TV has mind of its own

[hycamguy07]

Ok for the last two months I/we would turn off the TV & cable box and go to bed. I would wake up hearing voices and do my best groggy tactical moves with my side arm down the hall only to find the damm TV on and the cable box on too.

I would turn it off and return to bed. the next day I would come home and find the TV and the cable bo on and the TV at full vol.?

I turned them off and they stay off while Im in the room. Well last night we are sitting there with guests and the TV clicks on then the cable box turns on and the TV turns its self up to 100 on the vol..??

I grab the remote and turn the TV back down and then off, I then emptied the batteries out of the remotes, in case one of them is going bad.



10 mins later only the TV comes on and its at 100 on the vol.

I got up and tried to turn it off but it wouldnt...... So I pulled the plug and it shut off...

Any ideas?????

[airportkid]

Shoot it with your sidearm; it's obviously an intruder!

[eagle33199]

Check the neighbors, they may have the same brand of TV, and same cable box (being from the same cable company) with a universal remote with some great range. I'm reminded of the scene from Grumpy Old Men (or was it the sequel... can't remember) where one of them stood outside the window of the other guys house and changed the channels on his TV for the fun of it.

[echase]

Run, do not walk to blockbuster, and rent "Pulse" immediately.

Here's info, so you make sure you are getting the 1988 version, not any of the newer crapfests by the same name:

IMDB: Pulse (1998)

Also, make sure your Prius doesn't see this movie... wouldn't want it getting any ideas.

[hyo silver]

Obviously, it's possessed. Either that or you're losing it. Wasn't that helpful?
Umm...I'd say it's time to call the TV repair shop. Something's fused or shorted out. A liberal application of contact cleaner may do the trick.

[NoMoShocks]

What type of equipment, brand name of cable box and TV?

It does seem strange that they both come on.

You will want to find out if the cable box has an IR Blaster to turn on other equipment.

If the Cable Box is UHF remote, your neighbor could be opperating it, but why are they up in the middle of the night.

Could a friend be pranking you? Anyone in your house with an learning IR remote could lean the codes for your remotes, and then from outside your house, turn them on in the middle of the night and watch your reaction.

[eagle33199]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Aug 23 2007, 04:00 PM) [snapback]501204[/snapback]</div>

Obviously, it's possessed. Either that or you're losing it. Wasn't that helpful?
Umm...I'd say it's time to call the TV repair shop. Something's fused or shorted out. A liberal application of contact cleaner may do the trick.
[/b]

That would be my guess if it was one or the other... But to have both the TV and the cable box turning themselves on... Doesn't sound like a fuse or short unless one can turn the other on, which you generally only see done through remotes.

[TheForce]

One of your neighbors may have gotten one of these Ninja remotes and amplified the IR for a long range TV snipe.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/884f/

What I would do is keep your TV plugged in to make sure it will come on again by its self. When It does come on cover the IR sensor on the TV with a few layers of electrical tape. It it stops coming on by its self someone is sniping your TV.

To find out where this sniper is at use a video camera at night pointed at your windows. The camera will be able to see the IR and you can start tracking down the culprit and prank them back.

[koa]

They did say they would be baaaaack.

If they aren't back, try taking the batteries out of the remotes (TV and cable) and see if the problem goes away. Then you will know if its a faulty remote or coming from the outside. Or they actually are back.

I just saw you did take the batteries out. Try asking your closest neighbor to borrow their remote and see it it works on your stuff. Ask if they are having a similar problem in case someone is pranking the whole neighborhood.

[NoMoShocks]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hyo silver @ Aug 23 2007, 02:00 PM) [snapback]501204[/snapback]</div>

Obviously, it's possessed. Either that or you're losing it. Wasn't that helpful?
Umm...I'd say it's time to call the TV repair shop. Something's fused or shorted out. A liberal application of contact cleaner may do the trick.
[/b]

If your TV or Cable box has any contacts in it, replace that obsolete set.

Seriously though, most likely thing is you are being pranked. I would plug your TV and Cable box into a power strip with a switch on it and just turn off the power strip each night before you go to bed. Then turn it on when you wake up in the morning. The TV might take a little longer to come on if you try to rurn it on right after you power up the power stip, but after two or three minutes, it would be ready to start instantly.

Actually, you might need to leave the cable box plugged in if it does a nighly check in with the cable company, but just unplugging the TV at night will bore the pranker and he will move on to another house.