Table of Contents
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User's Guide
Digital Video Recorder
for the Explorer
Get More Out of Your TV...
Watch
Record
Watch & Record
Play Back
Recordings on
Other TVs
for the
Explorer
Explorer
Explorer
• 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.
™
8000
®
8000HD
®
™
8300
®
8300HD
®
®
DVR* (MR-DVR) system to play back
DVR
™
DVR
DVR
™
DVR
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Related Manuals for Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000 DVR
Summary of Contents for Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8000 DVR
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Page 1: Digital Video Recorder
User’s Guide for the Digital Video Recorder ™ for the Explorer 8000 ® ™ Explorer 8000HD ® ™ Explorer 8300 ® ™ Explorer 8300HD ® Get More Out of Your TV… Watch • Your favorite shows anytime you want...on your schedule •... -
Page 2: Table Of Contents
Contents Contents Explore Your Entertainment Options ........1 Take Control of Live Programs ..................2 Get Started ................3 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 ................... - Page 3 Contents Manage Programs and Recordings ........32 Block Programs With Parental Control ................ 32 Block Recordings With Parental Control ..............35 Control the Viewing of Programs and Recordings in Your MR-DVR System .... 37 Find Out How Much Recording Space Has Been Used ..........40 Maximize Your Storage Space ..................
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Page 4: Explore Your Entertainment Options
MR-DVR system This guide describes how to use the following Explorer DVRs: • Explorer 8000 DVR for use with standard-definition TVs (SDTVs) • Explorer 8000HD DVR for use with high-definition TVs (HDTVs) • Explorer 8300 DVR for use with SDTVs •... -
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
Get Started Get Started Getting started is easy. After unpacking your DVR equipment, follow these steps to set up your DVR. Determine the types of connections you need to make, based on your TV type (HDTV or SDTV) and home theater connection requirements. Connect the DVR to your TV based on the connection information described in “Connect the Explorer DVR to Your TV”... -
Page 7: Connect The Explorer Dvr To Your Tv
Get Started Connect the Explorer DVR to Your TV The DVR family supports a number of connection options to support connections to older TVs, SDTVs with composite inputs, and HDTVs with component inputs or DVI/HDMI inputs. The following table describes the available DVR outputs, including when the output should be used. -
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
Get Started Prepare the Explorer HD DVR to Work With Your 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. -
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 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.
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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.
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Page 22: Use Slow Motion
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 Watch Two Programs At Once The PIP Screen and the Quarter Screen The PIP screen and the Quarter screen look alike, but they are different. 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.
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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.
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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],”...
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Page 40: Control The Viewing Of Programs And Recordings In Your Mr-Dvr System
Manage Programs and Recordings Control the Viewing of Programs and Recordings in Your MR-DVR System With the MR-DVR system, you can record your favorite programs on the 8300 MR-DVR server (MR-DVR server), and then use your other non-DVR Scientific- Atlanta digital set-tops (client set-tops) to play back and control recordings stored on the MR-DVR server. - 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.
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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)
Manage Programs and Recordings Recording to a SATA Hard Disk Drive (Optional) On the 8300 DVR models, you have the option to use a Serial ATA (SATA) hard disk drive for expanded recording capability. Contact your cable service provider for a list of approved hard drive models for use with the 8300 DVR models. Notes: •... - 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.
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Page 50: Find Answers To Frequently Asked Questions
Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions 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 53, “Get More Information or Assistance.”... -
Page 51: Questions About Watching Two Programs At Once
Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions Can I pause, rewind, or fast-forward a program in the PIP screen? No. Keys such as pause, rewind, and fast-forward control only the program shown in the main TV screen. They also control the small Quarter screen that appears on DVR screens like the Recorded List screen and the Program Guide. - 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.
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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 Find Answers to Frequently Asked Questions How can I find out which programs are broadcast in HD? To find out which programs are broadcast in HD, log on to the Web site of your cable service provider. Many cable service providers list their channel lineups on their Web sites and indicate the channels that are broadcast in HD.
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Page 56: Get More Information Or Assistance
Get More Information or Assistance 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 DVR. -
Page 57: Index
Index Index Displaying Browse By options, 14 Blocking programs, methods of, 32 channel banner, 20 Blocking recordings, 35 list of recordings, 29 Browse By feature, 14 list of scheduled recordings, 30 Buffer, explanation of, 2 Parental Control setting, 34 Buttons. See Remote control keys PIP screen, 20 Program Guide, 13 programs to block, 32... - Page 58 Index HDMI Interface, 4, 5 Padlock symbol. See Lock symbols HDTV Parental Control feature display, 8-11 blocking programs, 32 recording programs, 24 blocking recordings, 35 storage of programs, 1 how to use, 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,...
- 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 Index Recordings Guide, 13-15 blocking, 35 Info, 20 copying to VCR tape, 42 Instant Replay, 17 displaying list of, 29 Last, 18 erasing, 41, 44, 49 List, 28, 29, 30 finding current, 29 Live, 19 in progress, canceling, 30 Menu, inside of foldout pausing, 16 Mute, inside of foldout playing, 29...
- Page 61 Index SATA drive Troubleshooting loss of power, 47 connecting to DVR, 45 non-responsive remote recording programs to, 45 control keys, 47 troubleshooting, 46 pay-per-view events, 48 Save Latest options, 27 program partially recorded, 51 Save Time setting, changing, 43, 44 SATA drive, 45-46 Saving recordings, 24 TV connections and DVR, 4...
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Page 62: Quick Tips
Quick Tips Press to display the last channel you were last watching. While in normal Play mode, press once while watching live TV or a recording to see the program in slow motion. Press a second time to resume normal play. Press to remove any Explorer screens or banners and display full-screen TV. - 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.
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Page 64: Alltouch Remote Control
® AllTouch 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. Important: Your remote must be set to Cable Mode (CBL) to access the DVR features. - Page 65 Explorer DVR With the record your favorite programs you can play back your recordings and then whenever you want. The built-in digital video recorder and Picture-in-Picture feature give you complete control, convenience, choice when watching 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.
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