Troubleshooting TiVo Sound Problems

When TiVo's on track, it's a dream machine, automatically trimming away television's nightmares, leaving only the pleasant and enjoyable. Underneath its magic, however, TiVo is, quite simply, a computer. And, like all computers, it occasionally wakes up from its dream world and faces real-life problems.

When you don't hear any sound coming from your TiVo — but you see the video —work your way down these steps, ruling out possible causes along the way:

1. Check your power, mute, and volume controls.

Make sure your TiVo's plugged in, as well as your TV, cable/satellite box (and stereo, if you use one). Is the mute turned off and the volume turned up?

2. Check the cable connections.

Are TiVo's sound cables connected correctly? Yellow cables connect the video; the red and white cables connect the sound. Using an S-Video cable? You still need to connect the red and white cables for sound. (S-Video only carries video.)

Try connecting the TiVo straight to the TV, removing anything in between (VCRs and stereos, for instance.) Still nothing? Try connecting the TV straight to your cable or satellite box to see if TiVo's the problem.

3. Restart TiVo.

If you can see the video, choose Messages & Setup from TiVo Central. Select Restart and System Reset, and choose Restart the DVR. TiVo turns itself off, then on again. Can't see the video? Then unplug TiVo, wait 15 seconds, and plug it back in.

4. Check your TV (and stereo, if you have one).

Make sure that you've turned off your TV's SAP (Secondary Audio Programming) and that you have the TV set to the correct Line Input. (You may need to pull out your TV's manual to find these switches; they vary among TV models.) Check your stereo's Line Input switches, too. The stereo might still be trying to play your DVD player, for instance, instead of TiVo.

5. Connect the TiVo directly to your TV.

Remove anything that's connected between the TV and your TiVo, including VCRs or stereos. Also, try connecting your cable or satellite box directly to your TV. This step helps you decide if the problem stems from TiVo, the TV, or perhaps the TV signal itself.

If your sound and video appear out of sync, press the Pause button, then start playing again. If the problem continues, make sure you're playing both the video and sound through TiVo.

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