Basic A/V Operations

Here are some basic tips for operating Sound Racer's Audio-Video systems. Detailed directions are also included in the Renter's Guide and there are laminated instructions in the Great Room, Mid-level Den, and Game Room. If you experience a problem please call Village Realty. We have also posted some advanced troubleshooting tips in a separate post.

This post was updated in January 2012 to incoporate the new upgraded components.

Great Room, Den and Rec Room

1. These three systems use a Harmony Universal remote that has been customized for each system. Labels on the back of the remote identify the A/V system each remote "belongs to".

2. The Harmony Remote control is used to choose a function (e.g. "Watch TV") and controls all components including the TV, Receiver, DVD, etc. Note that in the top level Great Room, the Harmony Romete should be pointed at the top of the TV where we've installed an "IR Blaster". In general the Harmony Remote must be used at a distance where it can "see" all components. This is especially important in the lower level Rec Room, where the TV and Receiver are a few feet apart. In this room, the remote works best from a distance of around ten feet.

3. Functions that can be accessed directly from the Harmony Remote include "Watch TV", "Watch Movie", and "Listen to Music" for CDs. The "More Activities" button is used to access "Listen to Digital Music" (the iPod dock on the ground and top levels); "Listen to FM Radio"; and "Play A Game" (using the game inputs in the Den).

4. In case of a problem, the "Help" Button is very, um, helpful. It will walk you through a series of diagnostics to make sure each components is in the correct mode. When using Help, make sure that the Harmony remote is at a distance where it can "see" all components.

5. If the "Help" button doesn't fix the problem, turn off all the components with the Harmony Remote and then start again. Tip: Always use the Harmony Remote to turn components off and on.

Bedroom TV / DVD

1. Each Bedroom has a DirecTV box and a combo TV/DVD on the wall. To watch TV, use the DirecTV remote control. The slider at the top of the remote should be all the way to the left under the "D".

2. To turn on (or off) the TV use the "D&TV" On/Off buttons located on the top right of the DirecTV remote control.

3. Channels can then be switched with the channel button or the keypad on the DirecTV remote.

4. Troubleshooting tip: If you receive "snow" and the TV displays "Cable Analog", use the "TV input" button (top left of the remote) to change the input to "Video". Simply press the input button until "Video" is selected.

5. To watch a DVD, slide the DVD (label facing out) into the slot on the left side of the TV. The Toshiba remote can then be used to access DVD functions such as play, pause, etc. After finishing the movie, we've found that "powering off" (and then "on") both the TV and the DirecTV box is the best way to return to TV viewing.