Mediacom DVR Quick Manual

©2005 by Mediacom Communications Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Mediacom Communications assumes no liability nor responsibility for the use
of any content, materials, or techniques included in this guide. Mediacom DVR is a service mark of Mediacom Communications Corporation.

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Remote Control Features & Basic Navigation Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Quick Menu: Quick & Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Quick Access Menu Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

All Access with the Main Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Enhanced Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Easy to Understand Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Smart Channel Surfing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Action Icon Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Action Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Program Information At Your Fingertips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Parental Locks To Protect Your Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Go Ahead, Play Favorites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Pay Per View Made Easy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

On Demand Brings the Video Store to You! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

On Demand Action Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Guide Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Cable Box Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Audio Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Screen Position Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Text Language Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

DVR: Digital Video Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Record with Just One Touch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Manually Schedule a Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Record Two Programs at Once . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Record A Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Modifying Recording Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Watch Recorded Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Guide Symbols to Know: Recorded Program Information Screens . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

DVR Playback Controls

Status Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Rewind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Fast Forward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Slow Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Instant Replay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Return To Live TV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Swap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

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Introduction

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Remote Control Features & Basic Navigation Tips

Mediacom's Digital On Screen Program Guide from TV Guide is
improved to give you greater choice, convenience and control as
you watch television.

■

A sleek, new design

■

A convenient,time-saving Quick Menu

■

A friendlier display with a full 90 minutes of
programming listings

■

Enhanced searching

■

Increased speed

■

And Mini Guide, a whole new way to watch TV and channel
surf at the same time

This brochure will show you just how easy it is to Set Reminders,
Favorites, and Parental Locks. You'll learn how to use Mediacom's
new Mini Guide to find out what's on next while you continue
to watch your favorite shows.Plus,you'll have access to great
features like On Demand and Digital Video Recorder (DVR).*

*Services may not be available in all areas.

VOD

Direct Access to Video On

Demand(VOD), where available

Replay

Replays last 15 seconds

of program

Help

Learn more about a feature

Page

Scroll to the next or previous page

of listings

Exit

Return to watching television

OK

Select a highlighted item; or while

watching a program, press to

display or remove the

Flip Bar or

Mini Guide

Guide

See program listings for the

current time

Day*

See listings for the next

or previous day

Numbers

Press channel numbers,then

OK to tune to a channel

PPV

Direct Access to Pay-Per-View
(PPV), where available

VCR Controls

Controls VCR, ON DEMAND
and Digital Video Recording
(if available)

Live TV

Displays live TV programming

List

Displays recordings

FAV

Tune to your Favorite channels,
once you set them up

CHAN

Change channels and access
the

Flip Bar

Last

Return to the previous screen
or channel

Info

See program information

Arrows

Use to highlight guide features,
or while watching television, press
to begin browsing.Note: Arrows
control playback of recorded
programs with

DVR

Menu

Enter and exit the Main Menu

Swap

Swap between television tuners

■

A is your indicator as you use your remote to see what’s on TV.As

you navigate listings using your remote,the highlight appears on-screen to indicate your
current selection.

■

Press the  buttons on your remote to move the highlight.

■

Press OK to make your selection.

■

Press the EXIT button on your remote to return to watching TV.

Note: Remote pictured may not reflect your actual remote.
Basic functions should be the same.
*Amount of programming data varies by system.

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Quick Menu: Quick & Easy All Access with the Main Menu

The Quick Menu offers shortcuts
to key interactive guide features.
Just press MENU from anywhere
in the guide– or even while
you're watching a program ­and you'll have access to fea­tures like Search, Favorites,
Digital Music and more.

Quick Menu Icons

Guide Main Menu Digital Recordings

Search Menu On Demand Menu

Pay-Per-View Listings Digital Music Listings

Favorites List Movies Search Menu

Kids Search Menu Listings By Time

Sports Search Menu Guide Setup Menu

Listings By Channel Pay-Per-View Events

Message Center Pay-Per-View by Title

*Menu selections vary depending on the services your cable provider offers.

Highlight and select any of these icons to immediately access the area indicated.

Main Menu gives you easy
access to all features.Simply
press

MENU twice, then select

from the options available,
including TV Listings By Time,
viewing options by category,

Parental Locks, Favorit es,Local
Weather and more.

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Smart Channel Surfing

The Flip Bar lets you see

program information as you

change channels.

The

Mini Guide lets you watch

television and view listings without
having to leave your program.To
access, press

OK or INFO then use

the

buttons to browse time

and use the

buttons to browse

channels.

TV Listings appear in a grid for­mat with channel numbers and
network call letters down the left
side and times along the top.
Listings are color coded to help
you identify different types of
programs.

Blue - Regular programs

Purple - Movies

Green - Sports

Light Blue - Children's programs

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Enhanced Searching

With TV Guide’s Program
Guide, you can sort and view
program

Listings By Time,

Listings By Channel,or by

categories such as

Movies,

Sports, Children and more.

Select a category from the
Main Menu or Quick Menu
to display listings.

