Never Buy an RCA Television

stella1751 · Sat Dec 10, 2011 10:06 am

Way back in 1993, I purchased a brand new RCA television. I loved it. Then. Unfortunately, the darned thing won't break. I was raised by parents who were contemptuous of trends and avoided consumerism. You replace something if it breaks and not before then.

Many's the time I visited a friend's house and was green with envy at the sight of their huge television screen. Even worse, the blasted thing is what I think is called analog. A year ago, I quit getting some channels because I had the wrong type of television set. I grew to hate my RCA television. I would return home and gaze at it with loathing. I tried leaving it on for weeks at a time. I let it get dusty, and I slammed into it whenever I found the opportunity. Still it worked. Still the picture was clear, and the colors vivid.

This year, I couldn't take any more. I bought myself a television for Christmas, a lovely 37" screen RCA (yes). I don't know what I'll do with the old one, but I'm hoping I drop it when I move it down to the basement.

Now I have this magnificent television. I would love to watch it, but ithere's a slight problem. Televisions have clearly changed in the last 20 years. This RCA is too high tech for me to figure out how to hook it up. I've plugged in everything I should need, but it keeps telling me there is no signal.

Can someone help me? The next time I want to watch a show, I will likely have to sit in the basement. Maybe I won't break that old one after all

digitS' · Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:00 am

That new RCA, Stella: It will only pick up a signal if you are in China.

Yeah, DW is lobbying for a wider screen TV but we just bought a new Westinghouse about 10 years ago . . ! (I wonder how "Westinghouse" is pronounced in the Far East

.)

You have a co-axial cable, right? Whether to the rabbit ears, antenna on the roof, dish on the roof or cable on the power pole - I think it has to be a co-axial. No longer can we assign an eight year-old to touch the contacts with 2 fingers and stand akimbo beside the set to get the best reception. I kid you not, I used to have to do this . . .

There may be more than 1 jack in the back of your TV so make sure your cable is screwed into the right one. Then you find "channel search" on your menu and click that. You now have time for a nice long lunch . . .

And, that concludes just about everything I know about hooking up a TV.

Steve

stella1751 · Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:19 am

Thanks, Steve! I figured out my first problem. (I suspect there will be many.) The batteries in the remote were dead. Not RCA's fault. Fed Ex must have delivered it while I was working yesterday, and it sat outside in sub-freezing temperatures all night. I imagine that is not good for batteries

I have TV! My gosh, Steve, I had no idea 37" was this big. I know that sounds funny, but all I wanted was an RCA that was larger than the old one. This was the only one I found on sale. (I'm cheap.) I just didn't think how big that was until I saw the box this morning.

It's like being in a movie theater, sitting way at the back. It's that huge.

Now all I need do is figure out how to turn off closed captioning, and I am set, except for one last question: I am not seeing that I got any new channels. Does that mean I need to up my cable subscription, or did I do something else wrong?

stella1751 · Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:26 am

digitS' wrote: No longer can we assign an eight year-old to touch the contacts with 2 fingers and stand akimbo beside the set to get the best reception. I kid you not, I used to have to do this . . .

Steve

This reminded me of my childhood in Northern Idaho, back in the days of roof-top antennaes (sp). Because we were surrounded by mountains, through experimentation Dad found that the only way we could get TV was to put the antenna in the tallest tree way to the north of us.

Occasionally, not often because Northern Idaho is pretty calm, the winds would blow down the antenna. My older sisters would dress for the weather and trudge through deep snow, generally during primetime viewing, to fix the antenna.

Sometimes it's nice being the fifth child out of eight

digitS' · Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:36 am

There will be something in the mail today from Xfinity with just such an upping option, Stella! (How do we pronounce "Xfinity," anyway? Is that an Indonesian word or something?)

Turn off the captioning? Why ever for? Oh!

Go to "Settings" on your menu and you may see the word "Captioning."

I am continuously turning captioning on. You'd think the stupid thing would remember my requirements and not allow it to go off every time I click the power button. One reason I watch very little TV. Reading the captioning while enjoying any view of the Serengeti or Colonial prints or whatever are almost mutually exclusive experiences.

