I NEVER watch the large-screen-with-surround-sound TV that inhabits our family room. It's Hubby's toy, I read or cruise the internet. And then one day, our granddaughter came over and wasn't feeling well, so only wanted to lay on the couch and watch a movie.
I approached it with trepidation, but couldn't turn the damned thing on until I figured out that the large decoration-thing in the bottom center (where there are NO other controls) was the on/off button. I got a DVD into the DVD player and got it on and playing, I could hear the soundtrack coming from all those speakers all over the room. However. The TV was showing Cops. Hmmmm.
I opened the beautiful box that I bought Hubby to hold his remote controls. Let's see, this one is for either the surround sound or DVD, it's labeled Sony. This one is for the satellite, it's labeled DirectTV. This one is labeled TVGuide, what the HELL is THAT? This one is labeled Sony also, oh, it's the DVD player - which makes the other on for the sound. And this one is labeled...with nothing. Again, hmmmm.
Through process of elimination, I put the sound one back in the box (I could HEAR the thing fine). I put the DirecTV one back (I didn't want to use the satellite). I put the DVD one back (I had it going, I could hear the soundtrack). Which left me the one that was unlabeled and the one that said TVGuide.
By now I'm alternating reassuring the granddaughter that we were getting there and muttering (under my breath since THOSE are words that my granddaughter won't hear from ME). I started pressing buttons.
I turned the picture to snow. I put it back. I pressed every button on the damned things. I finally gave up and told the granddaughter I'd read her a story. When she didn't answer, I noticed that she was sound asleep.
When Hubby came home I asked for a lesson on the operation of !$#%~#% multitudinous remotes. He obliged and showed me how to do everything I needed using ONLY those remotes - he requested that I don't actually TOUCH the equipment except to move DVDs in and out. After a half hour of patient instruction, I could turn it on and show a DVD. YARRRR.
The next time the gdaughter wanted to watch a movie was almost 3 months later. I never did get the picture changed, I read her a story.
Be patient with your mother!
I am ONE with my computers. It’s all those other smaller digital gadgets I struggle with. Remotes, cell phones, gps devices, etc. All those things with too few buttons that each perform too many funtions. Don’t ever ask me to respond to a text message on my cell phone. It ain’t gonna happen.