Community TV for Assisted Living & Nursing Homes
Your Community TV services give your residents access to MidcoTV, our all-streaming, reliable TV platform. They can connect to their favorite streaming and music apps, without worrying about switching inputs.
Stay on this page for support information, troubleshooting tips, FAQ and more.
Your residents can find the latest information and resources on managing their TV services on our residential support pages.
Remotes
Your remote controls your TV experience. There are three remote options – standard, clean or full-size. Identify your remote below and follow the instructions for setup and use.
Explore the ins and outs of your remote.
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Once programmed, Power turns your TV on and off.
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Volume and Mute controls your TV audio (if programmed).
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TiVo takes you to your home screen.
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Your Navigation Ring controls playback and helps you navigate your menus.
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Use the OK button to choose menu items, pause and play shows, and navigate tp playback controls.
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While watching a show, press the Left or Right buttons to bring up the playback controls. From here, you can fast forward or rewind.
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While fast forwarding or rewinding, press and hold the button again to skip ahead or back 15 minutes.
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Press and hold the Right button to skip ahead 30 seconds.
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While watching live TV, press Up for the mini-interactive guide, Down to see the home screen menu.
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Press Back to go back to the previous screen or to go back to full screen video from the home screen.
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Note: This feature is not available.
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Use the Input button to select the input for your TV (if programmed).
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The Guide button takes you to the on-screen interactive guide.
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Use the Channel Up and Down buttons to change the channel or move quickly through your lists or your interactive guide.
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The Info button shows the info card while watching a show. Press Info again to make the info card disappear.
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You can also use this to turn closed captions on or off. Press the Info button, and then select Turn Closed Captions ON or Turn Closed Captions OFF.
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You can also use this function to record. See How to Record for more details.
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A screen reader can be enabled or disabled by pressing and holding the Info button for more than 3 seconds.
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Go back to the previous channel while watching TV by pressing the Exit button. This button also closes certain apps.
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Issue voice commands with the Google Assistant button.
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The Grid button jumps you to the Apps & Games screen.
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Launch Netflix with the Netflix button. (Separate subscription required.)
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Use the number buttons to type in a specific channel number. While on the home screen, use the numbers to jump directly to the options on the Navigation Bar.
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1 – Watch TV
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3 – What to Watch
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4 – Guide
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5 – Apps & Games
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7 – Search
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9 – Notifications
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Some properties may provide a clean remote for simplified use and easy sanitization.
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Once programmed, Power turns your TV on or off.
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Vol controls the volume on your TV, receiver or soundbar audio (if programmed).
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Mute turns the sound on or off.
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TiVo takes you to your home screen.
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Note: This feature is not available.
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Navigate the screen using the Up, Down, Left and Right arrows.
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Press Back to go back to the previous screen or to go back to full screen video from the home screen.
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Issue voice commands with the Google Assistant button by pressing the button, releasing it and then speaking.
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Record the show you are watching or the selected show in the guide.
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REC List shows a list of your recorded content.
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Use the number buttons to enter channel numbers.
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Note: This feature is not available.
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Use the Input button to select the input for your TV (if programmed).
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This is the microphone for voice search capabilities.
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Watch live TV by selecting the Live TV button.
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Use the Channel Up and Down buttons to change the channel or move quickly through your lists or your interactive guide.
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Guide takes you to the on-screen interactive guide.
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Last goes to the last viewed channel.
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Info shows the info card while watching a show. Press Info again to make the info card disappear.
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You can also use this to turn closed captions on or off. Press Info, then arrow to the right to Turn Subtitles & CC On or Turn Subtitles & CC Off.
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A screen reader can be enabled or disabled by pressing and holding Info for more than 3 seconds.
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OK accepts the current selection.
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Go back to the previous channel while watching TV by pressing the Exit button. This button also closes certain apps.
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The Grid button jumps you to the Apps & Games screen.