Steve

Dillbert · Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:37 am

happens all the time around here. touch some mystery button on the remote and then it takes half an hour to figure out how to "fix" it.

not sure if will help much - but tv's usually have several input jacks on the back -
one for "cable tv"
one for direct input from say a video camera or recorder
one perhaps for a computer input (not usually round)

so step one is to be sure whatever input you are using is plugged into the proper jack on the tv

the next step is to navigate the tv menu system and find the spot that allows you to switch the tv between input types. there are many inventive names used to describe the input 'types' - Line 1 Line 2 etc. just cycle thru them until you get the signal.

if you're missing sound, most have two audio channels - perhaps labeled "Lan" = Language. not every channel has audio on both language channels....

Charlie MV · Sat Dec 10, 2011 12:10 pm

Stella, if you are on cable, you should be able to go into your menu settings, find auto programming and click on it. The TV will go through all of the cable channels you get and eliminate dead channels and lock in live channels.

If you are using a Blu Ray player for DVDs [well worth it] you need an HDMI cord [$25] to connect it. You wont believe the picture on Blu Ray. HDMI cord eliminates the need for red white yellow or red blue green connectors as well as digital sound. In other words, HDMI does it all with one card.

You can also use HDMI to connect your computer to the TV to watch Blu Ray movies [if your computer plays Blue Ray] as well as to watch Netflix if you want to watch their programming which id formidable.

If you want an even better picture you may want to look at Direct TV satellite. Their picture is 1080I which is better than any other picture than Blu Ray. Again, it connects with HDMI. Their remote is smart. It runs our Blu Ray, sound system and the TV.

We watch mostly music shows and have a really good sound system.

Last but not least, you may want to look at the satellite company's DVR [Digital Video Recorder. It does several things. Number one it records and saves the show so you can watch it when you want to. It also runs off of the remote I described and is very simple to use after a week or so. You can save shows you like to watch again.

We have watched The Sing Off show multiple times. It's a wonderful acapella singing competition. We can also watch X Factor and Idol without suffering through the smarmy, nasty comments of the judges. Best of all we haven't seen a commercial in 8 years since we got our first DVR.

Right now over cable, believe it or not, you are not seeing the best picture your new TV can produce.

Enjoy.

tomf · Sat Dec 10, 2011 12:27 pm

My92 year old father in law tells me there is some thing wrong with our TV; he says it is not working, I pushed every button on this remote and it still does not work.

DeborahL · Sat Dec 10, 2011 1:03 pm

That sounds like he needs to set the code. There should be a manual showing different codes to try.

gumbo2176 · Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:22 pm

Marlingardener wrote:Stella, in 1973 we bought an RCA television (I though color was an unneeded extravagance, but my husband went ahead and got a color TV) which we still watch. The screen is small, the color is fine, the sound comes through, and with the added "box" required by Congress, we have six stations we can watch, four of which are moderately interesting.
I'm glad you are enjoying your larger screen. If our '73 TV ever dies, we may upgrade to one like yours.
By the way, in '73 we didn't purchase the optional warranty.

I had a hand me down 25 in. RCA color console TV that lasted me from the early 70's until the early 90's. That thing had to be close to 25 yr. old when it finally gave up the ghost. I replaced it with a 27 inch RCA that lasted me a little over a year before I got so frustrated with it that I left it at the repair shop after it being in for repairs 3 times. All repairs and parts were covered under warranty, but I don't keep things that don't work right.

I remember asking the shop owner which TV's he saw the least for repairs and he said Mitsubishi, so I went and got one of them with the 32 inch screen. That TV lasted me until 3 years ago and I purchased a Samsung with the 46 inch screen in time to see the Saints make their Super Bowl run. Nice TV. with a great HD picture. To tell the truth, the picture is so good that many of the "Pretty" Hollywood people don't look quite so pretty once you get to see their faces close up in HD.

Oh, and like someone else mentioned about their 92 yr. old father and his failure to operate the remotes. My wife and I have the same thing with her 83 yr. old mother. She just starts pressing buttons and complains that the TV is broke again.

