Scientific Atlanta 8000HD manual

User ’ s Guide for the Digital V ideo Recorder with Picture-in-Picture Control Explorer ® 8000 ™ Digital V ideo Recorder and Explorer 8000 H D ™ H igh-Definition Digital V ideo Recorder • Record your favorite programs when you’re away • Record one program and watch another •W atch two programs at the same time with the Picture-in-Pic[...]

i Contents Explore Y our Entertainment Options 1 Get More Out of Y our TV 1 T ake Control of Live Programs 2 Get Started 3 Prepare the Remote Control to Work With Y our TV and Explorer DVR 3 What’s Next? 3 How Programs Are Formatted 4 How HDTVs Display Picture Formats 5 Prepare the Explorer 8000HD DVR T o Work With Y our High-Definition TV 6 Make[...]

ii Contents Manage Programs and Recordings 33 Block Programs With Parental Control 33 Block Recordings With Parental Control 36 Maximize Y our Storage Space 38 Copy Recordings to a VCR T ape 38 Change the Default Save T ime Setting for Future Recordings 39 Change the Save T ime of a Recording Y ou Have Saved 40 Erase a Recording 40 Adjust the Pictu[...]

1 Explore Y our Entertainment Options This guide describes how to use the following Explorer ® Digital Video Recorders: • Explorer ® 8000 ™ Digital Video Recorder (DVR), for use with standard TVs • Explorer ® 8000HD ™ High-Definition Digital Video Recorder (HD DVR), for use with high-definition TVs (HDTVs) Get More Out of Y our TV The 80[...]

2 T ake Control of Live Programs Anytime you tune to a live program, the Explorer DVR begins buffering the program — that is, making a temporary recording of it — so that you can . . . • Pause the live program or rewind it • Fast-forward through the portion you have rewound • Instantly replay live TV anytime you want • Save the buffered[...]

3 Get Started Getting started is easy . After you’ve connected the Explorer DVR to your TV , VCR, or other audio-video equipment, you only need to prepare the remote control as described here. If you have an HDTV and are not using a DVI connection, you also need to set up the 8000HD to work with your HDTV . Note: Y our cable service provider may [...]

4 How Programs Are Formatted Programs are broadcast in various picture formats. The picture format is one factor that determines how your television displays a program. A picture format is made up of the picture’s aspect ratio and screen resolution. Aspect Ratios The aspect ratio of a picture is the ratio of its width to its height. A standard pi[...]

5 Get Started How HDTVs Display Picture Formats The type of screen your HDTV uses (wide-screen or standard-screen) also determines how your HDTV displays the various picture formats that are broadcast today . Note: For your HDTV to display some picture formats, the 8000HD must be set up to output these formats to your HTDV . See the next page for d[...]

6 Get Started Prepare the Explorer 8000HD DVR to Work W ith Y our High-Definition TV If you have an HDTV and are not using a DVI connection, you may need to set up the 8000HD so that it provides video to your HDTV in picture formats that your HDTV supports. Otherwise, your picture quality may be less than optimal. During installation, your cable se[...]

7 Get Started Selecting Compatible Picture Formats If your HDTV displays a black screen when you turn it on, the 8000HD may not be sending your HDTV a picture format that the HDTV supports. Follow these steps to select picture format settings that your HDTV supports. Note: Rather than selecting a single picture format setting, you may want to selec[...]

8 Get Started Selecting Picture Formats With the Setup Wizard Setting up the 8000HD to support a variety of picture formats allows you to toggle among the settings you have chosen while watching TV and select the setting that provides the best picture quality for the format currently being broadcast. There are three ways you can select picture form[...]

9 Get Started 6. Use one of the following methods to select a picture format setting: •T o use a setting of 480i for a standard-screen HDTV and a setting of 1080i for a wide-screen HDTV , use the Quick Setup method. For assistance selecting one of these settings, follow the on-screen instructions. •T o be able to toggle between the settings 108[...]

10 Protect Y our Recordings To extend the life of the Explorer DVR and to save money on your electric bill, turn Off the Explorer DVR each night before going to bed. When the Explorer DVR is powered Off (and plugged into an active outlet), all scheduled recordings will be performed automatically – and your recordings will be protected. T urning o[...]

11 Find Out When Y our Favorite Programs Are On From the Program Guide, you can search for programs by channel number , program title, theme, or broadcast date. After you find a program, you can tune to it directly from the guide. This section provides instructions to . . . • Display the Program Guide • Select a program from the Program Guide ?[...]

12 Search for a Program by Channel, Title, or Theme The Explorer DVR automatically lists programs by channel number , but you can change this and list programs by title or theme. 1. Press Guide . The Program Guide appears and lists the next 7 days of programs. 2. Press Browse By A . The Browse By area of the Program Guide displays the options T itl[...]

