Connecting the ® TM Explorer 8300HD Digital Video Recorder
Contents Important Safety Instructions ............................................................................... iv Change the Way You Watch TV .......................................................................... 1 Safety First ........................................................................................................... 1 The Explorer eClub .............................................................................................. 1 Identify Your 8300HD .........................
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS Heed Warnings Notice for CATV Installers If you are a CATV installer, read the information in the box below.
Preventing Power Cord Damage Arrange all power cords so that people or pets cannot walk on the cords. Do not place objects on the cords. Do not lean objects against the cords. Placing objects on or leaning objects against cords can damage the cords. Give particular attention to cords at the point at which the cord connects to plugs, at the electrical outlets, and where the cords exit the product.
Change the Way You Watch TV DVR makes it easy to watch TV on your terms. The Explorer 8300HD Digital Video Recorder (DVR) is the simple way to take control over your TV – and your life. You take control because DVR lets you decide what’s on TV and when. So there’s no more putting off the things you need to do, just because there’s a show on TV you want to watch. Just think what DVR can do for you: • Never miss a minute of your favorite movie or the big game.
What’s On the Front Panel? CH + GUIDE POWER VOL Ñ INFO VOL + CH Ñ SELECT EXIT LIST L AUDIO R 1 VIDEO 2* 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 T11110 1 Power Turns the 8300HD on and off 2 Video and Audio Input* Connects to video and left/right (L/R) audio outputs of an external device to deliver the audio and video to a TV or other device 3 List Displays the list of recorded programs 4 Exit Exits menus, the on-screen guide, and program information 5 Info Displays a description of the selected
What’s On the Back Panel? CAUTION CABLE OUT RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN OUT 1 OUT 2 AVIS: RISQUE DE CHOC Pr CABLE IN THIS DEVICE IS INTENDED TO BE ATTACHED TO A RECEIVER THAT IS NOT USED TO RECEIVE OVER-THE-AIR BROADCAST SIGNALS. CONNECTION OF THIS DEVICE IN ANY OTHER FASHION MAY CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE TO RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND IS IN VIOLATION OF THE FCC RULES, PART 15.
Connecting the 8300HD To connect your 8300HD to your entertainment devices, complete these steps. 1 Determine if your TV is HD or SD and whether it is wide screen (16:9) or standard screen (4:3). See page 10 for more information. 16 4 or 9 3 Make the connections for your TV and VCR as follows: 2 D 3 • If you are using an HDTV, see page 5 and the connection diagrams at the end of this guide. • If you are using an SDTV, see page 6 and the connection diagrams at the end of this guide.
Connections for an HDTV and VCR To use the 8300HD with an HDTV, you must make one of the following connections to view the HD content. In addition, you can make connections to a VCR to archive recordings to a VCR tape. Refer to your TV and VCR user’s guide and the cabling diagrams in this guide for more detailed connection information. Note: The labeling on your 8300HD may vary slightly.
Connections for a Standard-Definition TV and VCR When using the 8300HD with an SDTV, you must make one of the following connections to view content. Some SDTVs may not have all these connections. In addition, you can make connections to a VCR to archive recordings to a VCR tape. Refer to your TV and VCR user guides and the cabling diagrams in this guide for more detailed information. Note: The labeling on your 8300HD may vary slightly.
Watch TV Access Services and Programs Access cable services and programs by pressing the following keys on the remote control: • Guide–Access the on-screen guide. The on-screen guide displays schedules of TV programs and other services available from your cable service provider, such as video-on-demand and pay-per-view programs. • Arrows–Select a program in the schedule. • Info–Display a specific program description (either from the on-screen guide or while viewing a program).
Performance Tips If the 8300HD does not perform as expected, the following tips may help. If you need further assistance, contact your cable service provider. No Picture • Verify that the power to your TV is turned on. • If the 8300HD is plugged into a wall switch, verify that the switch is in the ON position. • Verify that all cables are properly connected. • If your system includes a VCR or stereo, verify that you have properly connected them to the 8300HD.
Frequently Asked Questions About HDTV What is Digital Television? Digital television (DTV) is a huge leap forward in television technology compared to analog television that has been widely available since the 1940s. DTV is delivered and displayed using digital encoding, similar to the way a PC operates. By using digital technology, there is no variation in picture and sound quality from the origination point until it is displayed on your television.
Picture Formats What is the Difference Between a Standard-Screen and a Wide-Screen HDTV The type of screen your HDTV has (wide screen or standard screen) determines how the 8300HD displays programs on the screen. The picture format for an HDTV is a combination of aspect ratio and screen resolution and is different for standard-screen and wide-screen HDTVs. What is Aspect Ratio? An aspect ratio is the ratio of the width to the height of the TV screen.
Connecting the 8300HD to an HDTV With an HDMI Connector Explorer 8300HD DVR CAUTION CABLE OUT RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN OUT 1 OUT 2 AVIS: RISQUE DE CHOC Pr CABLE IN THIS DEVICE IS INTENDED TO BE ATTACHED TO A RECEIVER THAT IS NOT USED TO RECEIVE OVER-THE-AIR BROADCAST SIGNALS. CONNECTION OF THIS DEVICE IN ANY OTHER FASHION MAY CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE TO RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND IS IN VIOLATION OF THE FCC RULES, PART 15.