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Launch Netflix with the Netflix button. (Separate subscription required.)
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Note: This feature is not available.
You can choose to have full-size remotes at your property for easier handling and full functionality.
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TiVo takes you to your home screen.
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Once programmed, Power turns your TV on or off.
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Use the Input button to select the input for your TV (if programmed).
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Press Back to go back to the previous screen or to go back to full screen video from the home screen.
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Use the Arrow buttons to navigate the TiVo menus. When watching video, press Down to see Continue Watching and Favorite Channels panels.
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Volume and Mute controls the volume on your TV, receiver or soundbar.
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Issue voice commands with the Google Assistant button by pressing the button, releasing it and then speaking.
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Repeat the last eight seconds of the show with the Replay button. Press and hold to jump to the beginning of your show.
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Use the Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down to confirm certain commands, as instructed on screen.
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A, B, C and D buttons have various functions depending on where you are on the screen.
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Use Clear to dismiss items appearing over Live TV and delete titles from My Shows and your To Do List.
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Watch live TV by selecting the Live TV button.
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Info shows the info card while watching a show. Press Info again to make the info card disappear.
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You can also use this to turn closed captions on or off. Press Info, then arrow to the right to Turn Subtitles & CC On or Turn Subtitles & CC Off.
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A screen reader can be enabled or disabled by pressing and holding Info for more than 3 seconds.
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Go back to the previous channel while watching TV by pressing the Exit button. This button also closes certain apps.
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Use the Channel Up and Down buttons to change the channel or move quickly through your lists or your interactive guide.
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Guide takes you to the on-screen interactive guide.
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Record the show you are watching or the selected show in the guide.
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Use the TrickPlay buttons (Rewind, Fast-Forward, Stop, Pause and Play) to control video.
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Move forward in 30-second increments with the Advance button. Press and hold to jump to the end of the show. Or, press to jump to the next tick mark when fast-forwarding.
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Note: This feature is not available.
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Launch Netflix with the Netflix button. (Separate subscription required.)
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Return to the last channel you viewed with the Enter/Last button.
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Press the TiVo button to go to the home screen.
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Select Menu.
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Go to Settings, and then select Remote Settings.
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To pair your remote with your TV or sound system, choose Remote Control Programming.
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Follow the instructions on your TV.
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Press TiVo button to go to the home screen.
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Select Menu and scroll down to Accessibility under Settings.
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Choose Closed Captioning to turn closed captioning on or off for all shows.
Use Google Assistant for a smarter TV experience. You can search for programs, change channels, launch apps and more using your voice.
Just press the Google Assistant button and wait for the Google search bar to appear on your screen. Then, issue a voice command.
Here are some ways to search with Google Assistant:
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Search for shows by saying titles, like “NCIS” or “Titan Games.”
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Do a general search for a show genre, such as “What MLB games are on?”
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Start a movie or show: “Play House Hunters.”
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Launch downloaded streaming apps by saying the name of the app: “Netflix” or “YouTube.”
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Search for sports by saying team names, like “Minnesota Twins” or “Denver Broncos.”
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Find when your team is playing next by asking: “When do the Royals play next?”
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Change the channel by saying the channel name, such as “ESPN.”
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Search for weather by asking “What’s the weather today?”
The activity light on the remote should blink with each press of a button. If not, replace the batteries.
If you need to re-pair your remote with your MidcoTV equipment, you may need to reset your remote:
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Press the TiVo button and the Power button at the same time until the remote’s activity light appears solid red.
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Press the Down Volume button three times, and then press the TiVo button. The activity light on your remote will blink red three times to indicate the factory reset is complete.
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Press any button to start the pairing process.
If you continue to have troubles, contact us.
If your remote activity light continually blinks five times in a row with a pause in between, your batteries are low and need to be replaced soon. If you want to check your battery level, follow these steps.
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Press the TiVo button to go to the home screen.
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Select Menu.
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Go to Settings, and then select Device Settings.
