Scientific Atlanta Explorer User Manual
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Scientific Atlanta Explorer User Manual

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Explorer

Digital Video Recorder

User's Guide
Get More Out of Your TV...
Watch
Record
Watch & Record
Play Back
Recordings on
Other TVs
®
• Your favorite shows anytime you want...on your schedule
• Two programs (live or pre-recorded) at once with the PIP feature
• Two live programs at the same time
• All future episodes of your favorite programs by performing
a simple, one-time setup
• Watch one program while recording another
• Watch two programs at once (using the PIP feature)
and record one of them
• Watch two programs and record both of them
• Watch a pre-recorded program while recording
one or two other programs
• Use the Multi-Room
recordings on up to 4 TVs at the same time
• Use parental controls to block play back of recordings in
any room
*The MR-DVR feature is only available on the 8300 MR-DVR models.
®
DVR* (MR-DVR) system to play back

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Summary of Contents for Scientific Atlanta Explorer

  • Page 1: Digital Video Recorder

    ® Explorer Digital Video Recorder User’s Guide Get More Out of Your TV… Watch • Your favorite shows anytime you want...on your schedule • Two programs (live or pre-recorded) at once with the PIP feature Record • Two live programs at the same time •...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Connect the Explorer DVR to Your TV ................ 4 Prepare the Remote Control to Work With Your TV and DVR ........5 Prepare the Explorer HD DVR To Work With Your TV ..........6 Adjust Your HDTV Picture ................... 8 Adjust Your Picture Format Using Quick Settings ............
  • Page 3 Questions About the MR-DVR Client Set-Top ............51 Questions About Watching, Recording, and Playing Back HD Programs ....51 Get More Information or Assistance ........53 Frequently Asked Questions ..................53 Online Documentation or the Explorer eClub ............. 53 Customer Support ....................... 53 Index ..................54 Quick Tips ............

  • Page 4: Explore Your Entertainment Options

    • Use instant replay anytime you want on live TV or while playing back a recording • Share recordings with other Scientific-Atlanta digital set-tops in your MR-DVR system This guide describes how to use the following Explorer DVRs • For standard-definition TVs (SDTVs): Explorer 8000 ™ , Explorer 8240 ™...

  • Page 5: Take Control Of Live Programs

    Explore Your Entertainment Options Take 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 •...

  • Page 6: Get Started

    Prepare the remote control as described in “Prepare the Remote Control to Work With Your TV and DVR” on page 5. Configure the picture display for your TV using the Setup Wizard. See “Prepare the Explorer DVR to Work With Your TV” on page 6.

  • Page 7: Connect The Explorer Dvr To Your Tv

    • Connecting the Explorer ® 8300HD ™ Digital Video Recorder, part number 4003986 • Explorer 8000 Home Entertainment Server User’s Installation Guide, part number 4002771 • Explorer 8000HD Home Entertainment Server User’s Guide, part number 4001025 Output Type Description Some HDTVs have an High-Definition Multimedia HDMI ™...

  • Page 8: Prepare The Remote Control To Work With Your Tv And Dvr

    Get Started Important Note Regarding the HDMI Interface on the 8300HD DVR The HDMI interface will automatically configure the audio output for a format supported by the television. Because not all TVs support a Dolby Digital input, the HDMI interface will automatically select a 2-channel stereo audio configura- tion instead of Dolby Digital.

  • Page 9: Prepare The Explorer Hd Dvr To Work With Your Tv

    “Make the Most of Your Entertainment Options” on page 12. For more information about how programs are formatted and displayed on an HDTV, refer to the Explorer HDTV Setup Wizard User’s Guide, part number 4003114. Important: Any time that you change connections to use the component (PrPbY) ports, you must run the Setup Wizard again to make sure your TV is receiving its supported picture formats.

  • Page 10: Easy Setup Instructions

    Get Started Easy Setup Instructions Press to select the type of TV Standard or Widescreen screen you have. The setup is complete. Press Power to begin watching TV. Press if your TV has a standard screen (4:3) Notes: Press if your TV has a widescreen (16:9) •...

  • Page 11: Adjust Your Hdtv Picture

    Get Started Adjust Your 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 Most of Your Entertainment Options”...

  • Page 12: Adjust Your Hd Picture Using General Settings

    Get Started Adjust Your HD Picture Using General Settings You can adjust how your DVR displays pictures using the Picture Format and TV Borders General Settings menu options. Set Your Default Picture Format By automating picture adjustments, the DVR uses a method that you choose to automatically select the picture format that provides the best display possible.
  • Page 13 Get Started General Settings: Set Picture Format 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.

