Support Trouble Tree
Screen 73

Using TiVo in combination with a Cable Box

Installation

Follow TiVo's instructions when connecting your TiVo to your cable box. If your TiVo is dual-tuner, make sure that you install the (supplied) splitter and extra cables so that the cable signal appears both on the TiVo's RF Input and the cable box Cable input. You will also need to use a composite cable (yellow, white, red) between one of the cable box's outputs and the TiVo's composite input.

You will need to use TiVo's IR cable to allow TiVo to control your set top box -- TiVo's serial cable will not work with our cable box. Only one of the IR emitters will be needed, however, so you should wrap the unneeded emitter up with the excess wire and put a tie around it. (If you have lost your IR cable, they are available from the TiVo store or from Lucas Valley Cable). Install the IR emitter near the IR detector on the cable box (see diagram), using a flashlight if necessary. Don't place it directly over the detector -- you may still want to be able to control the cable box with its own remote, so it is a good idea to preserve a light path between the cable box's IR sensor and your viewing position.

Follow the TIVO guided setup, specifying CABLE and answering YES to the cable box query. If your TiVo gives you more than one Lucas Valley Cable option, pick the Digital version.

Dual tuner TiVos separately install cable box as tuner 1 and the RF input connection as tuner 2. You will probably want to answer No to the Premium Channel question for TiVo's analog input and Yes for the Cable Box input in order to guarantee that the digital versious of premiums are recorded when a program is available on both inputs.

• When the channel list appears, check all the channels that you subscribe to except the HDTV channels (75 to 83). Also, if you subscribe to DIGTAL premiums (channels 3xx), uncheck the ANALOG equivalents (e.g., 14, 16, 18, 20, etc.) to ensure that TiVo will record the digital versions of these programs. You may include PPV channels (401-420) if your cable box is activated for that service. Special cable-box set up notes follow:
  1. Your cable box manufacturer is GENERAL INSTRUMENTS.
  2. To select a single-digit channel, do not use leading zeros (e.g., Channel 5 is "5", not "005").
  3. Enter YES to the query about following a selection with the enter key
  4. When TiVo begins its series of tests so that it can change the channel on the cable box, be patient because our cable box is pretty far down the list (current TiVo firmware has our box on the ninth test). Important: sometimes the test attempts to change to a channel that is not available, with the result that the channel-change test fails; be watching for the cable box bars on the top of the screen, because you will want to answer YES to the "Did the channel change?" query if the specified channel change appears on the bar, whether or not the channel actually changes.
• When setting up the analog input selections, answer YES to the premium query so that you can review the channel list. Make sure that all the channels that you receive are checked; uncheck 14, 16, 18, 20 and 75 through 83. Also uncheck any channels that are duplicated by any digital subscriptions to encourage TiVo to record the higher-quality digital versions.

Support Issues

The most common support issue with cable-box/TiVo installations results from the IR emitter becoming detached from the cable box. When this happens the cable box gets "stuck" on the channel that it was last in before the mishap. The solution is to re-attach the emitter (see above). Test by selecting Watch Live TV from the TiVo menu and using the TiVo remote to verify that channels change properly.

Be sure that you leave your cable box on at all times, because you never know when TiVo will need to access it.

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