RCA 1998 manual

S A TELLITE RECEIVER USER'S GUIDE[...]

Safety Informa tion W ARNING TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER (OR BACK). NO USER SER VICEABLE P AR TS INSIDE. REFER SERVICING TO QUALIFIED SER VICE PERSONNEL. This symbol indicates “dangerous voltage” inside the product that presents a risk of electric shock or personal injury . This symbol indicates important instructi[...]

T able of C ontents 1 First Things First ................................................... 3 What is the Digital Satellite System? ............................................. 4 What’ s in the Box ............................................................................ 5 Using This Manual ...................................................[...]

T able of C ontents 2 StarSight-Licensed: The manufacture and sale of the television schedule feature of this product was licensed under one or more of the following patents of StarSight T elecast, Inc.; U.S. Patent Nos. 4,706,121; 4,977,455; 5,151,789; 5,335,277: and 5,353,121. Locking the System ...................................................[...]

First Things First 3 Read the First Two Chapters The first two chapters of the manual introduce you to your digital satellite system, and show you how to use the on-scr een guides and menus. In First Things First , you’ll learn: • how to use this manual • how to use the menu system and guides • differ ent ways to connect the receiver to you[...]

First Things First 4 Wha t is the Digit al Sa tellite System? Y ou’ve purchased the digital satellite system, so you already know a lot of the great things it offers. Y ou know that the system uses the latest satellite technology to deliver television programming to your home. And you know that the transmissions are digital, so the quality of the[...]

First Things First 5 Wha t ’ s in the Box The following items come with your digital satellite receiver: • Receiver (with access card inserted) • Remote Control (Remote controls vary by model.) Receiver Remote Control Inst alling Ba tteries In the Remote Control Follow these steps whenever you need to install or change the batteries in your r[...]

First Things First 6 Using This Manu al There are a couple of conventions used in this manual that might help you read it. • W ords that appear in ALL CAPS indicate the name of a button. • The names of on-screen menu options are shown in italics . Import ant Note about This User’ s Manu al This manual assumes that your digital satellite syste[...]

First Things First 7 The Point and Select Meth od Point and Select is the two-step method you use to navigate through the menu system and program guides. Once you know how to point and select, you can explore the menus to learn more about how your digital satellite system works. 1. Point Y ou point by pressing the arrow keys on the remote or front [...]

First Things First 8 Connecting Y our Receiver to Y our TV During the satellite dish antenna installation, the receiver may have been connected to your TV with just a coaxial cable for the system test. Depending on what components you have, another connection may provide better picture and audio quality . The following sections provide cable and co[...]

First Things First 9 Jacks and Cables S-Video Jack and Cable The S-Video jack provides the best picture quality for your system. This jack is available on many TVs and is used in conjunction with audio cables to connect the receiver to your TV . Remember also to connect the left and right audio cables because the S-Video jack carries only the pictu[...]

First Things First 10 Connecti on A Best Picture and Sound Qu alit y T o use this connection you must have: • TV with separate RF , audio/video, and S-Video inputs (jacks) • VCR with RF and audio/video inputs • Coaxial, audio/video, and S-Video cables T o connect TV , VCR and antenna or cable box: 1. Connect coaxial cables as shown. 2. Connec[...]

First Things First 11 Connecti on B Very Goo d Picture and Sound Qu alit y T o use this connection you must have: • TV with separate RF and audio/video inputs (jacks) • VCR with RF and audio/video inputs • Coaxial and audio/video cables T o connect TV , VCR and antenna or cable box: 1. Connect coaxial cables as shown. 2. Connect audio/video c[...]

First Things First 12 Connecti on C Good Picture and Sound Qu alit y T o use this connection you must have: • TV with RF input (jack) • VCR with RF and audio/video inputs • Coaxial and audio/video cables T o connect TV , VCR, and antenna or cable box: 1. Connect coaxial cables and audio/video cables as shown. T o receive satellite pr ogrammin[...]

First Things First 13 Connecti on D Good Picture and Sound Qu alit y T o use this connection you must have: • TV with RF input • Coaxial cables T o connect TV and antenna or cable box: 1. Connect coaxial cables as shown. T o receive satellite pr ogramming: • T une TV to channel 3 or 4 (depending on how you set the CH3/CH4 switch on the back o[...]

First Things First 14 Interactive Setup If you self-installed your satellite dish antenna, you may have already used the interactive setup to find the dish pointing coordinates, acquire and fine-tune the signal, and run a system test. If you need to run the interactive setup again, select Options from the Main menu, then select Interactive Setup . [...]

Program Guides 15 ➣ First Things First Wha t is a Program Guide? A program guide is an on-scr een programming schedule. There ar e several types of guides, each presenting the schedule in a dif ferent format. Using the program guide is easy as long as you remember the Point and Select rule. Point to items on the screen by pr essing the arrow keys[...]