  • Page 14: Change The Darkness Of Bars Used In Picture Displays

    Get Started 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.

  • Page 15: Make The Most Of Your Entertainment Options

    Get Started Make the Most of Your 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: •...

  • Page 16: Find Out When Your Favorite Programs Are On

    Find Out When Your Favorite Programs Are On Find Out When Your 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.

  • Page 17: Search For A Program By Channel, Title, Or Theme

    Find Out When Your Favorite Programs Are On Search for a Program by Channel, Title, or Theme The DVR automatically lists programs by channel number, but you can change this and list programs by title or theme. Press Guide . The Program Guide appears and lists the next 7 days of programs.

  • Page 18: Search For A Program By Date

    Find Out When Your Favorite Programs Are On Search for a Program by Date Press Guide . The Program Guide appears and lists the next 7 days of programs. Press Date. The Browse By area of the Program Guide displays the next 7 dates.

  • Page 19: Control Live Tv And Recordings

    Control Live TV and Recordings Control Live TV and Recordings With the DVR, you control how you watch a program because, in many ways, you can treat live programs like they are recordings. The DVR lets you control how you watch a program in all of the following ways: •...

  • Page 20: Use Instant Replay

    Control Live TV and Recordings Use Instant Replay Press Instant Replay to watch the last 8 seconds of a live or recorded program again. Note: The first time you press Instant Replay , the DVR replays the last 8 seconds of a live or recorded program. Every additional press jumps back 8 more seconds.
  • Page 21 Control Live TV and Recordings 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.

  • Page 22: Use Slow Motion

    Control Live TV and Recordings Use Slow Motion While watching live TV or while playing a recording at normal speed, press Play once. The action slows. To resume play in normal speed, press Play again. Watch Action Frame by Frame Analyze sports events and other programs by watching the action frame by frame.

  • Page 23: Watch Two Programs At Once

    Watch Two Programs At Once Watch Two Programs At Once Watch a soccer game and a basketball game at the same time by using the PIP feature. The DVR gives you the ability to use PIP even if your TV doesn’t have PIP.

  • Page 24: Change The Channel Of The Pip Screen

    Watch Two Programs At Once Change the Channel of the PIP Screen If the PIP feature is not on, turn it on. (See the previous page, “Turn PIP On and Off,” for details.) Press PIP Channel Up or PIP Channel Down to change the PIP channel.

  • Page 25: Swap The Main Screen And The Pip Screen

    Watch Two Programs At Once 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 PIP Swap Full-screen program in main TV screen PIP screen Recordings and the PIP Screen If you are .
  • Page 26 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 the remote.

  • Page 27: Record And Play Back Programs

    Record and Play Back Programs Record and Play Back Programs You can use your DVR to record and watch your favorite programs whenever you want. This section provides instructions to: • Record a program that you are watching live • Record a single program or all episodes of a future program •...

  • Page 28: Record A Program That You Are Watching Live

    Record and Play Back Programs Record a Program That You Are Watching Live When you press Record Save Time Setting during a live program, When the DVR leaves the DVR records all of the factory, its default Save Time the program that you have setting is set at 14 days.

  • Page 29: Record A Program From The Program Guide

    Record and Play Back Programs Record a Program From the Program Guide Press Guide Press the arrow keys to select a current or future TV program, and Channel 2 Action News then press Record Tue 5:00-6:00pm (60 min) In the Confirm Recording screen, CHANNEL 5:00pm 5:30pm...

  • Page 30: Record Multiple Episodes Of A Future Program

    Record and Play Back Programs Record Multiple Episodes of a Future Program To record programs when you are away or to record a program that will be shown in the future, start from the Program Guide. If the Program Guide is not shown, press Guide .

  • Page 31: Record Two Programs At Once

    Record and Play Back Programs Record Two Programs at Once The DVR gives you different ways to record two programs at once: • Schedule two programs to record at the same time by following either of the procedures in “Record Multiple Episodes of a Future Program” on page 27. •...

  • Page 32: Display A List Of Your Recorded Programs

    Record and Play Back Programs Display a List of Your 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 Recorded List "The Jungle Book"...

  • Page 33: Display A List Of Programs You Have Scheduled To Be Recorded In The Future

    Record and Play Back Programs Display a List of Programs You Have Scheduled To Be Recorded in the Future If the Recorded List screen is not displayed, press List The Recorded List screen appears. Press Scheduled Recordings. The Scheduled Recordings screen appears with a list of all the programs you have scheduled to record.