13 Search for a Program by Date 1. Press Guide . The Program Guide appears and lists the next 7 days of programs. 2. Press Date B . The Browse By area of the Program Guide displays the next 7 dates. 3. Press Move Up or Move Down to highlight a date. 4. Press Select . The Program Guide displays the programs that will be broadcast on that date. Find [...]

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15 Control Live TV and Recordings With the Explorer DVR, you control how you watch a program because, in many ways, you can treat live programs like they are recordings. The Explorer DVR lets you control how you watch a program in all of the following ways: • Pause a live program or a recording • Replay the last 8 seconds of a live program or a[...]

16 Use Instant Replay Press Instant Replay to watch the last 8 seconds of a live program or a recording again. Note: The first time you press Instant Replay , the Explorer DVR replays the last 8 seconds of a live program or a recording. Every additional press jumps back 8 more seconds. Rewind or Fast-Forward a Live Program or Recording Rewind a liv[...]

17 To Press Result Fast-forward Action speeds up and the Status Bar appears in the Fast-forward position at the bottom of the screen. The pointer on the Status Bar moves to the right as you fast-forward the program. Speed up: Press Fast-forward one or two more times to incrementally increase the speed. Press it again and the program resumes playing[...]

18 Use Slow Motion 1. While watching live TV or while playing a recording at normal speed, press Play once. The action slows. 2. T o resume play in normal speed, press Play again. W atch Action Frame by Frame Analyze sports events and other programs by watching the action frame by frame. When you watch frame by frame, you fast-forward or reverse th[...]

19 Wa tch T wo Programs At Once W atch a soccer game and a basketball game at the same time by using the PIP feature. The Explorer DVR gives you the ability to use PIP even if your TV doesn’t have PIP . This section provides instructions to . . . •T urn the PIP feature on and of f • Change the channel of the PIP screen • Move the location o[...]

20 Change the Channel of the PIP Screen 1. If the PIP feature is not on, turn it on. (See the previous page, “T urn PIP On and Of f,” for details.) 2. Press PIP Channel Up or PIP Channel Down to change the PIP channel. Note: Y ou must press the PIP channel keys to change the channel of the PIP screen. Pressing the main Channel Up or Channel Dow[...]

21 Swap the Main Screen and the PIP Screen To move the full-screen program shown in the main TV screen to the PIP screen, press Swap . Recordings and the PIP Screen If you are . . . And you . . . Recording the program T urn off the PIP feature, the program continues in the PIP screen to be recorded. Recording the program Have the PIP feature on, th[...]

22 The PIP Screen and the Quarter Screen The PIP screen and the Quarter screen look alike, but they are dif ferent. The Quarter screen is actually the main TV screen, but it has been reduced, as shown here, to fit within Explorer screens such as the Recorded Program Options screen. To control the program in the Quarter screen, use the main keys on [...]

23 Record and Play Back Programs Record programs and watch them whenever you want by referring to the topics in this section: • Record a program that you are watching live • Record a single program or all episodes of a future program • Record two programs at once • Record a pay-per-view event • Display a list of your recorded programs •[...]

24 Record a Program That Y ou Are Watching Live To record a program that you are watching live, make sure that you tune to the channel when the program begins. This ensures that you record the entire program from its beginning. Otherwise, you’ll record only part of the program. Before recording the program, decide how long you want to save it, an[...]

25 Recording Without the Default Save T ime Setting If you want to record a program that you are watching and save it for a length of time other than your default Save T ime setting, follow these steps. 1. Press Record . The Confirm Recording screen appears. 2. Press Options A . The Edit Recording screen appears. 3. Press Move Left once. The “Sav[...]

26 Record a Single Program or All Episodes of a Future Program To record programs when you are away or to schedule future recordings, start the recording from the Program Guide. 1. If the Program Guide is not shown, press Guide . The guide appears with the program you are tuned to highlighted. 2. Press the directional keys ( ) to move through the l[...]

27 Important: Whenever you set up the Explorer DVR to record all episodes of a program, it records indefinitely until you cancel the recordings or run out of storage space. For details on making the most of your storage space, see “Maximize Y our Storage Space” on page 38. To Record Press Result All episodes A The Edit Recording screen appears.[...]

28 Stop Recording Cancel Channel Change Notice You are now recording "The Jungle Book" Press to change to the other recording Y ou can always press List to access your recordings. Record and Play Back Programs Record T wo Programs at Once The E xplorer DVR gives you dif ferent ways to record two programs at once: •S chedule two programs[...]

29 Display a List of Y our Recorded Programs To display a list of your recorded programs, press List . To exit from the Recorded List screen and display full-screen TV , press List again or press Exit . Recorded List Screen Play Back a Recording Play back your recordings whenever you want. Y ou can even record one or two programs live while you pla[...]

