Cable FAQs

HDTVs can display more lines of detail than a standard-definition TV, resulting in a much clearer picture. A standard-definition broadcast has 480 lines of detail. HDTV broadcasts can have 720 or 1,080 lines. An HDTV needs a source of high-definition content to reach its full potential. Viewing HD content on an HDTV should be noticeably clearer than standard-definition.

HDTV content can also include enhanced audio (such as Dolby Digital) to provide a cinema-like viewing experience.

There is also a difference in the screen format (or aspect ratio) that gives HDTVs the ability to display a wide-screen format (or 16:9 aspect ratio) while traditional TVs use a 4:3 aspect ratio. Wide-screen images are much more natural for the human field of vision. This is why cinema films are overwhelmingly created in wide-screen.

To order HDTV service, please contact NuLink at 770-683-6988.

1. An HDTV set.
2. A HD-capable digital receiver or cable card.
   -An HDTV with a built-in QAM tuner may receive some local HD channels without a receiver or card.

With a leased HD receiver, you have access to a wide variety of free HD channels including Local broadcasters, Food Network HD, HGTV HD, History HD, FX HD, Fox News HD, TNT HD, ESPN HD, A&E HD, Discovery HD, Animal Planet HD and TLC HD, regional sports channels, and more. Also, many premium movie channels are available in HD such as HBO HD, Cinemax HD*, Starz HD, Showtime HD and TMC HD* when you subscribe to the corresponding premium packages and lease an HD-capable receiver.

NuLink also offers our HD Pack which, for an additional cost, gives you even more HD programming including Discovery HD Theater, HDNet and HDNet movies.

Click here for the complete HD lineup.

Depending on the services you subscribe to, HD service can be free.
Please call NuLink at 770-683-6988 for more information.

Depending on the connections offered by your HDTV, you may be able to use your VCR or DVD player with NuLink HD service. The content quality will be limited by the capabilities of your VCR or DVD player and the content you are using. Consult the owner's manual for your HDTV, VCR or DVD player for more information.

A traditional analog television is not capable of displaying an HDTV signal. To receive HD service from NuLink, you will need to subscribe to our Digital Cable service.

These are the component video cables. It’s important that the Y cable on the HDTV is connected to Y on the HD receiver, Pb to Pb and Pr to Pr. The Y output on the HDTV and the receiver is a green jack, the Pb is a blue jack and Pr is a red jack.

Just press the # key on your remote control to switch between wide-screen and regular-screen formats, depending on the aspect ratio (16:9 or 4:3) of the program you are watching.

1. Check all your cables to ensure they are securely connected to the correct jacks (colors should match in all cases).
2. Ensure you are NOT using the DVI connection on your HD receiver (this connection is currently not active).
3. Verify you are connected to an input that accepts 1080i content. Some HD sets only display 480 or 720 resolution rates. Consult your TV owner’s manual for this information.
4. Bypass the HD receiver and try connecting the coaxial cable straight from the wall to the TV. If you receive a picture when following this procedure, the HD receiver may be malfunctioning. Call NuLink at 770-683-6988 for further assistance.

The HD receiver (a Scientific Atlanta 3250HD) does not support an HDTV with RGB inputs unless a separate RGB adapter is used. If your television does not have an alternate method of connecting the HD receiver, you will need to purchase a RGB adapter to use the HD signal from the Scientific Atlanta 3250 HD receiver. The standard NuLink installation supports connecting the receiver to your HD ready television through component cables. Please call NuLink at 770-683-6988 for more information.

Yes, the HD receiver does support surround sound through the Digital Audio Output. All audio is digitized out of this output, simplifying the connections to your home theater system.

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a newer type of physical connection for TVs and high-definition components. It simultaneously carries uncompressed digital signals for both audio and video. Currently, the following NuLink set-top boxes are compatible with HDMI:

• Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD
• Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HDC
• Scientific Atlanta Explorer 4250 HDC

NuLink does not provide HDMI cables for this connection.

Some of our boxes may have DVI output, such as the 3250 HD. With a simple adapter or a special cable, this can be connected to an HDMI input on a TV or AV receiver with no difference in picture quality. However, DVI doesn't carry sound, so a separate connection must be run to carry sound to the TV or sound system. For audio, you can use any of the following outputs in tandem with the DVI connection: Red/white (analog) RCA connections, digital coaxial S/PDIF (single RCA connector), or digital optical S/PDIF (aslo called "TOSLINK").

Yes. Unlike other cable companies, NuLink offers HD-DVRs, as well as standard DVRs. NuLink realizes that customers with HDTV should have the ability to record and play back programs delivered in HD, so we offer two types of DVR: one for customers with HD, and one for customers with standard television

Yes. The advantage of NuLink’s offering is that you only need one piece of equipment to enjoy both HD programming as well as the functions offered by a DVR.

Yes, unlike many cable companies, NuLink carries HD-DVRs, as well as standard DVRs. Many cable companies only offer standard DVRs and customers cannot record and play HD content with these DVRs. NuLink realizes that customers with HDTV should have the ability to record and play back programs delivered in HD, so we offer two DVR types: one for customers with HD and one for customers with standard television. To order an HD-DVR, please call us at 770-683-6988.