Program Guides 16 Ana tom y of a Program Guide The following diagram shows you the kind of information you will see in the program guides. Bringing Up the Program Guides Y ou can access the program guides by pressing MENU•SELECT on the remote and selecting Program Guide , or by using the GUIDE button on the remote. “Family” is one of five sel[...]

Program Guides 17 Ana tom y of The Channel Banner Some of the items you select in the guides can also be selected in the channel banner . The channel banner appears whenever you tune to a channel, exit a guide, or press INFO on the remote. Use the arrow buttons and MENU•SELECT to choose an item. On-screen icons represent frequently used menu item[...]

Program Guides 18 Using the GUIDE Button Each press of the GUIDE button takes you to an alternate type of program guide. The Detail Guide The Detail Guide shows five channels in a time-and-channel format, with program information for the highlighted program. The Grid Guide The Grid Guide shows seven channels in a time-and-channel format. The SurfGu[...]

Program Guides 19 Tuning to a Program T o tune directly to a current program listed in the guide, point to the program and press MENU•SELECT . T o see information about a program in the guide, press INFO. The Program Details screen appears and gives you several options. Then, you can select: • View Channel to tune to that channel • Channel Gu[...]

Program Guides 20 The Channel Guide Displays a channel’ s programming schedule in a channel-by- channel format. The Logo Guide Displays channel logos for the current user’ s profile. The Attractions Guide Displays a list of channels that show coming attractions and special events information. Exiting A Pr ogram Guide There ar e thr ee ways to e[...]

Program Guides 21 Sorting the Guides Sorting the guide is a way of organizing the guide to show only the types of programs that interest you. There are several on- screen buttons that sort the guide in dif ferent ways. The Sorting buttons appear at the bottom of the Grid Guide and Detail Guide. T opics The T opics button sorts the guide according t[...]

Program Guides 22 Movies Select the Movies button to list movies only . After selecting Movies , the Movies button changes to a Movies Themes button. Select the Movies Themes button to sort the guide to list specific types of movies, such as comedies or musicals. Select a Movies Themes that interests you. Sports Select the Sports button to list spo[...]

Program Guides 23 AlphaSort AlphaSort lists in alphabetical order all the program titles in the current guide. Select the AlphaSort button to search for specific program titles that are in the current program guide. Use the arrow button to highlight a character , then press MENU•SELECT . For example, to search for the program, Auto Racing, the fi[...]

Program Guides 24 Scout The Scout button lets you assign “Scouts” to search the guide for very specific program information, such as actor’ s names or program descriptions. Select the Scout button to view the available scouts. Point to an available Scout , and select it. Select the Enter T ext button to set up the information the Scout will l[...]

Program Guides 25 Other Guides The Other Guides button lets you sort the guide by different variables, such as future times, user profile channel lists, and channel groups. Y ou can then choose a guide format to view the program information. Select the Other Guides button. Y ou can select multiple sort parameters. For example, you could sort the gu[...]

Program Guides 26 The other buttons Exit Exits the guide and returns you to normal viewing on the current channel. Press MENU•SELECT to continue. Help Brings up additional information about the guide. Press MENU•SELECT to continue. Down Arrow The arrow button allows you to scroll down through other channels in the guide. Point to the down arrow[...]

The Menu S ystem 27 ➣ First Things First Wha t ’ s a Menu? The satellite system menu is a list of choices, just like a menu in a restaurant. And, just as a restaurant menu is divided into sections such as appetizers, entrees, and desserts, the on-scr een menus are also separated into sections to help you find the information you need. Don’ t [...]

The Menu S ystem 28 Using the Menu S ystem T o bring up the Main menu, press MENU•SELECT on the remote. Use point and select to choose an item from the Main menu. T o use the menu system, you need to know the Point and Select rule. Use the arrows on the remote to point to an item on the screen, and then press MENU•SELECT to select it. Exit and [...]

The Menu S ystem 29 Menu Descriptions This section briefly describes each of the available Main menu options. More information about each menu and its features is included later in this chapter . Program Guide Shows the on-screen programming schedules. Mailbox Use to read mail messages from your program providers. Pur chases Use to review or cancel[...]

The Menu S ystem 30 “Family” is one of five selectable Profiles Program titles and information Returns you to previous screen Help gives you more information Sort the guide by: T opics, Movies, or Sports Sorts the current guide alphabetically by title Searches guide for specific information Displays more sorting options T akes you to the Main m[...]

The Menu S ystem 31 The Mailbo x The mailbox shows you messages that are sent—or “mailed”— from your program providers. For example, you may receive a message calling your attention to a new service. How to tell when y ou ha ve mail There are two ways to tell if you have mail, depending on whether the receiver is turned on or of f. • If t[...]