Dillbert · Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:32 pm

wouldn't it be neat if they came with two remotes - - -

one with all the buttons, set coffee maker brew time, blender to puree, close garage door, etc

and one with 5 buttons:
power on/off
vol up
vol down
channel up
channel down

Comcast provides an "universal" controller - works on TV, VCR, DVD, Digital recorder, pc input - it has 68 buttons (just counted)

digitS' · Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:37 pm

Hey! I was just explaining to a younger person - barely a boomer - how the earliest hydroelectric system generated DC power instead of AC (as tho' I know anything about that

).

Technology doesn't stand still, you know. It is Gen X's turn now:

[url=https://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/09/tim-dowling-talking-computer-technology]Technology and it's talking to me![/url]

Steve
Millennials, stand by

Charlie MV · Sat Dec 10, 2011 2:48 pm

digitS' wrote:Hey! I was just explaining to a younger person - barely a boomer - how the earliest hydroelectric system generated DC power instead of AC (as tho' I know anything about that ).

Technology doesn't stand still, you know. It is Gen X's turn now:

[url=https://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/09/tim-dowling-talking-computer-technology]Technology and it's talking to me![/url]

Steve
Millennials, stand by

TVs are all DC. They have an AC-DC converter built in. The older flat screens have the converter on the cord so in a boat or RV you can wire it straight into the DC [battery] system.

My latest TV demands an AC plug because the converter is internal. Almost all electronic gizmos require DC power because it's much more stable than is AC. Your laptop probably has a converter on the cord as well. It's those pesky converters that take up so much room on a multi outlet/surge suppressor thingie.

digitS' · Sat Dec 10, 2011 3:09 pm

So you are saying, Charlie, that a TV could have been used 130 years ago

?

I wonder what my great grandparents would have thought of that . . .

Probably would have poked at it with a sharp stick.

Steve

Charlie MV · Sat Dec 10, 2011 3:42 pm

Actually if they had 12 volt batteries, a means to reach the converters on a flat screen TV and a Blu Ray player along with a Blu Ray copy of Pirates of the Caribbean, then they too could have enjoyed the bizarre antics of Cap'n Jack Sparrow in high def.

They might have even been able to cobble together a decent sound system.

I have a set of 40 year old JBL L100 and Bose direct reflecting speakers in my shop. They out preform any of the more expensive, supposedly more high powered speaker systems that I have in my home or boat. They wont clip or break up at any volume.

In the navy, my skipper had a great sense of humor and was a superior morale builder. When we refueled our destroyer, 300 guys would come out on deck to haul lines to pull the fuel hoses from the tanker ship. When we were done and the oilier would retract it's hoses the process was known as breakaway. During every breakaway, the skipper would play Foggy Mountain Breakdown over the ships PA system. You could hear it 5 miles away. The sound was very loud and perfect.

We once refueled from a Canadian ship in the South China Sea. The Canadian ship was fully automated, very modern looking and required only 2 sailors to tend the two hoses that it took our 300 crew members to manually haul aboard. When we broke away, the skipper hit Foggy Mountain Breakdown, we started cheering and about 200 Canadians piled out on deck to cheer. Then, being the showman he was he played Oh Canada followed by our National Anthem as we all stood on deck and saluted each other.

Old technology isn't always bad.

DoubleDogFarm · Sat Dec 10, 2011 3:43 pm

Enjoy Stella.

stella1751 · Sat Dec 10, 2011 7:11 pm

I just spent several hours watching nothing I really wanted to see with the mute on most of the time. What a lovely television that is! I don't care what anyone says, that's as good as a sunset or sunrise: striking. Maybe it's because I am so old that I am fascinated by having a TV that large in my tiny living room

I learned that I don't get any more channels. It appears that when analogy whatever happened, my cable provider must have decided it was an excellent opportunity to slash basic cable's channels in half. I don't think I want to upgrade. It's like you either pay a reasonable rate for 30 channels or an inordinately high rate for a gazillion channels. There are no in-between packages.

I finally figured out the closed captioning. CC. To me, that means "carbon copy sent to XYZ." Which makes me wonder when was the last time I ever saw a carbon paper or tried to get just one more use out of particularly ragged one.

