Troubleshooting

Do-it-yourself help

We do everything in our power to deliver the best possible cable television picture to your home. Occasionally you may experience a reception problem. You may be able to correct some of these problems on your own by following these tips and troubleshooting solutions:

1. I'm not getting a picture or any sound.
2. There is interference or snowy reception on some channels.
3. I'm having problems recording.
4. I am having audio problems with my cable service.
5. The Picture-in-Picture (PIP) function of the TV is not working.
6. If a service call is the only solution, help us serve you better.

1. I'm not getting a picture or any sound.



• Check the TV, VCR and Digital SmartBox to make sure all are connected correctly, plugged in and powered on. An unplugged device is a very common problem.
• The TV, VCR or Digital SmartBox may be plugged into an electrical outlet controlled by a wall switch. Make sure the wall switch is in the "on" position.
• Check to see if other electrical items in the room are working properly. A power surge may have tripped a circuit breaker. Reset the breaker, then check the TV again.
• If you have a Digital SmartBox, make sure that the Time or Channel is displayed on the front panel.
  If not, check to see if the Digital SmartBox is plugged into a working electrical outlet. If the outlet is controlled by an electrical switch, check to make sure that the switch is in the "on" position.
• If your home had a cable amplifier installed, check to see if the amplifier lost power. The charger that powers a house amplifier often gets unplugged from the wall electrical outlet or turned off by a light switch. The amplifier is usually in the attic or on the side of the house where all the cables meet. It's a gray box about 3 inches by 5 inches in size which your cables all plug into and if powered, should display a small triangular light on the device's front or face. If the light is not on, check to see if the charger is unplugged or turned off by a light switch. The charger should be located next to the amplifier or next to a cable outlet in the house.
• Press the TV/VIDEO switch or button on your TV.
• A power failure or neighborhood construction may have caused the problem. If power was lost momentarily on a Digital SmartBox, when the power is restored, the TV may not have tuned to Channel 3. Tune the TV to channel 3 to see if the service has returned to normal.

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2. There is interference or snowy reception on some channels.



• Make sure all cable connections are finger-tight. Off air signals often find their way into the cable through loose connections which can cause interference. Loose connections can cause digital channels to break up or freeze.
• If your TV menu has a STD/HRC/IRC setting, select STD. An incorrect setting can cause reception problems.
• Check to see if your TV and/or VCR is tuned to channel 3.
• Check to see if the reception problem on one or several channels. If only one channel is affected, the problem may be at the TV station.
• Check to see if the reception problem is on one or several TVs. If only one TV is affected, make sure all the connections are secure.
• Have you installed any new equipment recently such as a stereo receiver, DVD, Tivo or Replay TV? The addition of a component to your home theatre system could have easily loosened a cable. Be sure all cables are connected and are finger-tight.
• If you can't tune to the desired channel, make sure the channel is not blocked by Parental Control.
• Are you using a surge protector? Surge protectors have three frequent problems:
  
  
  1. Surge protectors sometimes do not pass the entire signal to the Digital SmartBox.
  2. The devices can allow off air interference.
  3. They can prevent the cable service from working correctly.
  
  If you have connected the cable to the surge protector rather than directly to the Digital SmartBox, this may be the problem. Instead, try connecting the Surge Protector between the Digital SmartBox and your TV/VCR. For example, the routing should be: Wall to Digital SmartBox to surge protector to TV/VCR.
• The TV only receives up to Channel 13. Check your TV for a menu option or a switch labeled Antenna/CATV. Switch to CATV. If you have an older TV that stops at Channel 13, you may only be able to use your VCR to receive all basic and standard channels. If this is the case, tune the TV to channel 3, turn on the VCR and change channels with the VCR.

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3. I'm having problems recording.



• The Digital SmartBox says REC and the controls will not respond when I press any of the buttons. You have selected a record function. Press EXIT on the Digital Remote to cancel this function and resume normal operations.
• I tried to record, and the Digital SmartBox displays "REC," but the VCR did not start recording. If your VCR did not start recording, then you may not have a VCR Commander installed. The VCR Commander attached from the back of the Digital SmartBox to the front of the VCR. If you do not have a VCR Commander, you must record manually with the VCR:



1. Select the program to be recorded in the Navigator. If you select a future program you will be given you the option to Set a VCR Timer or Set a Reminder timer. Choose Set a VCR timer.
2. Put a blank tape in your VCR and program the VCR to Record Channel 3 on the day and time of the program selected in the Navigator.



• If you have a VCR Commander, check the instructions on how to set up or record with a VCR Commander

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4. I am having audio problems with my cable service.



• I have a picture but no sound or a different audio than what I should have.
Check to make sure the SAP function of the TV, VCR, or Digital SmartBox has been turned "OFF."
• I have no sound and a black box in front of my picture. Check your TV's menu to see that your "Closed Caption" settings are turned off if you are not intending to use the option. If you are intending to use "Closed Caption" select a different setting such as CC1 or CC2, the "Text" settings often bring up the "black box" in the center of the viewing screen.
• All my channels are making a buzzing sound. Make sure the TV volume is not set at the maximum level while the Digital SmartBox volume is turned down. Both volumes should be at mid level.
• My Digital Remote is not controlling my TV/Digital SmartBox volume.
The Digital Remote has the ability to operate the volume of the TV or Digital SmartBox. To select the volume for the TV or Digital SmartBox, first make sure the TV can be turned on or off with the Digital Remote. If you have not programmed your Digital Remote for volume control, check the remote control instructions. If the sound does not seem to be in stereo, check the stereo source to make sure it is the left and right audio output of the Digital SmartBox.

The left and right Digital SmartBox outputs provide stereo; the Digital Audio output provides surround sound.
• If the sound does not seem to be in surround sound, be sure that your Surround Sound source is the Digital Audio output of the Digital SmartBox.
NOTE: The connection is coaxial NOT optical. A digital stereo receiver is required.
• If the surround sound is connected properly but you are not receiving surround sound, then program you are viewing may not be broadcast in surround sound. Scroll through other digital channels to see if other programs are in surround sound. Many programs are not broadcast in surround sound.

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5. The Picture-in-Picture (PIP) function of the TV is not working.



• You must have two separate sources to your TV. Example: From a two-way splitter, one line goes to the Digital SmartBox-VCR-TV input 1 and the other line goes from the splitter to TV input 2.

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6. If a service call is the only solution, help us serve you better.


If you are unable to resolve your problem using these trouble shooting tips, you may need to schedule a service call. Before calling our Customer Service department, check:


• To make sure you subscribe to the service you are not receiving
• To see if your cable subscription includes the outlet that does not work correctly
Bright House Networks is responsible only for maintenance and repair for those cable outlets that we installed and that are listed on your account. If an outlet is not listed on the account and want that outlet added, call to have Bright House Networks install the outlet correctly.
• To ensure that someone age 18 or older will be home at the time of the service call, and will be able to stay for the duration of the visit.

We will call before our technician arrives, so be sure to provide the correct phone number where you can be reached.