DVD/DTA Problem - HALP

[KittenKoder]

"Why are you afraid to use the dvd player? IMO, cable is overrated. Lots of channels but not necessarily lots to watch!"

Lol. Apparently you missed the 7-page thread where I couldn't download pics from my camera, then figure out how to post them. I have some strengths, but basic technology isn't among them.

I live in the boonies (120 miles to Walmart) and go without cable for months on end...haven't had it since this spring. I tend to get it in the late (or in this instance, mid) summer and hold onto it through winter...and then let it go in the spring.

Anyway, I just got digital, and the dvd is attached, and I'm terrified that when I use the dvd player I'll lose the digital and everything will implode.

I know. I'm a little out there. Someday I'll go into why I go months and sometimes years at a time without a telephone.

At least you are not like this one person I know ... who thinks they know everything about technology but doesn't even understand how DVD's work ... debating with him is impossible.

 

[Zoom-boing]

Zoom ... hate to break it to you, but your player may be fried ... literally ... inside. When power is lost sometimes there's a surge, which has about a 15% chance of frying circuits that are turned on at the time (players don't really turn off). It is possible just the transmitter chip that allows the player to send the signals to your TV was fried, replacement cost about the same as the player itself, so everything will work but it won't be able to send the signals, thus the snow. Try a different player if you have one, if you can get another player to work on it then you will need to take that one to a shop or replace it, depending on budget, availability, etc..

K, I was hoping you'd see this thread. Yeah, hubby said the same thing. Of all the electronic things in the house I'm actually glad it was this and not something else.

We just had our computer router literally blow up last week, smoke coming out of the plugged in part and everything. 9 friggin' months old. POS.

I'm going to see if maybe it's just a fuse and if it looks more cooked than that . . . well, Craigslist is my friend. Thanks.

Hey Zoom, do you live in an old house? I mean like over 20 years old? Your wiring in the house might need to be upgraded I'm thinking. Hope not but that could be the problem. Does your power go out a lot even with little storms, or strong wind? Check powerlines around your house, if tree branches are in contact with the power lines, call the power company and request that they come out and trim them. They do it here all the time. It helps a lot.

I had the same problem with my house, a few outlets are bad, so I don't use them. We should call an electrician out to upgrade but cannot afford that right now so I limit my outlets and the ones that use to cause problems I just don't use them any more. I had router, phone box, DVR, Cable box all go out on me and it was a bad outlet that wasn't grounded or something like that.

Just some food for thought. Good luck.

Nah, the house is only 10 years old. It was a nice day and all of a sudden the wind kicked up out of nowhere, it rained some but no big 'storm' or lightening or anything. Mostly just really windy, but I've seen much, much worse. The power lines in our neighborhood are underground. Maybe there was a lightening strike on a transformer or possibly an accident.

It's weird that it was this player, considering all the other appliances in the house and all the things that were 'on' at the time.

 

[Zoom-boing]

"Why are you afraid to use the dvd player? IMO, cable is overrated. Lots of channels but not necessarily lots to watch!"

Lol. Apparently you missed the 7-page thread where I couldn't download pics from my camera, then figure out how to post them. I have some strengths, but basic technology isn't among them.

I live in the boonies (120 miles to Walmart) and go without cable for months on end...haven't had it since this spring. I tend to get it in the late (or in this instance, mid) summer and hold onto it through winter...and then let it go in the spring.

Anyway, I just got digital, and the dvd is attached, and I'm terrified that when I use the dvd player I'll lose the digital and everything will implode.

I know. I'm a little out there. Someday I'll go into why I go months and sometimes years at a time without a telephone.

At least you are not like this one person I know ... who thinks they know everything about technology but doesn't even understand how DVD's work ... debating with him is impossible.

Ok, I'm not kidding about this. My aunt, who is like 85+ or something - when she unplugs something she drapes the cord over a chair to 'let the electricity drain out'. Wow . . . just, wow.

 

[Zoom-boing]

"Why are you afraid to use the dvd player? IMO, cable is overrated. Lots of channels but not necessarily lots to watch!"

Lol. Apparently you missed the 7-page thread where I couldn't download pics from my camera, then figure out how to post them. I have some strengths, but basic technology isn't among them.

I live in the boonies (120 miles to Walmart) and go without cable for months on end...haven't had it since this spring. I tend to get it in the late (or in this instance, mid) summer and hold onto it through winter...and then let it go in the spring.

Anyway, I just got digital, and the dvd is attached, and I'm terrified that when I use the dvd player I'll lose the digital and everything will implode.

I know. I'm a little out there. Someday I'll go into why I go months and sometimes years at a time without a telephone.

LOL, yeah I did miss that thread.

I like the food channel but in the summer we watch a lot of Discovery and TLC. I've been watching Ice Road Truckers and Deadliest Catch on Dis. and Cake Boss on TLC. Cake Boss is a hoot.

I completely and totally agree about 100+ channels and nothing to watch. I tried several times to get Comcast to 'a la carte' their stuff but, nope. They have packages but they never include what we actually watch.

If I could pick and choose we'd only have basic channels (ABC, NBC, CBS, etc) plus about 15 other channels. Sometimes, less is more.

Oh, if you get Animal Planet they have some good shows on in the morning. We like 'It's Me or the Dog'. Kind of like 'Supernanny' for dogs.

 

[KittenKoder]

"Why are you afraid to use the dvd player? IMO, cable is overrated. Lots of channels but not necessarily lots to watch!"

Lol. Apparently you missed the 7-page thread where I couldn't download pics from my camera, then figure out how to post them. I have some strengths, but basic technology isn't among them.

I live in the boonies (120 miles to Walmart) and go without cable for months on end...haven't had it since this spring. I tend to get it in the late (or in this instance, mid) summer and hold onto it through winter...and then let it go in the spring.