A DVR will replace the original cable receiver and perform the same functions, and more, as the standard cable receivers.

To see a demo of how a DVR works: Interactive Demo.
 

Yes. Unlike other cable companies, NuLink offers HD-DVRs, as well as standard DVRs. NuLink realizes that customers with HDTV should have the ability to record and play back programs delivered in HD, so we offer two types of DVR: one for customers with HD, and one for customers with standard television

Yes. The advantage of NuLink’s offering is that you only need one piece of equipment to enjoy both HD programming as well as the functions offered by a DVR

A Digital Video Recorder (DVR) is a cable receiver capable of recording programming for playback at a later time. DVRs also offer these features:
 

• Pause live programming for up to an hour, which allows you to resume where you left off
• Record 2 programs simultaneously, while also playing back a third, pre-recorded program
• View 2 programs at the same time with the built-in picture-in-picture (PIP) feature
• Set the DVR to automatically record your favorite programming
• Instant replay of live programming

To see a demo of how a DVR works: Interactive Demo.
 

You can get a NuLink DVR for as little as $13.95 per month. For more information, call us at 770-683-6988.

Different DVR models have different storage capacity. Our 8300HD DVR has twice the internal capacity of the SD model, but HD content requires more storage space than SD. The table below may help to demonstrate the differences between our DVR models.

*Actual recording capacity depends on format and data rate of recorded content.

The recordings that were saved prior to the power loss are preserved, except, of course, those recordings that were automatically deleted because their save time was reached. Future recording schedules are also preserved. You will only miss the recordings scheduled to be made while the power was out.

It depends on whether the program is a live or a recorded program. You can rewind a recorded program back to the beginning of the recording. With live programs you can rewind back to the point at which you started watching that channel, but not more than an hour. Each time you change channels, a new copy is stored to the built-in recorder. If you have been watching the same channel for 15 minutes, you can rewind for 15 minutes. If you change channels, a new buffer is created starting from the point you changed the channel.

You can pause up to 1 hour on the main screen and at the same time pause up to 1 hour on the PIP screen.

No. If you have been tuned to the program since the beginning, just press Record from any point in the program and your DVR will record the entire program.

No, the recording will automatically stop based on the program run times you specified on the recording confirmation screen.

You may check the recording space used from the Preferences menu on your DVR. You can access the Preferences screen by pressing the B button on your remote. Scroll to the Recording Space Used line to check percentage of space used.

No, you can only play back a single recording at one time.

There is no way to recover a recording that has been erased from the Recorded List screen.

No. If you are recording two live programs at the same time and attempt to change channels, a warning message will appear warning you that you must stop recording that program in order to proceed. You can record two live programs and watch a pre-recorded program at the same time.

The DVR cannot determine if a live program is going over the initial time slot. If there is the chance the event may run long, you may extend the stop time when you set up the recording in the Confirm Recording screen.

Yes. If you block programs by channel or rating in General Settings, those settings are carried over to DVR recordings. For example, if you decide to block all R-rated programs in General Settings, the R-rated programs will still be recorded, but you cannot play them back until you enter the Parental Control PIN.

No. You can use the front panel of the converter box to schedule a recording from the Program Guide, or press the List button to access your recordings to play them back.

The remote control must be in the Cable mode to use any of the DVR features. This includes the picture-in-picture features.

From live TV:
Press Record on the remote. The Confirm Recording screen will appear. Press Select to accept the recording option presented or press A for other options.
 

From the Programming Guide:
Press Guide to bring up the Program Guide. Navigate to the program you would like to record. Press Record. The Confirm Recording screen will appear. Press Select to accept the recording option presented or press A for other options.
 

From a manual setting (channel, time and date):
Press List to display the Recorded List screen. Press B on the remote to display the Preferences screen. From the Preferences screen, select Schedule a New Manual Recording. Highlight and select the Channel in the first column. Scroll to the Day and specify when you want to record the program. Scroll to the Start and Stop times and specify the recording times. Scroll to the Save column and specify how long you want to save the recording. Once the recording has been set, it will now appear in your Scheduled Recordings list as a Manual Recording.
 

Preferences:
The Preferences screen allows you to change several default settings for your recordings or to set a manual recording (see How do I record a program?). change the save time for future recordings (1, 2, 7, 14 days or until erased) schedule a manual recording (see How do I record a program?) change the start/end times for future recordings (1, 2, 3, 5 minutes or on-time) sort the recorded list alphabetically or by time recorded. The Preferences screen is accessed from the Recorded List screen. This can be accessed by pressing List on the remote. Once on the Recorded list screen, press B to bring up the Preferences screen.

There are four different preferences that can be set when using the DVR function.

1. Schedule a Manual Recording (see How do I record a program?).
2. Change the start/end times for future recordings.
3. Sort the Recorded list.
4. Change the save time for future recordings.

Any change you make to these settings will become the new default settings (Except Schedule a Manual Recording).