I guess I could eventually hook up a computer to it. I've been eyeing the HP Smartouch for about six months now, but they are pretty pricey. However, should I ever save up enough to justify it, I could have a computer in the living room and one in my office. I accidentally purchased a Belkin router about a year ago that I never got around to taking back. I could conceivably (I think) go from one room to the other to put in my eight hours each day.

What me turn into a technophile, now that I'm stylin' with a 37" television

Charlie MV · Sat Dec 10, 2011 8:56 pm

If your TV is what's known as a smart TV, you can hook up your router and use the TV for netflix and several other services. Sounds like you may just want to buy a fireplace DVD. When the fire burns down, you rewind it and do it again.

tomf · Sun Dec 11, 2011 2:58 am

When I was a kid my dad won a RCA 25" color TV. It was the fist color TV I had ever seen and it lasted for a very long time, with a few new tubes now and then.
This year I did some research on the best pictures and went looking at TV's. I got a 2 new net capable TV's. A 65" 3d for the living room and a 50" 3d for the bed room. I used HDMI cables, HDMI is the best way to hook a TV system up. You run the ant cable in to the box then HDMI to every thing but the internet.

It is no wonder my 92 year old father in law has a hard time with it, you have to be tech savvy to run a TV any more. Oh the codes are right in the controller he just forgets what buttons to use so he just pushes them all, one has to have patience with old people some day we may get there.

I just got a kindle fire; it is way cool for $200. You can stream movies on it and if you get Amazon Prime you get some free and free books. You can watch the Amazon Prime free movies on your TV as well. You can also watch their pay for movies. I have Netflix and have Netflix streaming, tons of movies there. Now if I only had more time to watch them.

This is my hook up, I am thinking of getting some wire hiders for the speaker cables as I do not want to go through the work of running the wires through the walls. I know I love photos.

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/twistedtomf/_DSC0015-5.jpg[/img]

stella1751 · Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:32 am

I never thought I'd be that impressed by a television set, Tom, but that's a truly gorgeous one. A 65" television set would be my living room. I might finally be getting past the first flush of infatuation with mine. I no longer have a tearing desire to dash out there and watch the channel listings go around and around.

I am old and, I suspect, much like your grandfather. When I couldn't get the TV to work yesterday morning, rather than check the remote batteries, I at first considered using it as contemporary art, maybe leaning it against the coffee table and staring at it appreciatively.

I wonder whether it is a smart television, like Charlie said. If so, I would have a use for that Belkin router without having to buy another computer. I'll have to study the directions on the router box. Netflix is only $8 a month, way cheaper than advanced cable.

During my television glut yesterday, by the way, I saw my first ever advertisement for a bullet. Flight something. Water fowl were dropping like flies; people were shooting in the rain and the mud; and there was a group shot of hunters at the end that had an eerie resemblence to the Montana Militia. Kind of gave me pause.

tomf · Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:39 am

Your manual will tell you if it is a Net ready TV. If so you can just take a cable off of the router to it. Many come with build in wifi so you do not need a cable. Some you need to buy the wifi receiver from RCA. If your TV is not net ready you can get a blu-ray player for about $100 that is and go through it. If you want a wifi blu-ray they are not that much more.

If you want to skip commercials and be able to watch the shows you like when ever you want get a DVR; they are way cool good to have.

tomf · Sun Dec 11, 2011 4:41 am

This is where my electronics are and you can see the big old wires running up the wall; ugly.

[img]https://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e57/twistedtomf/_DSC0013-3.jpg[/img]

Charlie MV · Sun Dec 11, 2011 11:48 am

It should say right on the box if the set is a smart TV. You should see the Netflix red logo and a few others. If it's not WIFI ready as Tom said you can buy an adapter for WIFI to put on the TV or a WIFI/ Netflix ready Blu Ray player pretty cheap. I'd suggest the Blu ray because you'll be blown away by a Blu Ray movie. Netflix rents Blu ray through the mail and it's really simple. Netflix will open a whole new world of programming. Serial shows like Lost and 24 we always avoided because we hate trying to remember the last show and these shows use cliff hanger endings at commercials...very annoying.

If you have a wifi equipped TV or Blu Ray player, your router will talk to it from the other room meaning no wires from router to TV.