  • Page 34: Use Power-Save Mode

    Record and Play Back Programs Forget Which Channel You’re Recording? The DVR gives you three ways to find channels that are currently being recorded: • Turn on the PIP feature and press Info . Both channel banners appear, and the Recording Now symbol is displayed if one or both of the channels is currently recording.

  • Page 35: Manage Programs And Recordings

    Manage Programs and Recordings Manage Programs and Recordings You 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 • Restrict the viewing of programs and recordings in your MR-DVR system •...
  • Page 36 Manage Programs and Recordings Press Move Up or Move Down to select the channel, rating, or date you want to block. Or, if your cable service provider allows, you may select a channel by pressing the numeric keys on your remote. Press Select .
  • Page 37 Manage Programs and Recordings Removing Blocking From Programs To remove blocking from programming, follow the same steps in the previous procedure: “Selecting Programs To Be Blocked on the DVR.” The process you follow to remove blocking is essentially the same as the process for selecting programs to be blocked.

  • Page 38: Block Recordings With Parental Control

    Manage Programs and Recordings Block Recordings With Parental Control You 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 DVR and you do not want them to watch certain recordings.
  • Page 39 Manage Programs and Recordings Playing Back Blocked Recordings You 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 “Turning Parental Control On and Off” on page 34.) PIN Entry When you select “Play [title of program],”...

  • Page 40: Control The Viewing Of Programs And Recordings In Your Mr-Dvr System

    Notes: • The MR-DVR feature is only available on the 8300 MR-DVR models. • The Scientific-Atlanta digital set-tops must be Explorer 2000 Rev 3, or later, standard-definition set-top boxes. This section describes how you can set up your MR-DVR system to restrict, or block the viewing of certain programs and recordings to specific set-tops.
  • Page 41 Manage Programs and Recordings Set Up the Parental Control Feature on MR-DVR Client Set-Tops After you have decided how to restrict viewing for the set-tops in your home, set up a Parental Control PIN for each client set-top. All of the set-tops in your system need a Parental Control PIN in order to view blocked programs.
  • Page 42 Manage Programs and Recordings Setting or Changing the Parental Control PIN Each MR-DVR server and client set-top leaves the factory with a Parental Control PIN of 0000. Follow these instructions to change the factory-set PIN to your own PIN or to change your own PIN at any time in the future. While aiming the remote at the front of a set-top, press Settings twice.

  • Page 43: Find Out How Much Recording Space Has Been Used

    Manage Programs and Recordings Find Out How Much Recording Space Has Been Used The Recording Space Used feature shows both the percentage of space currently used and lists the number of recordings stored. Press List . The Recorded List screen appears. Press to display the Preferences screen.

  • Page 44: Automatically Erase Oldest Recordings

    Manage Programs and Recordings Automatically Erase Oldest Recordings To ensure that there is enough storage space for new recordings, turn on the Auto Erase feature. When Auto Erase is on, oldest recordings are automatically erased one by one until there is enough space to record your new programs. Note: Any recordings that have a save time of “Until I Erase”...

  • Page 45: Copy Recordings From Your Dvr To A Vcr Tape

    Manage Programs and Recordings Copy Recordings From Your DVR to a VCR Tape The Copy to VCR feature lets you copy recordings from your DVR to a VCR tape. Verify that the OUT 2 outputs are connected to your VCR inputs. WARNING: Avoid electric shock.

  • Page 46: Change The Default Save Time Setting For Future Recordings

    Manage Programs and Recordings Change the Default Save Time Setting for Future Recordings When the DVR leaves the factory, its default Save Time setting is set to 14 days. Using this setting, the DVR automatically saves each recording for 14 days. At the end of 14 days, the DVR erases the recording to make space for other programs you want to record.

  • Page 47: Change The Save Time Of A Recording You Have Saved

    Manage Programs and Recordings Change the Save Time of a Recording You Have Saved After recording a program, you can change how long the DVR saves the recording. If the Recorded List screen is not displayed, press List . The Recorded List screen appears. Press Move Up or Move Down to select...

  • Page 48: Recording To A Sata Hard Disk Drive (Optional)

    Notes: • The SATA feature is not fully implemented on all 8300 DVRs at this time. • SATA connectivity is not available on Explorer 8000 DVRs. Important: You cannot choose between recording to the internal DVR hard drive or recording to the SATA drive. If a SATA drive is connected to the DVR, a program is automatically recorded to the hard drive with the most available space.
  • Page 49 Manage Programs and Recordings Troubleshooting the SATA Drive In the event that you encounter problems when connecting or disconnecting your SATA hard disk drive, use the following warning banners to troubleshoot any drive issues. WARNING: Avoid electric shock. Unplug all electronic devices before connecting or disconnecting any device cables to the DVR.

