Sunday, October 14, 2007

DVD-player Blues

Yesterday, I pulled out my stack of Halloween/horror DVDs and started to settle in to a fright-fest as I cleaned the apartment. Alas, I have forgotten how to make the darn things show up on my TV screen! I just fired up the DVD player a month or so ago, so I know it works.

My theory is that it's the old "Thinking-Too-Hard-About-It" syndrome. My petsitter left me a note a couple of weeks ago asking how to use the DVD player, and I meant to write down the process for her but never did. So yesterday when I tried to hit the right remote-control buttons, I was over-thinking it. (Kind of like when you go to an ATM and blank out on your access code because your thinking too hard about the numbers)

I spent a good portion of the morning pushing every combination of buttons on the cable remote and the DVD remote. I tried switching the main channel on the TV from 3 to 4. I'm sure it's something blindingly obvious, but I'm totally missing it.

So here I sit, staring at a stack of fabulous horror flicks with no way to watch them! How will I ever get the house clean? Aaargh!

6 comments:

jcburns said...

how someone who knew how to run big ol' honking 2-inch videotape cart machines could be baffled by a player for a little silvery disc is beyond me...!

MaryB said...

I know! I'm not a techno-idiot. How can this be?!

Anonymous said...

I am quite familiar with this syndrome. Roomie has the same symptoms.

It all depends on how the TV is cabled into the equipment. Basically there are only 2 things you have to do (besides inserting the DVD disc and starting it playing):

1. Tell the DVD player what to do.
2. Tell the TV what to do.

Unless you have a horribly complicated setup, with full component stereo system and computers all hooked together, 1. is obvious -- just hit the play button.

2. Does the remote control for the TV have a button that says something like TV/Video. Or maybe it has 2 buttons, one for TV and a separate one for Video. Those usually toggle the input source. Get the DVD playing and then try messing with those buttons on the TV control.

Or hire someone to come over and do it for you.

MaryB said...

Been through 'em all Winston, I believe. As jdb points out, I do have great wads of video-tech experience. I'm thinking of calling in an exorcist. Or Aimee Semple MacPherson. (For me, of course, not the DVD player.)

MaryB said...

Problem solved. I reconfigured the wiring (weird to have to do that since it worked fine before) and fiddled with the aux channel to get the DVD up and running again on the TV. Also weird, since I'd done the same thing on Saturday, to no avail. Ah, well. The only thing that matters is that I can watch the Simpsons Halloween episodes.

Liz Hinds said...

Oh I know that over-thinking problem. If I stop and try to remember my PIN number on my way to the hole in the wall, I might as well give up straightaway and go back the next day.

Oh, winston, it is not that easy! I often don't just bother to watch a programme I'd been planning to watch because I just can't work it out.