV has plenty of open space on all sides and internal fan is running.


Let the UTV cool down for a few hours (overnight) and see how the UTV fairs after that...


You could recover the 120GB drive by "Swapping" with the old 40GB Drive and unlocking the 120GB... Or you might try the Unlock program mentioned here elsewhere.

 

[TheRatPatrol]

It could be a video out problem. Have you tried using the RF output? Swaping RCA cables?

 

[lgodavid]

Hi,


Or secondary Video Output (Svideo or RCA 2)?

 

[01-0800]

It could even be a video input problem. I had a yellow (video) input on my Toshiba 36" fall completely apart. I had video loss several times prior to finding that.

 

[bxs122]

Thanx for the replies...


I've had no signal issues and no heat issues. The unit has been in the same position since purchasing in its first week of availability.


I moved the Video 1 Out cable to Video 2 Out and this seems to have corrected the problem -- I would be surprised if it were an isolated problem with Video 1 Out since both are on the same board with a splitter. This morning I moved the cable back to Video 1 Out to see if I can recreate the problem.

If the problem starts up again then it is back to Video 2 Out and I'll use the UTV unit until it dies or DirecTV pulls the plug.


Thanx Again

 

[watching]

Sometimes oxidation develops at the contacts where the cable inserts. This is why gold ended cables are recommended. It can also develop om the contacts of mechanical switches within your receiver.


Just twisting the end of the RCA plugs where they enter a unit is often enough to clean things up. If your receiver has rotary mechanical selector switches, rotating the switches back & forth a few times will regain good contact.

 

[rocket]

I had a lot of problems with my tv video going to "satilite" meaning it was not getting enough of a signal (s-video). Audio was fine though. I went out and bought a new cable and a signal amp at radio shack. This solved the problem.


I have a fairly long cable, 50 feet. I don't know why the original cable went bad over time, because it did work originally for many months. It might be that my t.v.'s sensitivity changed. Not sure, but the new cable seemed to be all I needed. The signal amp brightens up the picture a bit, so I continue to use it.