Anyway, I just got digital, and the dvd is attached, and I'm terrified that when I use the dvd player I'll lose the digital and everything will implode.

I know. I'm a little out there. Someday I'll go into why I go months and sometimes years at a time without a telephone.

At least you are not like this one person I know ... who thinks they know everything about technology but doesn't even understand how DVD's work ... debating with him is impossible.

Ok, I'm not kidding about this. My aunt, who is like 85+ or something - when she unplugs something she drapes the cord over a chair to 'let the electricity drain out'. Wow . . . just, wow.

LOL ... that's kinda cute ...

 

[KittenKoder]

Speaking on the new Digital Signal .... I hate this shit so much, a car goes by and the signal goes out completely for a few moments instead of the occasional fuzz from the reliable and strong analog signals. Don't be fooled, newer is never better.

 

[Zoom-boing]

Since I hooked up the DTA, the picture on the upstairs tv is gobs better, especially on certain channels. Some I had to watch through the dvd player in order to see them. But, the tv is a pre 2001, so it doesn't have a v-chip but it has the capability to block channels if you set that channel to 'off'. Well, it did work that way. The DTA bypasses it and now there are no parental controls on it. Fine for us but for the boy . . . gotta keep a close eye that he doesn't mosey on in and start watching stuff he shouldn't be watching.

 

[KittenKoder]

Since I hooked up the DTA, the picture on the upstairs tv is gobs better, especially on certain channels. Some I had to watch through the dvd player in order to see them. But, the tv is a pre 2001, so it doesn't have a v-chip but it has the capability to block channels if you set that channel to 'off'. Well, it did work that way. The DTA bypasses it and now there are no parental controls on it. Fine for us but for the boy . . . gotta keep a close eye that he doesn't mosey on in and start watching stuff he shouldn't be watching.

LOL ... ever hear the phrase "it takes about ten years to work out all the kinks"? That's a "technical" term for "practice makes perfect". The newest technology didn't use to be released the minute they made it, especially buy force, for one primary reason, they need to test it. Now everyone is a tester, and you get to pay for the privilege. The really sad thing is that our digital technology is years behind even Europe ... decades behind Japan ... and they never had to force anything.

One major benefit though, since I can't stand having moving squares across the screen at random times and during rush hour I get almost nothing, at least I don't watch as much TV ... went from 4 hours a day to about 10 hours a week. LOL

 

[Zoom-boing]

The 'chat' person I talked too was not amused that I was perplexed that this 'new fangled great technology' now rendered the parental controls on my tv useless. Their suggestion? Get a second Comcast On Demand box. So in order to receive all the channels I'm paying for AND utilize the parental controls that my tv has, I have to shell out another $60 bucks a year because they couldn't get the technology right? Like I said, they were not amused by my annoyance. lol

They also told me that I couldn't record one show while watching another. After talking to the cable guy for 10 minutes I realized that all I needed was another tuner because there is only one tuner in the Comcast box. I refused to accept that I couldn't set the dvd player to record one show while watching another. Figured out how to do it by utilizing one of the DTA boxes they gave us and buying an A/B video switch. Now, it's a 15 step process to record a show, where previously all you had to do was push a tv/vcr button. Once again, the 'new and better technology' has made something that was once simple, complex. Progress . . oy.

 

[KittenKoder]

The 'chat' person I talked too was not amused that I was perplexed that this 'new fangled great technology' now rendered the parental controls on my tv useless. Their suggestion? Get a second Comcast On Demand box. So in order to receive all the channels I'm paying for AND utilize the parental controls that my tv has, I have to shell out another $60 bucks a year because they couldn't get the technology right? Like I said, they were not amused by my annoyance. lol

They also told me that I couldn't record one show while watching another. After talking to the cable guy for 10 minutes I realized that all I needed was another tuner because there is only one tuner in the Comcast box. I refused to accept that I couldn't set the dvd player to record one show while watching another. Figured out how to do it by utilizing one of the DTA boxes they gave us and buying an A/B video switch. Now, it's a 15 step process to record a show, where previously all you had to do was push a tv/vcr button. Once again, the 'new and better technology' has made something that was once simple, complex. Progress . . oy.

Well ... as much as I hate it to, get use to it. Eventually technology will be only for the very few of us true geeks again, as it started out, thanks to the corporations being too greedy and the government overregulation of the industry. I remember EggHead software, use to put out affordable and useful software that even a computer illiterate could understand, then Microsoft pushed their weight with regulations and drove EggHead out of business ... now technology is nothing but a big over complicated joke ... the one thing I love in my life. But meh, can't complain too much, because of all this over regulation and excessive competition I now have a decent freelance career ... LOL ... since I don't have all the extra school loans to pay off I can charge less than a quarter what most techies charge for what I do ... and since they over complicated so much of the tech I get a lot of calls ... ignore almost half of them, but meh ... not planning on becoming an official corporation any time soon ...

 

[Terry]

Every tech support I've ever used has been bad except recently with Alienware...damn they were so cool and johnny on the spot. Best ever...but I'm wondering of some of these companies use humans in an assembly line to put together equipment...they pass through the QC, get on the shelf...and you buy the lemon.

I suppose a machine can also malfuntion but they pass it through because it would cost a lot of money to stop production, throw already assembled stuff, fix the machine, and continue on.

 

[Zoom-boing]

I think a huge part of the problem with a lot of things these days is that 'disposable' mentality. If it breaks, get a new one. It's only good for xx years because it's made like crap. No, it's made to break so you go out and buy another one. I'm so old school . . . buy the best you can afford, take care of it and it will last a long, long time.

 

[Terry]

Oh you are so right Zoom, and I'm guility as charged!