A-Z Title Search allows you
to find a specific program by
entering the first few letters
of the program name

Easy to Understand Listings

Subcategories let you focus

your search even further. For

example, you can search for

movies that fit your mood:

comedies, dramas, adventure

and more

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Your On Screen Guide provides
Instant Information while you
view program listings, including
program title,start/end time, pro­gram rating,a brief program
description and helpful indicators
that identify your settings, such as

Reminders, Recordings and
Favorites.

8

Program Information at your Fingertips

Action Icon Shortcuts

From the Program
Information screen, you can
use the

Action Icons at the

bottom of the screen to set a
Reminder, see other air
times and more.

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Action Icons

Go back to the previous screen

Watch this program

Record/Change Record Options*

Place a Lock on the program to restrict viewing

Display all the Times the program will be airing

Set a Reminder for this program

Save the channel in your Favorites list

Order PPV and other pay services

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Go Ahead, Play Favorites

The Favorites feature lets you
quickly access the channels
you've designated as your
Favorites. Just select Favorites
from the Main Menu or from the
Quick Menu.

Ordering

PPV movies and events is easy. From the Main Menu or Quick Menu,

select any of the PPV options to see a list of available programs.Use your remote to
get detailed information and order.You can even cancel your selection.

If your PPV program is scheduled to air at a future time,a

Reminder is automatically

set to appear before your program begins.

Pay Per View Made Easy

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On Demand Brings the Video Store to You!

Order an On Demand program
and you can watch it at your con­venience,as many times as you
want within the rental period.
You can even pause, fast-forward
and rewind.

Access

On Demand from the
Main Menu, Quick Menu or
Channel 1 in the TV listings.

The On Demand Menu displays categories of programming.Use the ▲▼▲▲
buttons on your remote to select a category and access program listings for the
category or to access sub-category menus.**

▲

▲

Select a title to access detailed
information, including rental time,
cost, program rating and a pro­gram description.

To buy the program,highlight the

Action Icon, then follow the on-

screen prompts to complete your

order.If the program is available at

no cost+, a icon will appear

instead of .Your selection will

begin playing immediately and

you can watch as often as you
want during the rental period.

Parental Locks let you restrict
viewing and purchases of TV
programming based on your
preferences. Set a personalized
4-digit

PIN and you can place

locks on selected ratings,
channels and titles.You can
also hide adult titles from being
displayed on screen.

Parental Locks to Protect your Family

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If you have stopped a program and
want to come back to it later,select
My Rentals* from the On Demand
Menu.

• Highlight and select a title and see
an information screen that displays
your remaining rental time and
other program details.

• Select to start watching where you
left off, or select to start the program
from the beginning.

• Watch as many times as you want
within the rental period.

On Demand Action Icons

* On Demand not available in all areas.On Demand programs may not be recorded with DVR (if available).
**Menu label and categories vary by cable provider.
+If available from your cable provider.

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Guide Setup

You can activate and customize certain guide features such as the Flip Bar,Lock
options, Cable Box settings, Audio settings and Languages from the Setup Menu.

Use your remote to select Setup from the Main Menu, then use the ▲▼ buttons to
select from the following setup options:

• Flip Bar Position – The Flip Bar
can appear either at the top or
bottom of your screen.

• Flip Bar Timeout – Change the
amount of time in which the Flip
Bar will stay on your screen from 3
to 15 seconds.

Auto-Tune –

• Ye s – Automatically tunes after 2

seconds when you enter numbers
directly on your remote.

• No – Enter 3 digits or press OK
after entering numbers on the
remote.

• Message – Select On to make the message envelope appear when a new message
is received.

• Reminder Notice – Adjust the amount of time before the start of a program in
which the Reminder Notice will appear from 1–15 minutes.

• Listing Grid Height – You can adjust the listings to display single- or dual-height
grid display from the Guide Set-Up Menu.

Cable Box Setup

Time Display –

• Off - Displays the currently tuned

channel on the front of the termi­nal.

• On - Displays the current time on
the terminal.

AC Outlet –

• Switched - Determines that

power is available only when the
terminal is on.

• Unswitched - Means that power
is always available to the outlet on
the back of the terminal.

See Configuration –

• Choose Yes to show the configuration screen (includes information your cable

company may need in the event of a problem with your service).

- Go back to the previous screen

- Order the program, or cancel an ordered program

- Tune to a program (for some free and subscription programming)

- Preview

- Place a lock on the program to restrict viewing

- Resume play of the video (appears for purchased videos)

- Restart the video from the beginning (appears for purchased videos)

- Delete the title from your rented titles list (appears for
purchased videos)

- Indicates the program is available as a package

- Cancel Selection

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DVR: Digital Video Recorder

Any time you tune to a
channel, the

DVR starts a

temporary recording.So
you can PAUS E if the
phone rings,

REWIND the

scene you missed and
FAST FORWARD to skip
what you don't want to
watch.