Connecting the 8300HD to an HDTV With a DVI Connector Explorer 8300HD DVR CAUTION CABLE OUT RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN OUT 1 OUT 2 AVIS: RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR Pr CABLE IN THIS DEVICE IS INTENDED TO BE ATTACHED TO A RECEIVER THAT IS NOT USED TO RECEIVE OVER-THE-AIR BROADCAST SIGNALS. CONNECTION OF THIS DEVICE IN ANY OTHER FASHION MAY CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE TO RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND IS IN VIOLATION OF THE FCC RULES, PART 15.
Connecting the 8300HD to an HDTV With Component Input (PrPbY/V) Explorer 8300HD DVR CAUTION CABLE OUT RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN OUT 1 OUT 2 AVIS: RISQUE DE CHOC ELECTRIQUE NE PAS OUVRIR Pr CABLE IN THIS DEVICE IS INTENDED TO BE ATTACHED TO A RECEIVER THAT IS NOT USED TO RECEIVE OVER-THE-AIR BROADCAST SIGNALS. CONNECTION OF THIS DEVICE IN ANY OTHER FASHION MAY CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE TO RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND IS IN VIOLATION OF THE FCC RULES, PART 15.
Connecting the 8300HD to a Home Theater System With Component Input (PrPbY/V) Explorer 8300HD DVR CAUTION CABLE OUT RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN OUT 1 OUT 2 AVIS: RISQUE DE CHOC Pr CABLE IN THIS DEVICE IS INTENDED TO BE ATTACHED TO A RECEIVER THAT IS NOT USED TO RECEIVE OVER-THE-AIR BROADCAST SIGNALS. CONNECTION OF THIS DEVICE IN ANY OTHER FASHION MAY CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE TO RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND IS IN VIOLATION OF THE FCC RULES, PART 15.
Connecting the 8300HD to a Stereo VCR and HDTV (optional) Explorer 8300HD DVR CAUTION CABLE OUT RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN OUT 1 OUT 2 AVIS: RISQUE DE CHOC Pr CABLE IN THIS DEVICE IS INTENDED TO BE ATTACHED TO A RECEIVER THAT IS NOT USED TO RECEIVE OVER-THE-AIR BROADCAST SIGNALS. CONNECTION OF THIS DEVICE IN ANY OTHER FASHION MAY CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE TO RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND IS IN VIOLATION OF THE FCC RULES, PART 15.
Connecting the 8300HD to an External SATA Hard Disk Drive (optional) Complete the following steps to install a SATA drive. 1. Make sure that both the 8300HD and the external SATA drive are unplugged from power. 2. Connect the data cable for the SATA drive to the 8300HD. 3. Plug in power to the external SATA drive. 4. Plug in the 8300HD power cord, and then turn on the 8300HD. 5. Follow the on-screen instructions.
Connecting the 8300HD to an External SATA Hard Disk Drive (optional), continued Disconnecting the External SATA Hard Disk Drive Complete the following steps to disconnect the SATA drive safely. 1. Make sure that the 8300HD is powered off. 2. Disconnect the power cord from the 8300HD and wait for at least 10 seconds. 3. Disconnect the power cord and data cable from the external SATA drive.
Connecting the 8300HD in HD Mode to an SDTV With Component Input (PrPbY/V) Explorer 8300HD DVR Set to HD Mode CAUTION CABLE OUT OUT 1 RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK DO NOT OPEN OUT 2 Pr CABLE IN L Pb THIS DEVICE IS INTENDED TO BE ATTACHED TO A RECEIVER THAT IS NOT USED TO RECEIVE OVER-THE-AIR BROADCAST SIGNALS. CONNECTION OF THIS DEVICE IN ANY OTHER FASHION MAY CAUSE HARMFUL INTERFERENCE TO RADIO COMMUNICATIONS AND IS IN VIOLATION OF THE FCC RULES, PART 15.
Compliance Information Canada EMI Regulation United States FCC Compliance This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003. Cet appareil numérique de la class B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada. This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the applicable limits of Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
Index 1394 Firewire 3 D Diagrams. See Connecting the 8300HD to other devices A Digital Video Recorder. See DVR, What is it AC Outlet Digital TV, What is it 3, 16 Power input Aspect ratio Display, LED 3 DVI connector 10 9 2 3, 5, 12 DVR, What is it 1 E B Back panel External hard disk drive. See SATA 3 Burn-in of screen 7 F FAQs C Cables 9 Cable Out 6 Compliance, FCC 19 Formats, picture 10 Front panel H Hard disk drive, external.
Index, continued P T Performance tips Picture formats 8 TV 10 digital, what is it 9 Picture-in-picture. See PIP formats PIP HDTV, what is it 7 10 Ports. See Connectors programming Product information.
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