> I'm no techie, so I'm hoping someone here can help me.
>
> I've got a digital satellite box on top of my tv.  It runs through my VCR to
> my set.
>
> I've got a DVD player.  It runs directly to my set.
>
> When I turn the set on, and put the TV/video selector on the proper choice
> for DVD, the DVD plays like a dream, first time every time.
>
> When I turn the set on, and put the TV/video selector on the proper choice
> for the line in from the VCR/satellite, one of two things happens:
>
> A.  If I play a videotape, it plays perfectly, first time, every time.
> B.  If I choose to watch satellite TV, I get static -- no picture, no sound,
> for anywhere from ten seconds to twenty minutes.  Eventually -- every time --
> eventually, the satellite picture and sound pop on without my doing anything
> and usually stay on.  Nine times out of ten, it stays on.  Every so often it
> will drop back out, then come on again in a minute or less. Jiggling cables,
> tightening cables, none has any effect.
>
> It seems to me that it has something to do with the TV set warming up,
> because once the set is warmed up, there's rarely a problem.  But with a cold
> set, it happens every single time.  But here's the catch:
>
> The satellite box, the VCR, and the DVD player are never turned off.  Only
> the TV set is.  So if it's a TV set-warming up issue, then why wouldn't it be
> a problem for the DVD player or (especially) the VCR, since they all have to
> play through the same TV set?  (And the VCR is on the same line in as the
> satellite.)
>
> My daughter likes to watch her morning show before school, but she rarely can
> because the programming coming from the satellite takes so long to pop on. 
> But if I were to leave the set on all night, it would be working fine in the
> morning, nine times out of ten.
>
> I can't figure out why the one mutual link in three chains would be the
> problem if it's the final link and it works for two of the three.  Any ideas?
>
> Jim Beaver