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Select Remotes & Accessories to view the remote’s battery level.
Google and Google Play are trademarks of Google LLC. Google Assistant is not available in certain languages and countries. Third-party monthly subscription is required for some apps. Network apps are subject to change. You must be signed in to your Google account in order to download apps from the app store or use voice commands.
This material includes references to products, services and/or equipment not manufactured by Midco. The respective companies retain trademark and registered trademark ownership for those referenced items.
Acceptable use of any application is determined solely by the application provider and may not be available for Business use.
Setup and Troubleshooting
Resetting your MidcoTV equipment will erase all data from the device’s internal storage, including the Google account, system and app data, settings, and downloaded apps.
Before performing a factory reset, make sure the incoming tenant is authorized on the account and fully verified. You can reach out to Midco if you have any questions.
Once the factory reset is complete, you will need to go through the setup process through the TV.
Reset Options
Agent Reset
Call Midco and one of our agents can perform a factory reset for you. The MidcoTV box must be connected to the internet for this option.
Reset with Remote
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Press TiVo button.
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Select Menu.
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Select Device Settings.
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Select Device Preferences.
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Select About.
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Select Factory Reset.
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A factory reset message will appear. Read it carefully before selecting Factory Reset.
Reset through MidcoTV Box
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Look at the bottom of the MidcoTV box.
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You’ll see a small hole that says Factory Reset.
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Insert a small item, like the end of a paper clip, into the hole.
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Press and hold for at least 10 seconds.
Once the factory reset is complete, you or your new tenant will need to complete the following to use MidcoTV.
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To pair your remote, you’ll need to have the remote within three feet of the MidcoTV box. Press and hold the TiVo and Back button together until the remote light turns red.
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Select the language preference on the welcome screen.
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If you are connecting via Ethernet, click Continue.
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If the tenant has an Android phone, they can select Continue to access a setup site to transfer in the Wi-Fi connection settings and Google account information from their phone to the MidcoTV box. This information can also be entered manually. You can also skip this step.
Note: You will not be able to access the Google Play Store to download additional apps or use the voice commands through the remote until you log in to your Google account.
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To sign in to a Google account manually, you will need the email address and password associated with the Google account. If you are unsure of the Google account information, Google will need to provide assistance.
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Click Accept on the Terms and Conditions page.
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On the Location screen, you can choose to enter your location information if you want. This is not required and can be done at a later time.
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You can also choose to provide Google with diagnostic information for the device. This is not required and can be done at a later time.
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You can enter a custom name for the MidcoTV box.
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Click OK to see and accept the additional features.
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Once the TiVo screen boots up, you can set up OnePass Quick Select recordings based on popular content. This is not required and can be done at a later time.
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On the Streaming App screen, you can remove certain apps from the search results. This is not required and can be done at a later time.
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The setup is now complete. You can begin watching live TV or explore the menu.
If you have no sound, most often, this can be resolved simply with your remote.
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Check the mute button on your remote to see if it is on.
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Press the Mute button to unmute your audio.
If your video is tiling or pixelated, try rebooting your MidcoTV receiver by unplugging it for 15 seconds. If that doesn't fix the problem, try resetting your equipment.
Often, channels don't come in properly if the wrong input is selected on a remote – or because a signal interruption. It's important to confirm if services are working on all TVs connected to Midco services. If the issue is on all TVs, check to see if there’s a service or sun outage in your area. If a single TV is affected, follow these steps.
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Confirm your TV and MidcoTV receiver are both powered on.
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Check which input or source is selected on your TV. Your TV can connect to multiple media devices through HDMI and other inputs.
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When you turn on a TV, the input may display in the corner of your screen.
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You may need to press the Input or Source button on your TV remote repeatedly, or use the arrow buttons on the remote to select the proper input type.
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Be sure to select the corresponding HDMI port from the input list.
