We’ve put together this guide to help provide you with more information on your services as well as some helpful tips on how to ensure you get the best experience possible from FOCUS Broadband.
First ensure cable box is on by verifying power light is illuminated. If using a standard digital cable box, your TV should be set to channel 4. In some cases your standard digital cable box may have been installed using AV type cables instead of coax cables. In this case, your TV would need to be set to video/AV input. For DVR/HD applications: TV will need to be set to the correct video input or HDMI input. This can be accomplished by pressing the source, video, or input buttons on your factory TV remote - NOT THE CABLE BOX REMOTE. If unsure of which input/source is being used, select each input and allow at least 5 seconds before trying the next. This gives the TV time to recognize the cable signal.
Verify coax cable feeding box is attached properly to the ‘cable in’ located on the rear of the cable box. Next, reboot box by unplugging and plugging in the power cord. Allow at least 20 minutes for the box to reload, then turn box back on and try changing the channel.
The remote control for the cable box needs to be programmed to operate your TV. To do this, check the back of the remote to see if it has a quick set-up label. If so, follow directions to program the remote to operate your TV. If you still need help, select the ‘user guide’ for your remote control type in the "Remote Controls" section of the Cable Support webpage.
If this problem occurs, your TV and cable box are most likely "out of sync" (meaning the TV may be on but the box is off resulting in no picture). The ATLAS remote has a unique master power function which allows both the cable box and TV to be turned off or on by pressing one button. If the CBL then POWER button is pressed, the remote will power the cable box on first, then the TV in a back to back sequence. You should be careful to not point the remote control away from the TV too quickly as doing this will not give the remote control time to do the second step of the operation to either power on or power off the TV. This causes the two devices to become "out of sync". This can also happen if the cable box is located too far from the TV. You may try splitting the distance between the TV and the cable box when turning the power on if you think this may be your scenario. To put both the cable box and TV back in sync, press the CBL button then the POWER button until the cable box light is on. Then press the TV button followed by the POWER button. Once the TV is on you may press CBL once more to put the remote back in cable mode.
This is just a matter of selecting the proper channel on your VCR. If you normally view our cable service on channel 4, then this will also be the proper channel to tune your VCR to when setting up a recording. DO NOT tune your VCR to the cable channel that your program is on. Only channel 4 will be used (Channel 3 is an option with the digital adapter only). Remember, when the VCR is on, the TV must be set to whatever VCR output is selected. Most of the time this is channel 3 unless changed in the menu of the VCR.
In some instances it may be necessary to reboot your DVR much like having to restart your computer when it doesn’t respond properly to commands. The best way to reboot your DVR is by unplugging the power cord, waiting 15 seconds, then plugging it back in. Your DVR has a hard drive just like a computer. Rebooting simply puts things back in their proper place the same as it does when restarting your PC.
Not every high definition channel broadcasts in HD 24 hours a day. Many times commercials or even shows on an HD channel will still have standard definition content. In these instances, you will see a ‘letterbox’ which changes the aspect ratio for non-HD programming. When HD programming returns, the ‘letterbox’ will disappear.
Press the menu button on your remote control and navigate to the Activate Parental Controls item under Quick Settings. Press the left or right arrow buttons on your remote to either turn on or off parental controls.
To access more specific or individual parental controls, while still in the Quick Settings menu, press the yellow triangle button on your remote to access More Settings. It is here that you can activate or deactivate the following settings by navigating to the desired setting and pressing the Select button to Modify Settings.
Locking Status:
Turn locking on or off to lock/unlock programs using your channel, rating, time, and title locking preferences.
Change PIN:
Change your PIN periodically or as needed, and only give it to those with unrestricted viewing privileges. To change your PIN, you must enter your existing PIN.
Lock Specific Channels:
Once the lock feature is on, you may create or modify a set of channels to block. A “locked” icon will appear next to the channels you have selected to be blocked. An “unlocked” icon will appear if it is unlocked.
Lock By Ratings:
Once the lock feature is on, you can create or modify a set of ratings to block and/or allow. A "locked" icon will appear next to the ratings that you have selected to be blocked. An "unlocked" icon will appear if it is unlocked.
Locked Time:
Set or modify a recurring timer that blocks all programming for a specified period. This timer is activated whenever Locking is on.
Hide Adult Titles:
The "Hide Adult Titles" option allows you to block the display of titles and descriptions to adult-oriented programming in the program guide and omit from Keyword and Title search results. When set to "Always" or "Follow Parental Control" and the Parental Control option is enabled, adult programs are blocked as well.
When tuning to a channel or show that has been blocked, you will receive the following message "Viewing is blocked due to Parental Control". You must then enter your PIN number to view the show or channel or you may turn off Parental Controls.
Block by Channel/Movie Ratings/Adult Programs:
There are several options for blocking undesired content. To activate these options you must use the ‘Parental Controls’ option in the Settings menu. Here’s how:
These steps must be performed on each digital cable box.