Control Live TV

Pause live television.Rewind and replay programs.Record your
favorites all season long.With Digital Video Recorder (DVR)* from
Mediacom, you're in control. Your Dual Tuner DVR has made
recording and watching your favorite programs easier than ever.
Now you can:

■

Watch a program while recording another or record two programs
at once

■

Record up to 35 hours of analog programs,up to 80 hours of
digital programs,or up to 15 hours of High Definition programming**

■

Build your own personal video library,stored on your digital
set-top box, so you can watch them at your convenience.

Plus, you can even pause, fast forward and rewind LIVE TV to playback
the scenes you've missed.

*DVR not available in all areas. Requires digital set top with record capability. Remote control functions and menu selections vary by area.
** Recording capacity varies by video source.

Audio Setup

Default Audio Language – Change
secondary digital audio available
with certain networks and programs.
Press buttons to change the
default language to English, Spanish,
French or Portuguese.
Optimal Stereo Volume -

• No - Means the volume is
unchanged from the current setting.

•

Ye s - Means the volume is automat-

ically adjusted to the optimal level.

Dolby Digital –

•

ON – Turns Dolby Digital on (available only for cable boxes supporting Dolby

Digital).

• OFF – Turns Dolby Digital off.
Audio Output - Choose if the audio output comes from your TV or from your stereo

•

TV Speaker is the default setting.

• Select Advanced to change the settings for Compression and Stereo Output.

To alter your screen position.

• From the

Setup Menu, select Screen Position to display the Screen Position

Adjust screen.

• Use the

▲▼ buttons on your remote until the display arrows are centered on

the screen.

• Select English, Canadian English,Canadian French or Spanish to change the on­screen commands, selection bars and help screens within the Guide.

• From the Setup Menu, select Text Language Setup and use the buttons to select
the desired language.
To confirm,select

Ye s .

Note: Changing the language of the Guide can take several minutes.During this time, the Guide is not accessible.

Screen Position Setup

Text Language Setup

▲

▲

▲

▲

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Record Two Programs at Once

Because your DVR has two tuners,it can buffer (temporarily record) two different
programs at the same time.While recording two programs,you can watch and
control either program up to the point of live TV by using the SWAP button on
your remote.

While Watching a Show:

■

Press RECORD to record the
program you are watching.

■

Press SWAP to switch to the
other tuner and find the second
program you want to record.

■

Press RECORD when you locate
the second program you want
to record.

From the Guide:

■

Highlight a program you want to
record from any listings screen.

■

Press RECORD to set up the first
recording

■

Highlight the second program.

■

Press RECORD to set up the
second recording.

Press RECORD on your remote
any time while watching TV or
while navigating through the
program listings. Recording
begins immediately at the
point you pressed

RECORD for

current programs or a recording
is automatically scheduled for
future programs.Recording
will start at the program's
scheduled start time.

You can set a Manual Recording
to automatically record a specific
time and channel.

Step 1: Select DVR from the

Main Menu, then select
Set a Recording.

Step 2: Select the start and end

times.

Step 3: Select the channel you

want.

Step 4: A “Create a New

Recording”Screen will
appear.Select Create a
Recording

to confirm

your settings or select the
Recording Options Icon
for additional Recording
options.

Record with Just One Touch

Manually Schedule a Recording

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Modifying Recording Options

Use the buttons on your
remote to change

Recording

Options

:

■

Change the frequency of the
recording,such as every day or
once a week.

■

Specify how many recordings
to save.

■

Set a Save Until parameter,
either until you delete or auto­matically when space is need­ed.

■

Change the start and end
times in order to catch every
minute of a program, even if it
runs over.

Your

DVR gives you flexibility to

manage your personal video
library.You can change your
Recording Options at any time,as
often as you like. From the

Main
Menu, select DVR, then select
Future Recordings to see a list of

your scheduled recordings.
Highlight a program title and
press

OK or INFO.

Select the from the program information screen. Select to change the
Recording Options, or select X to delete this program from your list of Future
Recordings.

Delete Programs

From the program information screen,select the to delete the recording,or
select to modify the Delete Priority. For example, you can tell the guide to
delete the recording when space is needed.

Record a Series

Your DVR lets you record multi­ple episodes of a program
according to your preferences.
You can set the DVR to record
only new (first run) episodes, first
run episodes and repeats or all
episodes.

When you set a recording from a
Series Program Information
screen, you’ll have an additional
icon on the preceding
Recordings Overlay. Choose this

Create a Series Recording Icon to specify your Series Recording Options.

■

Select the episode type to record, such as first run only, first run and repeats or
all episodes.

■

Specify how many recordings to save.

■

Specify how long to save the recording – until you erase it or until space is
needed.

■

To access advanced series setup features like add minutes to the start and end
times and specify which channels to record,select the Recording Options
Icon to review all options.

Your Series Recordings will appear in the

My Recordings list with the show title as

its label. Multiple recordings of the same show will have the same label and will be
listed beginning with the most recent recordings first as default.To change your
view,use the (arrow

 buttons on your remote to View by Date,View by Channel

or View by Title.

You may also modify the priority assigned to a series using the Series Priority List.

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