Why is my TV jumping to channel 5 when I'm watching channel 25?

October 3, 2010 6:17 PM

My TV keeps randomly switching to Channel 5 when I'm watching Channel 25. WHAT IS GOING ON AND HOW DO I MAKE IT STOP

I have a Sceptre LCD television. It is connected to a coax cable that feeds me uber-basic cable (basically just the local broadcast stations in HD, plus the local public television stations). I watch a lot of shows on Channel 25. Recently my TV started randomly doing this thing where it will suddenly switch to Channel 5 while I'm watching Channel 25. If I watch other channels there's no problem; it's only channels 25 and 5. No one's sitting on the remote or anything -- in fact, I removed the batteries from my remote, and it's still happening.

What could be going on?

Alternatively, does anyone know how to google this better than I'm apparently doing? Searching for "channel changes" or "channel switches" or "channel jumps" isn't doing it for me in the results.

Any help much appreciated!

posted by olinerd to technology (7 answers total)

I can't figure out why it would only be for that channel, but we had a similar problem and it turns out that the buttons on the actual TV were going haywire. My fiance went in and disconnected the cables so the buttons don't work anymore, and that solved the problem.
posted by radioamy at 6:24 PM on October 3, 2010

It sounds weird, but did you recently put a new compact fluorescent bulb in? Some of them have been known to interfere with remotely-operated devices.
posted by Dipsomaniac at 6:43 PM on October 3, 2010

Your best source for info on this sort of problem is your cable provider. They've heard all sorts of weird problems and likely have an answer for you.
posted by Neiltupper at 6:49 PM on October 3, 2010

The IR on one of my old laptops used to make the TV do this. (I think mine went to channel 12, though.)
posted by wending my way at 6:55 PM on October 3, 2010

You could cover the IR receiver on your TV and see if it stays on 25.
Then you know it is infrared interference, rather than an internal glitch.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 6:57 PM on October 3, 2010 [3 favorites]

Something on Channel 25's station identification screen is causing IR interference. That's my bet, anyway, as someone with a TV that causes IR interference with the remotes for my cable and Roku. Try turning up the brightness on your TV as high as it will go and see if it fixes the issue. I know, that will make the picture look bad. But once you identify the problem - if that's it - you can dial the brightness down incrementallly to discover the happy (or not really happy) medium where everything works.
posted by The World Famous at 7:17 PM on October 3, 2010

A similar thing happened to us when the TV was sitting in a spot where (hot summer) sunlight would hit the front control panel. Intererence with the remote reader thingy, somehow. I moved the TV and it never happened again.
posted by malibustacey9999 at 7:31 PM on October 3, 2010