The Menu S ystem 32 P a y -Per-View Programs Pay-per-view programs (PPV) are pr ograms that you purchase— like a movie ticket—on an event-by-event basis. For instance, there might be a specific channel that runs nothing but previews for movies. After previewing the movie, you can purchase it or find out more details about it. PPV programs can a[...]

The Menu S ystem 33 Using the Program Guide for PPV Programs When you use the program guide to select a PPV program, the Program Details screen gives you a few more options. The Program Details screen gives you several options. Y ou can select: • View Channel to tune to that channel • Channel Guide to see a program lineup for that channel • B[...]

The Menu S ystem 34 Using the A ttractions Guide Y our program providers may of fer future programming events not currently listed in your Program guide. These events are called “coming attractions,” and can be previewed in the Attractions Guide. 1. Press the GUIDE button until the Detail Guide or Grid Guide appears on-screen. 2. Use the down a[...]

The Menu S ystem 35 Using the Purcha ses Menu The Purchases menu allows you to review upcoming and past purchases. The Purchases menu shows you upcoming or past purchases, and spending limits. The list of purchases may be longer than one screen; use the down arrow keys to see more items. The display also shows the title, channel, date, time, and co[...]

The Menu S ystem 36 On-screen icons ar e an easy way to understand the timers. indicates the timer is set. indicates the timer is set for a PPV . indicates a timer conflict. Editing or Canceling a Timer Fr om the Timers screen, select the Timer you want to edit or cancel, and then do the following: • Use the arr ows keys to edit the Timer , then [...]

The Menu S ystem 37 Profiles When you select Profiles from the Main menu, the first screen you see is the User Profiles control panel. In addition to the Family profile, you can create as many as four dif ferent profiles that can be easily accessed by using the WHO•INPUT button on the remote control. Y ou can personalize how the profile looks on-[...]

The Menu S ystem 38 Add or Delete All Channels Y ou might be able to save time when creating a channel list by using the Add All Chans option or the Delete All Chans option to either add all channels or delete all channels before removing or adding individual channels. Also, program providers may make additional channels available. T o prevent new [...]

The Menu S ystem 39 Viewing Hours Use the Viewing Hours option to limit the total amount of time, as well as the viewing hours a user can watch programming. 1. Point to Viewing Hours , and press MENU•SELECT . Y ou can limit viewing seven days a week. 2. Use the digits on the remote or point to the + or – and press MENU•SELECT to complete the [...]

The Menu S ystem 40 Locking a User’ s Profile Each user can be assigned a personal password to lock his or her profile. When a password is assigned, the user must enter the password before he or she can view programs using that profile. Profile passwords do no allow access to, or editing of the profile limits. Y ou must enter the system password [...]

The Menu S ystem 41 Unlocking the System When the system is unlocked, the channel, spending, viewing, and ratings limits, that you have set are no longer in ef fect. 1. Point to Unlock System and press MENU•SELECT . 2. Point to Y es and press MENU•SELECT to confirm that you want to unlock the system. Session Unlock If your system is locked and [...]

The Menu S ystem 42 Options The Options menu lets you set up preferences for the look and feel of the system as well as how some of the features work. The Options menu lets you change how the system works. The following sections explain your options when changing your personal preferences. Follow the on-screen instructions to make changes to the sy[...]

The Menu S ystem 43 Front Panel shows an on-screen display of the receiver front panel. Point to the different front panel featur es to see a brief description of the highlighted feature. Back Panel shows an on-screen display of the receiver back panel. Point to the different back panel features to see a brief description of the highlighted feature[...]

The Menu S ystem 44 New Access Card Periodically , your program provider may issue you a replacement access card. The New Access Card Setup display screen allows you to transfer the information from the old card onto the new one. Follow the display screen prompts to initialize your new card. Once you have transferred the information to the new card[...]

The Menu S ystem 45 The Dish Pointing Menu Screen Follow these steps to obtain your dish pointing coordinates: 1. T urn on your television and satellite receiver . 2. T une your television to the satellite receiver’ s output channel. 3. Press MENU•SELECT on the remote or front panel to bring up the Main menu. 4. Use the arrows to highlight the [...]

The Menu S ystem 46 Using the On-Screen Signal Meter The signal strength meter is used to determine whether or not you are receiving the satellite signal, and it also indicates the strength of the satellite signal. Follow these steps to bring up the on-screen signal meter: 1. T urn on your television and satellite receiver . 2. T une your televisio[...]

The Menu S ystem 47 Home Contro l Home Control lets you remotely control several lamps and appliances through your receiver . Home Control setup The Home Control Data Interface connects to the LOW SPEED DA T A port on the back of the receiver . Once connected, you must tell the receiver to use this port for Home Control. 1. Press MENU•SELECT to b[...]