  • Page 50: Find Answers To Frequently Asked Questions

    After disconnecting the DVR from your TV and other components, reconnect it by following the instructions in your DVR installation guide. If you can’t find your copy of this guide, log on to Scientific-Atlanta’s Explorer eClub Web site at www.scientificatlanta.com/explorerclub. It contains documentation on a number of topics, including installation and set up.

  • Page 51: Questions About Watching Two Programs At Once

    Can I pause, rewind, or fast-forward a program shown in the upper right corner of Explorer screens? Yes. The small screen shown in the upper right corner of Explorer screens (the Quarter screen) is actually the main TV screen displayed in a smaller size. It is reduced to fit within Explorer screens.
  • Page 52 Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Can I recover a recording that was erased from the DVR? No. There is no way to recover a recording that has been erased from the Recorded List screen. You can copy programs to a VCR tape or extend the length of time a program is saved, though.
  • Page 53 Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions When the DVR is in Power-Save mode, will the programs that I have scheduled to record still be recorded? Yes. Any scheduled recordings will occur when the DVR is in Power-Save mode. Between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily, your DVR automatically enters Power- Save mode unless you press a key on the remote or a key on the DVR front panel at least once every 2 hours.

  • Page 54: Questions About The Mr-Dvr Client Set-Top

    Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Why did the 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 live TV is recorded, see page 16. If the end of the program is missing, the DVR may have reached its storage capacity, the program may have continued past its scheduled time, or you may have manually stopped the recording.
  • Page 55 For more information about how pictures are formatted and displayed on an HDTV, refer to the Explorer HDTV Setup Wizard User’s Guide, part number 4003114. Burn in or “ghosting” occurs when an image is displayed on a TV for an ex- tended period of time.

  • Page 56: Get More Information Or Assistance

    Explorer eClub. This online club provides news and information about the DVR. Access the Explorer eClub on the Internet at the following Web address: www.scientificatlanta.com/explorerclub To join and access the Explorer eClub, you need to enter the model number of your DVR and your email address. Customer Support If you have questions after looking through the “Find Answers to Frequently...

  • Page 57: Index

    41, 44, 49 number of days to save recording, 43, 44 recovering, 49 Channel banner, displaying, 20 Explorer eClub, about, 53 Channel buffer, See Buffer Explorer screens, information in, inside of back cover Channel Change Notice screen, 28 Channels, selecting to be blocked, 32...
  • Page 58 34 High-definition programs. See HDTV playing blocked recordings, 36 turning on and off, 34, 37 watching blocked recordings, 36 Information area on Explorer screens, inside of back cover Pausing live programs, 16 Installation, instructions for, 47 Instant replay, 17...
  • Page 59 Index Playback Status screen, exiting from, 29 Recorded List screen, displaying, 29 Playing Recording and recording simultaneously, 48 See also Recordings blocked recordings, 36 all episodes of a program, 27 recordings, 29 blocked programs or channels, 49 Power loss, 47 changing channels, 28 Power-Save mode, 31, 50 fast-forwarding, 17...
  • Page 60 Cable mode, 5 Settings, 5, 8, 9, 11, 32, 34, 37 preparing to use with Stop, 30 TV and Explorer DVR, 5 TV, inside of foldout Remote control keys # key, inside of foldout VCR, inside of foldout...
  • Page 61 30 Serial ATA. See SATA drive Watching recordings, 28, 29, 36 Serial number, locating, 53 Web access to more information, Setup Wizard Explorer eClub, 53 advanced setup, 7 Wizard. See Setup Wizard easy setup, 7 starting, 6 zooming, 7...

  • Page 62: Quick Tips

    Explorer Screens This illustration explains the format of a typical Explorer screen, showing where to look for key information and how selections are presented. Although each screen contains information and options that are specific to a particular task, most of the screens are very similar to the example screen shown here.
  • Page 63 See all of your favorite programs When you’re watching a favorite program and the phone rings, the Explorer DVR lets you pause the program and rewind it to play the part you missed. You can also fast- forward through portions you don’t want to watch.

  • Page 64: Alltouch Remote Control

    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 to control the Picture-in-Picture feature.
  • Page 65 TV. © 2005 by Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. All rights reserved. AllTouch, Explorer, Scientific-Atlanta and the Scientific-Atlanta logo are registered trademarks of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc. 8000, 8000HD, 8240, 8240HD, 8300, 8300HD, 8300MR, AT8400, AT8450, AT8550, and Multi-Room are trademarks of Scientific-Atlanta, Inc.

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