FWIW, DO NOT throw the boxes away on the street. We keep boxes until the warranty period is up in case we have to return the gizmo. Even then you should cut up the box and put it in your regular trash. If you put the box on the street you just tell every thief in the town "I just bought a new flat screen TV. Please put me on your things to steal list.

tomf · Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:45 am

I am a bit embarrassed telling people our bedroom TV is 50Ã¢â‚¬

gumbo2176 · Mon Dec 12, 2011 8:45 am

[quote="tomf"]I am a bit embarrassed telling people our bedroom TV is 50Ã¢â‚¬

tomf · Tue Dec 13, 2011 2:58 am

Gumbo you got it. When I am down in the bay I love the shrimp. Yummy!

I work nights and sleep in the afternoon; I go to bed about 3:30. Tonight my wife went out to get some firewood and dad could not wait to watch his cowboys. He had a stroke so even the simple remote is too much for him to remember how to use but he picked up the universal remote and started pushing buttons. He must have hit the one that turns on the TV and the surround system as Christmas music was playing very loud and woke me up. I got up and set things right by putting on the cowboys. Try going back to sleep after that! Kids they are always a challenge.

Charlie MV · Tue Dec 13, 2011 10:25 am

I have a football ritual myself. I started watching the Panthers when I lived in Charlotte and added the team in 1995. I had stopped watching NFL in 1972 when my hero Don Shula took the Dolphins all the way to a perfect season. As a kid I grew up as a Unitas/Shula fan.I was also a fan of Jim Kickk, Terry Hannraty, Bob Griese, Larry Czonka and Mercury Morris through their college years. This was a real dream team. I figured that I would never see a team win out and top it off with a Super Bowl again so I just stopped watching.

In '95 when the Panthers built a stadium a mile from my cabinet shop I got pulled back in. The Panthers had among the best start up records of any NFL team. It was fun. Then, they put Jake Dehlomme in at QB. He was very good but terrible all at the same time. The Panthers went ohfer last year and I started the new ritual. I record each game. Then as soon as the game is over, I delete it without watching. I paddle around in my canoe instead. I'm much happier and healthier.

I may have to re-think this if Cam Newton remains as good in the future as he has this year. Of course, the Panthers are one QB injury away from being a rotten team again as the Colts have shown this year.

I'm borrowing a wet suit this weekend and if I can take the cold, I will swim instead of canoeing. I do love the long distance swimming and miss it in the winter.

tomf · Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:04 pm

I do not watch much football but I must say Greenbay has been one H of a team this year.

My football story;
Some one asked me if I was going to watch a football game on Sunday; I said no I am going skiing. The asked me "are't you into sports?"

stella1751 · Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:09 am

Last night I finally watched the only television show I never miss: NCIS. Could Mark Harmon be any more handsome than when viewed on a 37" screen? Even if that's the only television show I watch for the rest of the year, the purchase of this television would have been well worth it!

gumbo2176 · Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:21 am

tomf wrote:Gumbo you got it. When I am down in the bay I love the shrimp. Yummy!

I work nights and sleep in the afternoon; I go to bed about 3:30. Tonight my wife went out to get some firewood and dad could not wait to watch his cowboys. He had a stroke so even the simple remote is too much for him to remember how to use but he picked up the universal remote and started pushing buttons. He must have hit the one that turns on the TV and the surround system as Christmas music was playing very loud and woke me up. I got up and set things right by putting on the cowboys. Try going back to sleep after that! Kids they are always a challenge.

My father-in-law was a couple months shy of his 85th birthday when he finally passed away and as he got older, his hearing got worse and worse. When he watched TV, it was all you could hear inside the house.

If I were to watch it, I would have the sound level around 15 on his set. He'd have it around 35. Funny thing is, if he was watching TV and you were trying to have a casual conversation within his earshot, he'd fuss because you were talking while he was watching TV. He liked having it both ways.

He was also cold most of the time, especially in the winter months where he would keep the central heat up around 80 degrees. I'd suffer when I went to help him out when he was ill. He couldn't understand how I could sit outside on the porch in shorts, a t-shirt and sandals when it was in the mid 40's. I'd do that about a dozen times a day just to cool down and clear my sinuses.