Attn tv repairmen!...or anyone handy?
Answer:
Call the cable company. They can reboot the cable box remotely. I have had to do this a few times.
that sounds a little freaky to me... I would turn it off. and pray...
Sounds to me like the decoder is suspect.
Have you tried the DECODER on another tv?
I know you mentioned trying other TV's, but unless they are also cabled to the decoder, they will tell you nothing.
I have seen this once or twice in my servicing carrer.
Decoders that arn't entirely dead, but do very strange things like this.
Suggestion: Disconnect the decoder from your TV, and plug in a DVD player to the AV input on the back(the red, yellow and white cable and sockets). You can use a VCR, if you don't have a DVD player, or you could also use anything that plugs into a TV, such as a Playstation or X-box.
If the DVD(or other connected device) plays OK, then the fault is not with your TV - it's the decoder.
If you are on a pay-tv scheme, then ring them, tell them what you tried, and they should send out a tech to replace the decoder.
It should be free, as generally, the service providers supply the decoders, you just rent the service, so you should not be out of pocket on the deal(with any luck).
You can also try plugging the decoder into another TV - bring the other TV to the decoder, if it is not practical to move the decoder. If the same picture freezing happens on the 2nd TV, you've proved that the decoder is crook.
Do you have "picture in picture" capabilities? Check out these settings with the cable box and the TV. It sounds like a situation I had a few years back when I set the "picture in picture" setting to "review" which shows the reviewing channel's video yet the audio stays on the main channel. Just an idea.
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