Forum Discussion

Debbie_Thew's avatar
Debbie_Thew
New Contributor
3 years ago

Remote Hangs Up

I have successfully paired my Cox remote to my Sony (non-smart) TV - everything works including, changes, volume, guide, input, etc.; however, when I try to use the voice control, it comes up with a ...
Bruce's avatar
Bruce
Honored Contributor III

Why is your Sony unsmart?  "Smart" only means it has access to the Internet.

Debbie_Thew's avatar
Debbie_Thew
New Contributor
3 years ago

That's why - it's old and does not have wireless capability.

I believe the issue is pairing the remote to the Contour box ... or at least for the voice control.  Everything else seems to work on the TV.

  • Bruce's avatar
    Bruce
    Honored Contributor III
    3 years ago

    Is Voice enabled?

    Contour button > Settings (gear icon) > Remote Settings > Voice Remote Pairing

    A LAN port (wired) on the Sony would also make it Smart.

    • Debbie_Thew's avatar
      Debbie_Thew
      New Contributor
      3 years ago

      That's where I go to pair it ... I push the setup button and hold until it turns green, then push contour and then type in the 3 number code that appears. Then when I push "OK," nothing happens.  It's like it's frozen.  If I push "exit" it will ask me if I want to skip pairing or continue pairing.  If I push "continue pairing" it takes me back to the screen with the code I already typed in and then it won't let me push "OK."

    • Debbie_Thew's avatar
      Debbie_Thew
      New Contributor
      3 years ago

      So, I just tried it again.  The TV I am working on is upstairs with the contour box (not the main DVD box).  When I did it, the code not only appeared on my TV but also the TV downstairs with the main DVD box.  So strange.

      • Bruce's avatar
        Bruce
        Honored Contributor III
        3 years ago
        So strange

        When you press a button on any remote, a transmitter within the remote emits the command either as a Light Wave or Radio Wave.

        • Light Wave, Infrared, InfraRed, IR
        • Radio Wave, Radio Frequency, RF

        Infrared is like a flashlight because you have to aim (shine) the remote at the component.

        This is why the Pairing steps begin with "Point the remote at the receiver with a clear line of sight" because the pairing begins in Light mode.  In Light mode, the remote is getting the attention of the specific Contour box.  ("Hey, you")

        I suspect when you "Press the Voice Command button to begin programming the remote," the remote then goes into Radio mode.  After getting the attention of the Contour box via Light, the remote then pairs the box via Radio.

        Most TV sets only have Light sensors to receive commands via IR so after you pair the remote to a TV set, the remote emits the applicable commands via Light.

        Contour, however, also has a radio receiver so the remote emits the applicable command for Contour via Radio.

        As opposed to directly aiming for Light, Radio Wave emits from the remote in all directions like a bubble.  In addition to emitting in all directions, these low-frequency Radio Waves from the remote can also penetrate walls, floors, furniture, etc.  (Beginning to see the Light?)

        Therefore, while upstairs pairing a device via Radio Waves and if you can imagine through your walls, floors, etc the direction and location of the downstairs receiver, it's probably within 50 feet.

        If any Contour box is within 50 feet of your upstairs remote and senses commands via Radio Waves, it thinks the commands are for it.  However, pressing the Contour button (again, again, again) narrows the Radio Waves to the specific frequency of the intended Contour box.