Tv Remote Not Working

[iloveglee]

Here's one for the TV techies. We have a Sony Bravia TV (admittedly quite old, but working OK), that we can't use the remote control for.

Up to yesterday, this TV was connected, and linked to a sky box, which made the remote defunct. We used always to turn the TV off at the power button, as turning it off with the sky remote turned the sky box off, and sometimes we couldn't get it back. This mode of use has served us for a good few years.

Today, we have a new TV, and moved the old one upstairs. We can switch the TV on with the power button as we have been doing, but the remote won't work. As this TV has never been tuned in to an aerial, as we don't have that facility downstairs, it now needs tuning. It doesn't seem possible to do this without using the remote.

We assumed it was the batteries, so replaced them with brand new ones. Still not working. I have noticed that the little red standby light is not lit, and wonder if this is the problem. But can't find a way to get this on. We've tried powering it off and on again, and the power source is fine.

This is not a smart TV, so can't use the i-players instead of aerial input. It's a perfectly good TV, has never had any issues at all before, but just don't know how to move forward from here.

[malagabob]

If it’s a Sky remote. Doesn’t it need a code from your tv to pair it.

[iloveglee]

No I'm not trying to use it with a sky remote. It used to be used with a sky remote and yes the remote was paired with the TV. But the TV is now disconnected totally from the sky box and is connected to a regular aerial.

The TV has been removed from the mains electricity and plugged in elsewhere. I wouldn't be able to use the sky remote now this has been raised, I am wondering if this pairing has somehow affected the TV standby. The TV never went into standby since we had problems with the sky box which is several years.

I might have to go and try to turn it off with the sky remote and see what happens.

[royfromaus]

Don't worry about it...there will be nothing on TV to watch very soon.

[bhg481]

You can test your remote control using a camera. Just point the remote at the camera and press any button, you should see the transmitter light on the remote flashing if you look at the camera screen (the remote uses infra-red light and your camera will be sensitive to it)

[iloveglee]

Well I think I now know what the problem is. The TV still thinks it's being operated by a sky remote, rather than its own. It's right, it is, regardless of a connection or not to a sky box.

I can get the TV to go to standby using the sky remote, which doesn't help but does go to show that it's not the TV remote that's faulty, rather it's been made redundant by the sky remote.


So the TV remote still won't work, so now I need to find out how to unpair the TV from the sky remote, without impinging on the sky remote's ability to work the sky box. As it goes, there are all the BBC channels there without re-tuning the TV. As we don't watch an awful lot of TV upstairs, and no grand-children are coming over currently, we have plenty of time to try and get it sorted.

As far as the channels available without a subscription go, there is definitely a rapidly increasing shortage of anything worthwhile to watch. I could get a firestick for it I guess as we have a netflix subscription courtesy of one of the grandchildren. But that would only be something else to try to figure out how to work!!

[Mexican18]

Go into the menu on the TV and select auto tuning.

[bhg481]

You haven't proved the TV remote is not faulty; you have proved the remote receptor on the TV is not faulty but you have proved nothing about the TV remote control. Use the camera test I described and that will show whether or not the remote is transmitting.

[barry1010]

Turn the tv on with the Sky remote and keep pressing 'input', 'mode' or the Sky equivalent. That should put the tv to digital tv. If that doesn't work do the same with the tv remote.

[Bobnunton]

Big is right it is nothing to do with the pairing of the sky remote.
It does sound like your tv remote is faulty.
Just a little bit of useless info here for you as well.
The sky Q remote works on bluetooth.
Only the power on/off and volume up and down work by infra red.

[Bobnunton]

Sorry I meant bhg

[iloveglee]

It is kind of a bit strange though that the TV will go to standby using the sky remote but not with its own remote. I cannot be absolutely certain the TV remote is OK, although there is no reason at all it should be faulty. It's hardly been used as we have always paired the sky remote to the TV and used that. The batteries are fine, it's a brand new set.

I tried the camera trick but nothing happened. It's only an iphone camera though so maybe that doesn't count??

I haven't had time yet to try to use the sky remote to see if I can make it do the TV functions. what I don't want to do just at the minute is somehow disrupt the function on the sky box as we're in the middle of watching something we've downloaded on it. We have never used the TV remote for anything as this TV has always been connected to a sky box.

I can't get to the menu on the TV as that appears to need the remote to do it. What I'm not sure is whether the sky remote will pick up and alter anything on the sky box at a distance. Probably not as it's very slow at functioning the box from a few feet away!! Suggesting that we probably need a new sky remote as well.

We can survive as we are for the moment but it's very irritating. If I thought for certain that the TV remote was faulty I'd not bother even trying.

[Hopkirk]

TVs are not 'paired' with remote controls. The Sky remote was simply programmed to operate some functions on the TV.

If the original remote doesn't operate it, the fault must be with the remote. I suspect the contacts that connect to the battery are corroded. Try running them with sandpaper.

If necessary with a bit of Googling you could buy a replacement remote.

[198kHz]

Try pressing buttons while holding the remote adjacent to a portable radio tuned to a quiet part of the medium wave (AM), preferably close to the internal ferrite rod. It should 'chirp' with each press.

[bhg481]

When you've finished needing the Sky box, try the camera trick on that remote - you'll have to make sure you use the buttons which Bobnunton says emit Infra-red. If you can see the transmitter flashing on that then you have a problem with the TV remote. Something like this:

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

should be OK.

[Hopkirk]

Rubbing with sandpaper, not running.

[iloveglee]

I have thought that the battery connections may be dirty so that's something i'll have to try.

Sky refer to pairing the remote with the tv, using a code for the tv. i realise that all it does is allow the remote to do certain functions on the tv, volume etc. its their terminology.

there are various things i can try now so will go through them one by one. and i guess i could, at the end of the day get a new remote if that's what it comes to. can't imagine they would be very expensive for an old tv.

[barry1010]

Have you tried cycling through the input/source button? You should press it at least 4 times, leaving a few seconds between each press

[Unsureme]

Might sound stupid, but have you put batteries in the right way round.

[Ellipsis]

Forget the Sky remote being "paired", it's nothing to do with that. It sounds like your TV remote control is broken.

The link posted by bhg481 at 16:40 should sort it out.

[Hopkirk]

If you have to buy a replacement I recommend getting the correct one for the TV, not a 'One 4 All'.

In my experience they do all the major functions, but it can be hard or impossible to find the button or menu for retuning.