The Menu S ystem 48 4. Use the arrow buttons and MENU•SELECT to select the house and module codes that match the device’ s remote module and label the module. Select Save Setup to complete the setup. Device Control Once the device is set up, there are two ways to control it; with the menu system, or with a timer . Select a device from the Home [...]

Reference 49 How It All Works Although the digital satellite system is simple to use, there ar e a number of parts in the system. Don’t be over whelmed. This section explains how these differ ent parts work together to bring a picture to your scr een. Wha t ’ s It For? This section also describes the controls located on the front and back of th[...]

Reference 50 Home View These parts are inside of or attached to your house. Satellite Dish Antenna Picks up the satellite’ s coded program information and relays it to your receiver . (Y our satellite dish may be installed in dif ferent locations on or around your house. The satellite dish antenna must, however , be pointed in a southern directio[...]

Reference 51 Front P anel Controls ON/OFF T urns the receiver’ s power on or off. INFO Brings up the on-screen channel banner . ANTENNA Switches the source of the video signal from satellite signals to an of f-air antenna or cable signal. ARROWS Press the navigation arrows to move the on-screen highlight up, down, left, or right. Using the arrows[...]

Reference 52 Remote Contro l Buttons ON•OFF T urns the device you are controlling on or off. TV T ells the remote to control the TV . SA T T urns on the receiver and tells the remote to control system functions. GUIDE Brings up the on-screen program guide. Press the GUIDE button several times to toggle through the dif ferent types of guides. MENU[...]

Reference 53 Programming the Remote Contro l The remote can be programmed to control most brands of remote controllable TVs. The remote is programmed to control most RCA, GE and ProScan TVs. The remote needs to be programmed to control other manufacturers’ brands. Programming the Remote to C ontrol Y our T V T o determine whether your remote need[...]

Reference 54 Troubleshooting The System T est allows you to run a basic diagnostics check on your digital satellite system. If you are experiencing any trouble with your system, bring up the Main menu, select Options , then System Options and run the system test. Make sure that • All connections—jacks, cables, etc. are correctly in place. See t[...]

55 Appendix A: W arrant y Informa tion Repair Help Thomson Consumer Electronics offers hardware repair service should you encounter any problems with your digital satellite system. Many problems can be diagnosed over the phone, or if necessary , a replacement unit can be shipped to you. Please have your digital satellite system model, serial number[...]

56 Appendix A: W arranty Informa tion RCA DIGIT AL SA TELLITE SYSTEM LIMITED W ARRANT Y What your warranty covers: • Any defect in materials or workmanship. For how long after your pur chase: • 90 days - Unit exchange, which includes parts and labor . • 91 days to 1 year - Unit exchange, which includes parts only; you pay the labor . • The [...]

57 Appendix A: W arrant y Info rma tion T o r eceive a replacement r eceiver after we have r eceived your unit: • Write the RA number on the outside of the carton used to return the unit. Make sure you insure your shipment in case of damage or loss. • Carefully pack the unit using the original box and packing material if possible. Please retain[...]

58 - Appendix B: FC C Regula tions FCC Registration Information Y our digital satellite system equipment is registered with the Federal Communications Commission and is in compliance with parts 15B and 68, FCC Rules and Regulations. 1. Notification to the Local T elephone Company . On the bottom of this equipment is a label indicating among other i[...]

59 RG-6 Coaxial Cable 12 feet D912 $12.95 25 feet D925 $15.95 50 feet D950 $21.95 75 feet D975 $29.95 100 feet D901 $35.95 S-V ideo Cable 12 feet D913 $12.95 W eatherproof “F” Connector (2) D905 $ 5.30 TVRO Bullet Amplifier D903 $24.95 Self-Installer’s Kit DKIT96 $69.95 Remote Control 232579 $40.45 Home Control Kit HCDSS10 $59.95 Lamp Module [...]

60 Appendix C: Ac cessories ® r r s TM Charge your order on your VISA, MasterCard, or Discover Card by filling in below USE YOUR CREDIT CARD IMPORTANT: Copy complete account number from your VISA card IMPORTANT: Copy complete account number from your MasterCard My card expires: My card expires: Copy Number above your name on MasterCard AUTHORIZED [...]

61 Index A Access card 50 number 14 Accessories 59 All button 22 AlphaSort button 23 Alternative data 44 Attractions Guide 20 ,3 4 Audio Language 44 B Batteries installing in the remote 5 Buttons 52 C Cancelling purchases 35 Channel banner anatomy 17 icons 17 Channel Guide 20 Channel lists 37 add channels 38 delete channels 38 Connections 8 audio/v[...]

If your satellite system needs service, please contact your dealer or the nearest Servicenter from the yellow pages. Please do not send any products to the Indianapolis address listed in this manual or on the carton. This will only add delays in service for your product. 10330 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, IN 46290 ©1998 Thomson Consumer Ele[...]