Change start/end times for future recordings
When you select the Change the Start/End Times for Future Recordings preference, the edit screen will display.

You have the choice of how many minutes before and after a program you want to begin or end recording. This option sets the default values for all future recordings.

For example, if you set the time to 2 minutes, all recordings will start 2 minutes before the actual program start time and stop recording 2 minutes after the program stop time.

Once set, all programs will be recorded using these options unless you change an individual program using the Recorded Programs Options, Change Save Time option.

Sort the Recorded list alphabetically or by time
You can change how the Recorded list displays the programs using this option. You can display the list either by time or by title (alphabetically).

Pressing the Select key toggles between the two choices.

Change the save time for future recordings
This option allows you to the default save time for all recorded programs. The choices include 1, 2, 7, 14 days, or until erased.

Once set, all programs will be recorded using these options unless you change an individual program using the Recorded Program Options screen, Change Save Time option.
 

Press the List button to bring up the Recorded List screen. Use the Move Up or Move Down arrows to highlight the recording you wish to erase. Press the Select button and the Recorded Program Options screen will appear. Press the Move Down button twice until Erase is highlighted and press Select. Press Yes, Erase (A button).

The On-Screen Program Guide is available only to digital cable customers. It allows you to search for programs by time, channel or theme. The On-Screen Program Guide also provides program descriptions and additional information on a particular show. You can also use the On-Screen Program Guide to set parental controls, set your pay-per-view PIN or determine your favorite channels.

Press Guide on your remote control, then use the arrow buttons and the SEL buttons to navigate through the guide and make selections. The A, B and C buttons on the remote control change the type of information presented on the guide.

The On-Screen Program Guide is only available on televisions with digital cable converters.

Yes. If you block programs by channel or rating in General Settings, those settings are carried over to DVR recordings. For example, if you decide to block all R-rated programs in General Settings, the R-rated programs will still be recorded, but you cannot play them back until you enter the Parental Control PIN.

No. You can use the front panel of the converter box to schedule a recording from the Program Guide, or press the List button to access your recordings to play them back.

The remote control must be in the Cable mode to use any of the DVR features. This includes the picture-in-picture features.

No. NuLink Digital Cable will work on any television, as long as you have a digital cable converter from NuLink connected to the television.

If you want to receive digital programming and the On-Screen Program Guide on a specific television, you will need a digital converter for that outlet. Without a digital converter, digital cable customers can still receive expanded basic programming on a television connected to any cable outlet.

With NuLink Digital Basic, you receive additional channels, access to NuLink Video On Demand, digital music from Music Choice, pay-per-view channels, 13 commercial-free movie channels from Starz, and the ability to search all your programming using your On-Screen Programming Guide. With digital clarity and more variety, NuLink Digital Basic is perfect for customers looking for a broad selection of movies, music and programming. A digital cable converter is required to receive NuLink Digital Basic service.

The digital-to-analog converter box receives digital over-the-air signals from your antenna (or “rabbit ears”), converts them to analog and sends signals to your existing analog TV.

A converter box is a small cable box that sits on or near your television and tunes your television to the appropriate channel.

Converter boxes are not available with Basic Cable. If you would like premium movie channels, such as HBO or Showtime, or if you would like to be able to watch and order NuLink On-Demand or pay-per-view, you will need a digital converter box.

To connect your cable to your VCR and TV, make sure the cable coming from the wall is connected to the cable box on the connector labeled INPUT. The connector on the cable box labeled OUTPUT will go to the INPUT on the VCR. The OUTPUT connector on the VCR will go to the cable connection CABLE/ANT on the TV.

Make sure your coaxial cable, power and VCR/DVD connections are tight. If your cable is still not working, call 770-683-6988 to find out if there is an outage in your area. If there is no outage, ask for a NuLink Customer Care Representative for more assistance.

Because you lease your converter and remote control from NuLink, you are responsible for the equipment. If you move out of the area, you will need to return your NuLink converter and remote control in order to close your account with NuLink. For more information on equipment responsibility, please see Terms & Conditions.

To use the PIP feature, you must be in full-screen mode (not in the Program Guide or Menu screen) and the remote must be in the Cable mode. To turn the PIP feature on or off, simply push the On/Off button in the lower left corner of your remote control.

To swap screens between the small PIP screen and the full screen, press the Swap button in the PIP area of the remote control. Note: You must be in full-screen to start a recording from PIP.
 

To change channels in the PIP screen, use the + or - keys in the PIP area of the remote control.

To move the location of the PIP screen on television, press the Move button in the PIP area of the remote control
 

That is no problem. The picture-in-picture feature is provided by the DVR not the television set. The dual tuners in the DVR make it possible to use the PIP feature.

Yes, but you must swap it to the main screen first. After pressing Record and confirming the recording, you can swap it back to the PIP screen. The program will continue to be recorded even if you close the PIP screen.

No. The DVR will continue to record the program even if you turn off the picture-in-picture feature.

Yes, but you must swap it to the main screen first. For example, you can pause the main screen and swap it to the PIP, it will remain paused in PIP.