How long does it take for a Bell TV receiver to activate?

TV, A/V Receiver, & DVR compatibility issues...?

• I have a very unique problem. I've searched and searched online, and I can't find anything even remotely close to my problem. I have a Mitsubishi WD-60638 60" DLP Home Theater TV. I also have an Onkyo HT-S8409 7.1 Channel Home Theater System with the TX-NR609 Receiver. I recently upgraded to a DVR from Cox Cable. Here's the problem: There is a severe delay (on average 5 minutes) on video when switching between components that are hooked through the receiver. The DVR literally takes 45 minutes for it to be recognized for either audio or video when connected to the receiver. Here's the details: We started with the TV and hooked the DVD player, cable box, Wii, etc up to it. There was a slight delay (like 10 seconds) when switching components. It wasn't even worth thinking about or considering. I know that the DLP TVs take a few seconds to warm up/turn on, so I was never concerned by this. And it really didn't seem like a long time to wait to switch. We then purchased the home theater system and hooked all of the components up to the receiver. We noticed a relatively long delay. It would take anywhere from 2-10 minutes for a picture from the component to display on the TV. We would get the sound almost immediately. I know this is because the sound is instantly processed and recognized by the receiver and sent to its speakers. I could only assume at the time that it was a "communication issue" between the TV and receiver. I didn't want to live with it, but I was dealing with it because I thought it was something I couldn't fix and would just have to sacrifice for the awesome sound. But I figured with time, I may come across a solution. Just recently, we added a DVR to the mix. I plugged it up to the receiver and nothing happened. It began flashing "DUI" (Might be "DVI" but the other was funnier at the time). At first, I made a joke about it drinking and driving but after 10 minutes, it lost the novelty and I became frustrated. It kept giving us 2-second snippets of sound and video and then going silent for 60 seconds. The receiver kept flashing between different sound options. After 45 minutes, the picture and video came through fully. We watched TV that night. The next day we ran into the same issue. I thought maybe we could just leave the receiver and DVR on, and it might be a temporary fix, but that doesn't work when you switch between components. It starts the process all over again. I moved the DVR to skip the receiver and just go straight into the TV. It works like it did back in the beginning with a max of 10 seconds to recognize, but we're missing the great sound. The DVR does flash "DUI" once when making the transition, but that's it. No problems. I just don't want to keep it this way because I want to utilize the great sound for TV shows as well. Sorry for so much text. I just wanted to make sure that there was enough information to use to maybe help me even a little. Thanks in advance. I would appreciate any help with what the problem could be, ways to fix it, who to talk to, etc. Just anything to steer me in the right direction.

• Answer:

  You did NOT specify what type of cables you are using which is a critical piece of the issue. You may also have a mix of standard def and HD devices. Your receiver may be trying to up-convert your analog sources (DVD, Wii) and this is also causing problems. I suspect the TV is the problem refusing to sync with the receiver which could also be part of the problem. Try this: Hook your DVR and DVD player and Wii straight to the TV.. Ignore the Onkyo receiver for the moment. Now - can you switch between devices using just the TV remote? If there is no delay - then the TV is fine and the problem is the Onkyo receiver. Does the TV have an optical output? If so - leave everything hooked to the TV but run optical from the TV to the Onkyo. When you want 5.1 sound - turn down the TV speakers and turn on the Onkyo. This will make it a bit more complex to operate but nothing like the 2-45 minute delay like you are describing. ALSO: You really need to upgrade your gear to get rid of standard-def, analog devices. Make sure your DVR is a HD unit from your cable company and you use HDMI cables. Replace your DVD player with a BluRay player. Leave the Wii hooked up directly to the TV and avoid going through the Receiver.