Explorer EXPLORER EXPLORER 8000TM manual

Explorer ® Digit al V ideo Recorder User ’ s Guide Get More Out of Y our TV… W atch • Y our favorite shows anytime you want...on your schedule • T wo programs (live or pre-recorded) at once with the PIP feature Record • T wo live programs at the same time • All future episodes of your favorite programs by performing a simple, one-time [...]

iii Content s Explore Y our Entert ainment Options ..................................... 1 T ake Control of Live Programs .................................................................................... 2 Get St arted ................................................................................ 3 Connect the Explorer DVR to Y our TV ........[...]

iv Contents Manage Programs and Recordings ........................................ 32 Block Programs With Parent al Control ....................................................................... 32 Block Recordings With Parent al Control .................................................................... 35 Control the Viewing of Programs and Re[...]

1 Explore Y our Entertainment Options Explore Y our Entert ainment Options With the Explorer ® Digital V ideo Recorder (DVR), you can explore TV in a way never possible before: • Record your favorite programs when you’re busy • Create your own personal video library by recording and storing your favorite programs • W atch your recordings a[...]

2 T ake Control of Live Programs Anytime you tune to a live program, the DVR begins buffering the program — that is, making a temporary recording of it — so you can: • Pause the live program for up to one hour • Rewind the program up to the point when you tuned to the channel • Fast-forward through the portion you have rewound • Instant[...]

3 Get St arted Getting started is easy . After unp acking your DVR equipment, follow these steps to set up your DVR. 1. Determine the types of connections you need to make, based on your TV type (HDTV or SDTV) and home theater connection requirements. 2. Connect the DVR to your TV based on the connection information described in “Connect the Expl[...]

4 Get S tarted Connect the Explorer DVR to Y our TV The DVR family supports a number of connection options to support connections to older TVs, SDTVs with composite inputs, and HDTVs with component input s or DVI/HDMI inputs. The following t able describes the available DVR outputs, including when the output should be used. For more information abo[...]

5 Get S tarted Prep are the Remote Control to W ork With Y our TV and DVR Set up the remote control (remote) in two steps. 1. Prepare it to work with the make and model of your TV . (For additional information on preparing the remote to work with your make and model of TV , refer to the guide that is included with your remote.) 2. Place it in Cable[...]

6 Get S tarted Prep are the Explorer HD DVR to Work With Y our TV The Setup Wizard is a program that helps you set up your DVR to provide the best picture quality that your TV supports. Based on the type of TV you have, the Wizard allows you to select all picture formats supported by your SDTV or HDTV . Note: If you are connecting an SD DVR to an S[...]

7 Get S tarted Easy Setup Instructions 1. Press A or B to select the type of TV screen you have. The setup is complete. 2. Press Power to begin watching TV . Notes: • If you pressed A for the standard screen (4:3) TV setting, the TV is set to receive programming in 480i format on non-HD channels and 1080i format on HD channels. • If you pressed[...]

8 Get S tarted Adjust Y our HDTV Picture After using the Setup Wizard, if you feel that your HDTV picture quality needs improvement, you can adjust the HDTV picture display using options within the Quick Settings and General Settings menus. If you do not need to make an adjustment to your picture quality , skip this section and go to “Making the [...]

9 Get S tarted Adjust Y our HD Picture Using General Settings Y ou can adjust how your DVR displays pictures using the Picture Format and TV Borders General Settings menu options. Set Y our Default Picture Format By automating picture adjustments, the DVR uses a method that you choose to automatically select the picture format that provides the bes[...]

10 Get S tarted Upconvert 1 and Upconvert 2 - When possible, the DVR tries to improve the display of a program by upconverting the program. Fixed - All programming is displayed using the picture format you last selected. This setting remains fixed until you select a new picture format from the Quick Settings menu. For details, see the previous page[...]

11 Get S tarted Change the Darkness of Bars Used in Picture Displays The DVR 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 default setting) to Medium or Dark. T o change the dark[...]

12 Get S tarted Make the Most of Y our Entertainment Options After you connect the DVR to your TV , set up the remote, and run the Setup Wizard, you are ready to begin watching and recording programs using your DVR. In the following sections, discover how you can: • Find out when programs are broadcast using the Program Guide • W atch programs [...]