30 Display a List of Programs Y ou Have Scheduled T o Be Recorded in the Future 1. If the Recorded List screen is not displayed, press List . The Recorded List screen appears. 2. Press Scheduled Recordings A . The Scheduled Recordings screen appears with a list of all the programs you have scheduled to record. Scheduled Recordings Screen Cancel a S[...]

31 Cancel a Recording That Is in Progress Y ou can stop a recording in progress at any time. When you stop a recording, you can save what has been recorded or erase the entire recording. 1. If you are not watching the recording, tune to the channel that is being recorded. 2. Press Stop . The Stop Recording screen appears. 3. Press Move Up or Move D[...]

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33 Manage Programs and Recordings Y ou can manage programs and recordings in the following ways: • Keep others from watching a program or recording by using the Parental Control and Block features • Maximize your storage space • Copy recordings to a VCR tape • Change the default Save T ime for future recordings • Change the Save T ime of [...]

34 Manage Programs and Recordings 3. Press Select . A PIN Entry screen appears. 4. Press the number keys to enter your 4-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). A menu for the option you selected in step 2 appears. 5. Press Move Up or Move Down to highlight the channel, rating, or date you want to block. Or , if your cable service provider allo[...]

35 Removing Blocking From Programs To remove blocking from programming, follow the same steps in the previous procedure, “Selecting Programs T o Be Blocked.” The process you follow to remove blocking is essentially the same as the process for selecting programs to be blocked. When you remove blocking from programs, the Closed Lock symbol is rem[...]

36 Block Recordings With Parental Control Y ou can keep others from watching a recording by using the Block feature. When using this feature, keep in mind that you can block only recordings that you are not watching. This feature is useful if children also use the Explorer DVR and you do not want them to watch certain recordings. Note: To block a p[...]

37 Playing Back Blocked Recordings Y ou can watch a blocked program using either of the two methods described here. (For details on how to use the Parental Control feature to block programs and recordings, see “T urning Parental Control On and Off” on page 35.) W ant to maximize your storage space? Erase or copy recordings to a VCR tape after w[...]

38 Maximize Y our Storage Space The Explorer DVR can save from 30 to 50 hours of recordings, depending on the programming source; it is not intended as a long-term storage device. T o make the most efficient use of your storage space, follow these guidelines: • Set your default Save T ime setting to 14 days or less. Setting it to “until erased?[...]

39 Change the Default Save Time Setting for Future Recordings When the Explorer DVR leaves the factory , its default Save T ime setting is set at 14 days. Using this setting, the Explorer DVR automatically saves each recording for 14 days. At the end of 14 days, the Explorer DVR erases the recording to make space for other programs you want to reco[...]

40 Change the Save Time of a Recording Y ou Have Saved After recording a program, you can change how long the Explorer DVR will save the recording. 1. If the Recorded List screen is not displayed, press List . The Recorded List screen appears. 2. Press Move Up or Move Down to highlight the recording whose Save T ime you want to change. 3. Press Sel[...]

41 Adjust the Picture Display for HDTVs Adjust the Picture Display for HDTVs Y ou can watch high-definition (HD) programs if you have an HDTV that is connected to the 8000HD. When watching programs on an HDTV , keep in mind that currently , broadcasters are offering HD programs from only their parent station, such as CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, WB, UPN, or[...]

42 Adjust the Picture Display for HDTVs Adjust Pictures on a Wide-Screen HDTV HD-formatted programs have a wide format, similar to the format used in movies. If your HDTV has a wide screen, it’s perfectly suited to show HD programs. However , non-HD programs do not use a wide format and are unable to fill the wide screen. For this reason, the 800[...]

43 Adjust the Picture Display for HDTVs Change the Picture Format Because the picture quality of a program is affected by many factors, such as how the program was originally recorded and the method used to broadcast the program, you may find that displaying certain programs in a specific picture format provides the picture quality you prefer . Not[...]

44 Adjust the Picture Display for HDTVs Change the Darkness of Bars Used in Picture Displays As illustrated on page 5, the 8000HD automatically adds bars to certain types of program formats to improve the picture’s display . If you decide to use these automatic settings to watch programs, you can change the darkness of the bars from Light (the de[...]

45 Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions If you have questions or encounter difficulties controlling live TV , recording programs, playing recordings, or displaying the PIP screen, this section may provide the information you need. If not, see page 51, “Get More Information or Assistance.” Questions About the Explorer DVR What happens if t[...]

46 Can I pause, rewind, or fast-forward a program shown in the upper right corner of Explorer screens? Y es. The small screen shown in the upper right corner of Explorer screens (the Quarter screen ) is actually the main TV screen. It is reduced to fit within Explorer screens. Keys such as pause, play , rewind, and fast-forward control the main TV [...]

