Need help with HDTV connection-digital cable box and analog Dish receiver

[Puckhead]

Hello. I am hoping someone can help me with this issue.

We purchased a Samsung HDTV which is connected to a digital cable Scientific Atlanta TV box and a Dish analog/standard receiver(Solo 311). We have Dish for one of the international TV packages. Before the new HDTV was connected(previous TV was a regular SONY TV),we had no issues watching both systems. Just turn on the Dish receiver to watch their programming and turn it off to watch the cable channels. That is how the Dish installer set it up. With the HDTV,the Dish receiver does not work when the TV input is set to HDMI which is connected to the cable box. The Dish receiver works when the TV input is set to regular TV. All of the DISH international channels are in SD. Is there is a solution to this problem? Thanks.

 

[Tampa8]

Any channel from the Dish receiver will be in SD, as you said it is an SD receiver. It is connected to the TV via a coax it sounds like. The Cable company box is hooked up via an HDMI connection. Those are two different inputs and there is no way to watch both without changing inputs on the TV. Should be as simple as hitting the input button on the remote and going to the input you want.

However, I would strongly suggest if there is an S-Video connection on the TV and the Receiver use that instead of the Coax, or if not, then use the RCA connections. Both will give you a better picture than using the Coax connection.

I'm quite sure what happened before the new TV, the connection went from the cable box to the input of the Dish receiver, then to the TV. When you turned on the Dish receiver it blocked the cable signal and you saw Dish, when you turned off the Dish receiver, it allowed the signal from the Cable box to be seen. With HD that is not possible.

 

[KAB]

Use the composite (R,W,Y) outputs from the 311 and into one of the TV's A/V inputs.

 

[Fredinva]

"Samsung HDTV"

if you get a Blue-ray player, that's another tv input.
hook up a Wii, that's another tv input.

IT's Basic Switchology !!

fred

 

[Lord_Vader]

My guess would be that both the Dish box and the Comcast box were connected over COAX to the TV before and you have moved the Cable box to HDMI now?

 

[rajmarie]

My guess is that the cable box was connected to dish cable/antenna input which pass through the signal when it's not in use. That way when the op turned the dish box on...he see dish programming & when off...he sees cable.

 

[Lord_Vader]

My guess is that the cable box was connected to dish cable/antenna input which pass through the signal when it's not in use. That way when the op turned the dish box on...he see dish programming & when off...he sees cable.

I think so too. Probably the best thing would be for the OP to get a nice harmony remote and setup macros. "Cable", "Dish", "DVD", etc and let it switch everything.

 

[harshness]

A $100+ remote is not the immediate answer. The immediate answer comes in the form of an input button on the existing TV remote.

The 311 can no longer be the go-between in your TV experience. That responsibility has moved to the TV.

Using the TV's user guide/manual, locate a connection diagram for a DVD player and substitute your 311 for the DVD player.


Another option would be to ditch cable TV and just use DISH Network for all of your viewing needs.

 

[JM42]

I think so too. Probably the best thing would be for the OP to get a nice harmony remote and setup macros. "Cable", "Dish", "DVD", etc and let it switch everything.

I was going to say a composite-to-HDMI converter with an HDMI auto switch. Should end up emulating the old setup exactly.

But either solution seems like overkill unless there unusual circumstances.

 

[Lord_Vader]

I didn't know if the OP needed for it to work "auto-magically" or not. I would switch inputs on the TV too, but just wasn't sure what the situation was.