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Resetting your MidcoTV equipment can also help clear up some channel issues if they still exist. Unplug your receiver for 15 seconds to reboot it.
If your TV's picture doesn't look quite right, you're likely watching standard-definition programming on an HDTV.
HD programming displays in a 16:9 aspect ratio, and standard-definition programming is displayed at a 4:3 aspect ratio. Your HDTV will make up for this difference by either reshaping the image to fill the HD screen causing the image to look stretched or allowing it to display at standard-definition resolution causing it to not fill the whole screen.
Most modern TVs can automatically adjust to the programming they receive. To make sure your TV is adjusting automatically, make sure your picture settings are on Auto-Adjust or Normal.
Your residents can find up-to-date support instructions and information on our residential Community TV support page.
Using Community TV
Your home screen is the place to access everything your Community TV services have to offer through the MidcoTV platform. Press the TiVo button on your remote control to get started.
Use the navigation pad buttons on your remote (up, down, right and left) to move around and press the middle button (OK) to select one of the menu items. Use the Back button to go back to the previous screen.
Navigation Bar
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The Menu icon – the three horizontal lines to the left of Watch TV – takes you to the Manage, Settings and Help menus.
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The Navigation Bar lets you navigate through your MidcoTV experience. It includes:
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Watch TV goes to the last live TV channel you were watching.
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Guide shows you the interactive, on-screen guide, so you can see what’s on live TV and what shows are available to watch.
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Apps & Games gives you access to your streaming and other apps downloaded from Google Play™.
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Search helps you find shows by title, actor name or keyword. It will let you search live TV and select apps all at once.
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Notifications shows you messages from Midco regarding your TV service.
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SmartBar
The SmartBar predicts shows to watch based on what you usually watch at a particular time or day. For example, if you tend to watch cooking shows at lunchtime, those shows will be waiting in the SmartBar at that time each day.
To use the SmartBar:
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Press the TiVo button to go to the home screen.
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Use the Down button on your remote to move to the SmartBar.
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Use the Right and Left buttons on your remote to scroll through the SmartBar.
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Highlight your preferred show, then press OK.
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When the Episode or Movie screen appears, you can watch it, view the cast, see other episodes and get recommendations for other shows.
Home Shortcuts
While on the home screen, you can use the number pad on your remote control to jump directly to various options on the Navigation Bar.
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Select 0 to go to Menu.
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Press 1 to go to Live TV.
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Press 4 to go to the Guide.
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Select 5 to see Apps & Games.
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Press 7 to quickly go to Search.
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Select 9 to see Notifications.
Search for Shows
MidcoTV makes it easy to find the shows you want to watch – whether they’re on live TV or a streaming app. Search from your home screen or use your voice to search!
Press the Google Assistant button on your remote and ask Google to find a specific show, movie, sports team or genre. Google will search across live TV and connected streaming apps to find results.
Just press the button and wait for the Google search bar to appear on your screen. Then, issue a voice command, such as:
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Search for a team title, such as “Minnesota Vikings” or “Green Bay Packers.”
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Ask Google to do a general search, like “What football games are on right now?”
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Find a specific sports team or league game by saying “Minnesota Wild” or “NHL hockey"
Search for Home Screen
From the home screen, select Search from the Navigation Bar or press 7 to quickly launch Search. Then start typing in your search query. You can search for:
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A specific channel – “CBS” or “HGTV”
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An actor or actress
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Movie and TV show titles
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Genre
Your MidcoTV will show you results from live TV and apps like Netflix and Prime Video.
On-screen Guide
Get quick access to your channel lineup. Just press the Guide button on your remote.
Icons in the guide help you find what you want to watch.
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New shows are marked with a New icon.
By default, the guide gives you shows that are on TV now or coming up within the next two hours. You can use your navigation ring (up, down, left and right buttons) to move through the guide.
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Use the Left and Right buttons to move forward or backward in time.
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Use the Up and Down buttons to scroll through the different channels.