47 Can I record two programs at the same time and watch a live program on another channel? No. If you are recording two programs and try tuning to another channel, the Explorer DVR displays the message shown here. But you can watch either of the two channels you are recording or you can play back a recording and watch it. If, while recording two pr[...]

48 Can I record video-on-demand (VOD) programs? No. Why did the Explorer DVR record only part of a program? If the beginning of the program is missing, you may have started recording the program after it began. For an explanation of how the Explorer DVR records live TV , see page 2. If the end of the program is missing, the Explorer DVR may have re[...]

49 Questions About W atching, Recording, and Playing Back HD Programs Are local TV stations broadcasting in HDTV? Many local TV stations are transmitting digital signals. However , transmitting a digital signal does not mean transmitting an HDTV signal. Most stations, how- ever , once they begin broadcasting in digital are of fering HD programs fro[...]

50 Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions I have a wide-screen HDTV and am tuned to a channel that is listed as an HD channel, but the picture is not displayed in a wide-screen format. What’ s wrong? The program may not be an HD program. Not all stations broadcast HD programs. Because non-HD programs do not use a wide format, the picture does[...]

51 Get More Information or Assistance This guide is designed to help you become familiar with the tasks you use most often when controlling live programs or recordings, recording programs, playing recordings, and displaying the PIP . It does not provide comprehensive information about the Explorer DVR. For example, you won’t find instructions on [...]

52 0003B4287797 SABDQXTL N0006246618 Sample Serial Number Get More Information or Assistance To Join the Explorer eClub To join the Explorer eClub, you need the serial number of your Explorer DVR and your email address. To find the serial number , look on the back of the Explorer DVR for a label that is similar to the following example. The serial [...]

53 Index B Blocking programs, methods of, 33 Blocking recordings, 36 Browse By feature, 12 Buffer , explanation of, 2 Buttons. See Remote control keys C Cable mode, 3 Canceling recordings in progress, 31 scheduled recordings, 30 Changing channel of PIP screen, 20 channels from Program Guide, 1 1 Save T ime of a recording, 39, 40 Channel banner , di[...]

54 H HDTV display , 42 storage, 26 format, 6, 7 High-definition programs. See HDTV I Information area on Explorer screens, inside of back cover Installation, instructions for , 45 Instant replay , 16 K Keys. See Remote control keys L List key , 29, 30 List of recordings, displaying, 29 Live TV , 2, 18 Lock symbols Closed Lock, 35, 36 Open Lock, 35 [...]

55 Playing and recording simultaneously , 47 blocked recordings, 37 recordings, 29 Power indicator , 10 loss, 45 Program Guide Browse By feature, 12 displaying, 1 1 searching for programs, 12, 13 selecting a program, 1 1 Programs blocking with Parental Control, 33 fast-forwarding, 16 pausing, 15 recording, 24, 26, 28 removing blocking from, 35 rewi[...]

56 Recordings copying to VCR tape, 38 displaying list of, 29 erasing, 40, 49 in progress, canceling, 31 pausing, 15 playing, 29 playing when blocked, 37 recovering erased, 46 rewinding, 16 saving, 24 scheduled, 26 watching, 29 Record light, 25 Recovering erased recording, 46 Remote control All keys, inside of foldout placing in Cable mode, 3 prepar[...]

57 Index S Save Latest options, 27 Save T ime setting, changing, 39 Saving recordings, 10 storage space, 23 methods of, 23 permanently . See Copying recordings to VCR tape Scheduled recordings canceling, 30 displaying list of, 30 Serial number , locating, 52 Slow motion, 18 Speed indicator on Status Bar , 17 Status Bar , 15-17 Storage space allotme[...]

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Press to record this program or press for more recording options. "The Jungle Book" USA (Ch 67) Record: 1 Episode Save: 1 Day Options/Play Scheduled Recordings Preferences Recorded List Recorded Programs Date Time Length PGA Golf The Jungle Book Dr. Phil Sun 6/15 Wed 6/18 Fri 6/13 2:30pm 7:00pm 3:10pm 1hr 30min 2hr 0min 50min The Informat[...]

Never miss your favorite programs Record and save your favorite TV programs to watch later . Record a single episode or all episodes of your favorite programs. When two programs are on at the same time, record one program and watch the other , or record both and watch them later . Y ou can even record two programs and play back a third. If you have[...]

AllT ouch ® AT 8400 Remote Control Use the main keys to control the program shown in the main TV screen or quarter screen and to make selections in Explorer screens like the Program Guide and the Recorded List screen. Use the dedicated Picture-in-Picture keys (shown in blue) to control the Picture-in- Picture feature. Important: To use the feature[...]

© 2003 by Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. AllT ouch, Explorer , Scientific-Atlanta and the Scientific-Atlanta logo are registered trademarks of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc., 8000, and 8000HD are trademarks of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. All other trademarks shown are trademarks of their respective owners. Product and service availability su[...]