Add Favorite Channels
To add a channel to your favorites in the guide:
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Use the Left button on your remote to navigate to the channel column.
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Press and hold OK for options.
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Choose Add to Favorite Channels.
After marking favorite channels, you can choose to view your favorite channels only in the guide. Highlight a channel name or number (not a specific show) and press and hold OK. Then, arrow down to Channels then press Left or Right to switch to favorites.
QuickView
At a boring part of a show? Use QuickView to quickly see what’s on your favorite channels or what’s coming up next without missing any of your current show.
Access the Mini Guide
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Press the Up button on your remote while watching live TV. The QuickView panel will appear over the show you’re watching with a mini guide.
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Use the Up and Down buttons on your remote to browse through your available channels.
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Select another show currently on live TV by highlighting it and pressing OK. Or, if there’s a program in the future you’re interested in watching, highlight that title and press OK to bring up viewing options
Access the SmartBar
To access the SmartBar while watching live TV, press the TiVo button on your remote to return to the home screen, where you’ll see SmartBar. This gives you access to the shows you watch regularly and recommendations for shows on now based on what you usually watch.
Service Notes and Disclaimers
This material includes references to products, services and/or equipment not manufactured by Midco. The respective companies retain trademark and registered trademark ownership for those referenced items.
Acceptable use of any application is determined solely by the application provider and may not be available for Business use.
Have all your favorite streaming and music apps at your fingertips and never worry about switching inputs on your TV. MidcoTV lets you choose from the 3,000+ apps available on Google Play.
Note: Music Choice is only available with a contract add-on.
Access Apps
Press the Grid button on your remote to go to Apps & Games. If you're on the Home screen, press 7 on your remote or use the Right arrow button to go to Apps & Games in the Navigation Bar.
Some apps will already by on your MidcoTV. These include:
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Amazon Prime
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Apple TV+
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Disney+
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ESPN +
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Fandango At Home
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Google Play Games
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Google Play Movies & TV
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Google Play Music
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Google Play Store
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HBO Max
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Midco Sport Plus
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Netflix
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Paramount +
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Peacock
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Spotify
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Tubi TV
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YouTube
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YouTube Kids
To download more apps, select the Google Play Store. Search for the app you want to add to your MidcoTV and download it. if you want to download games, select Google Play Games.
Note: You must be signed into your Google account to download apps. A third-party monthly subscription is required to access some apps.
Service Notes and Disclaimers
This material includes references to products, services and/or equipment not manufactured by Midco. The respective companies retain trademark and registered trademark ownership for those referenced items.
Acceptable use of any application is determined solely by the application provider and may not be available for Business use.
You can find overall information about your Community TV channel lineups at our Midco channel lineups page. Just enter your ZIP code, then choose Go.
Select the plus symbols to expand the packages for a complete list – or click Print for a printer-friendly version.
Note: Not all channels are available for business use.
Programming Renewals
Before we bring you a broadcast or other TV network, we must have a contract granting us permission to bring you that programming. Learn about programming agreements, how they affect customers and what contracts may be up for renewal.
Important: Parental controls are not set by default. This means all content is available for viewing until you apply controls based on your preferences.
Make sure your customers only have access to the shows you want them to watch. Configure your parental control settings on each MidcoTV device at your business to filter programs, so they only see content you approve as suitable for them.
With parental controls, you can also lock channels and set rating limits on movies and TV shows. A passcode or PIN is needed to view programs that exceed rating limits or are on locked channels.
Note: Parental controls you set on your MidcoTV do not affect Netflix, web videos, Prime Video or other apps. You may also want to update your Google account to require a password to make any in-app purchase.
Set Parental Controls
To enable MidcoTV parental controls:
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Press the TiVo button on your remote control.
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Press the Left button and select Menu.
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Choose Parental Controls.
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Next to Parental Controls, select Off and press OK to turn parental controls on.
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Select a four-digit PIN using the number pad on your remote. Enter your PIN again to confirm it.
Parental controls will now appear as On – Unlocked. To lock it, select On – Unlocked and press OK.
Note: All menu settings will require the parental control PIN to be used to change any setting while in either On status. If you forget your PIN, contact us.
To hide adult content, select Off and press OK. It will now show as On.
To set rating limits, choose Select rating limits and press OK. Set your desired rating limits for TV and movies. Then, press the Back button when you’ve selected the options you want.
Change Parental Control PIN
To change your parental control PIN:
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Press the TiVo button on your remote control.
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Press the Left button and select Menu.
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Choose Parental Controls.
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Select Change PIN.
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Enter your current PIN, and then enter a new PIN.
Service Notices and Disclaimers
This material includes references to products, services and/or equipment not manufactured by Midco. The respective companies retain trademark and registered trademark ownership for those referenced items.
Acceptable use of any application is determined solely by the application provider and may not be available for Business use.
Frequently Asked Questions
If all of your channels are playing audio in a different language, it’s likely due to the language settings on your MidcoTV box. To update your language settings, follow the steps below.
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Click the TiVo button on the remote.
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Select the Menu icon (≡).
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Select Accessibility.
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Select Language & Audio Description.
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Arrow down to the preferred language and press OK.
If the problem continues after updating these settings, the cause may be related to your TV, and you may need to contact the TV manufacturer for further assistance.
If a television programmer provides alternate language feeds with their programming, the MidcoTV box can switch to that audio feed and may need to be changed back. Usually, these audio tracks use alternate languages, but sometimes, those tracks are silent or empty.
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Tune in to the channel in question.
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Press the Info button on your remote control.
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Select Change Audio Track.
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Press OK button.
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Select the appropriate language track.
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Press OK button.
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Check to see if the audio feed has returned.
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If there is no change, repeat the steps.
Sometimes, an app on your MidcoTV box may become unresponsive and won’t close or exit as expected. This can happen if the app encounters a temporary glitch or stops responding to remote commands. When this occurs, you may need to force the app to stop and restart it to restore normal operation. The steps below will guide you through resolving this issue.
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Press the TiVo button to make the SmartBar appear onscreen.
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Select Menu.
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Select Device Settings.
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Select See All Apps.
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Select the app in question.
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Select Force Stop.
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Select OK.
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Use the Back button to return back to the SmartBar and select Apps and Games.
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Restart the app.
Sometimes when you turn on your TV, it may automatically switch to a different input instead of your MidcoTV box. While you can try disabling the HDMI CEC feature on your MidcoTV box – which controls how devices communicate over HDMI – this may not always solve the problem as it might be an issue with the TV settings. To disable the HDMI CEC feature on your MidcoTV box, follow these steps:
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Press the TiVo button.
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Select Menu.
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Choose Device Settings.
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Click Device Preferences and find HDMI CEC.
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Toggle off the CEC switch.
If that doesn’t solve the issue, go to your TV manufacturer for assistance with adjusting default input settings.
How do I turn off the screensaver?
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Press the TiVo button.
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Select the Menu icon.
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Select Device Settings.
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Select Device Preferences.
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Select Screen Saver. You can choose Never, but the screensaver will still appear as it has been set by policy to a certain amount of time.
A screensaver will appear after four hours of inactivity. Press any button on your remote to return to the picture.
Press the Input button to cycle through the different inputs, until you find the correct one for MidcoTV.
If you are experiencing buffering, you may need to be reconnected to the internet.
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Click the TiVo button on the remote.
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Select Menu icon
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Select Device Settings.
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Select Network & Internet.
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Make sure it says it’s Ethernet connected.
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If it doesn’t say the Ethernet is connected, perform normal internet troubleshooting.
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Press the TiVo button.
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Select Menu.
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Select Audio Settings.
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Select Sound Effects Volume.
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Select the desired level.
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Press Exit.