fbpx

Setting Aspect Ratio

There are two common TV screen shapes that most folks will recognize — the squarish shape of
conventional TVs, and the widescreen shape of today’s HDTVs. The term used to describe TV screen
shape is “aspect ratio” — conventional TVs, and some small LCD HDTVs, have a 4:3 aspect ratio;
widescreen HDTVs have a 16:9 ratio.

TV shows also typically have a 4:3 or 16:9 ratio. While most new HD programming is in 16:9, a significant
amount of TV broadcasts are still sent in the conventional 4:3 ratio. And it’s the difference in shape
between those two ratios that can result in a “pillar boxed” picture — one with black columns standing
to the left and right of the image — when you watch a conventional 4:3 program on your widescreen TV.

What can I do about the “black bars”?

You may choose to keep the black bars on 4:3 sources, or decide to stretch or zoom that picture to fill the
whole screen — it’s a matter of personal preference. Nearly all recent widescreen TVs include one or
more viewing modes that fill out the screen’s width by stretching and zooming the image. While most
people find this effect acceptable for non-critical “background” viewing like the local news, many aren’t
thrilled when their favorite actors suddenly look noticeably stockier.
To stretch or zoom the screen press the * button on your remote. Simply press the star button again to
go back to the original setting.

How do I change my aspect ratio and input settings?

Press MENU on your remote
Arrow down to SETTINGS
Arrow over to the right and highlight DISPLAY and press OK
Your Display Settings will appear on the screen
Use your arrow buttons to change the following display options
1. Turn Closed Captioning On or Off.
2. Set the Audio Language to English or Spanish.
3. Set the TV Type or Aspect Ratio to either 16:9 or 4:3.
4. Change your Connector settings to Coaxial, Composite, S-Video, Component or HDMI.
5. View the setting for Conversion Mode, Original Size or Fit to Screen (this may also be changed
temporarily by pressing the * button on the remote control).
6. Select the Output Resolution for the television.
If you feel you have changed something by accident, select Exit and press the OK button or just press the
EXIT button on the remote to retain the original settings.

3 Tips for Optimizing Your Streaming Experience

  1. Check your connection: are you wired or wireless? If you are connected via Wi-Fi, that leaves more
    room for interference. If you are able to connect directly with an Ethernet cable, we recommend going
    that way.
  2. Do a speed test: If your device is directly plugged in with an Ethernet cable, you should be close to your subscribed speed. If you are connected via Wi-Fi, you should be at around 80% of your subscribed speed. If you are not reaching those speeds — give us a call!
  3. Router placement: Make sure your router is located centrally within your home. This way, any devices
    that are trying to connect over Wi-Fi should get a decent signal. If you still seem to have a slow
    connection or buffering, check the age of your router. If it is more than three years old, we recommend
    replacing the router (or ask us about our Managed Wi-Fi!).

If you’ve done these three steps and still don’t feel like your streaming experience is up to par, you may need to increase your speed. Our helpdesk staff is here for you — give us a call at 652.3184 or 952.1000 and ask for the Helpdesk!

How do I reset/reboot my wireless router?

  1. Pull the power cord from the back of the router and wait 30 seconds.
  2. After 30 seconds, plug back in the power cord.
  3. Wait for the router to go through its startup procedure.
  4. Restart your computer and try to connect to the internet.

How can I check the speed of my broadband connection?

Checking the speed of your Internet connection is easy! Click here to perform a speed test!

First, we recommend checking the speed of your connection directly, by connecting your laptop
or desktop computer to an Ethernet cord. After you run the speed test that way, then run the
speed test on a device connected to Wi-Fi. The speed you are getting while connected directly
should be close to your subscribed speed (for example, 60 Mbps upstream, 10 Mbps
downstream). The result of the speed test when connected to Wi-Fi will probably be about 80%
of your subscribed speed, as wireless Internet isn’t as strong as a direct connection.

Voicemail

To access voicemail online, visit https://services.dakotacentral.com/Voicemail/

The default account number is your 10-digit phone number, and the default password or PIN is four zeros (0000).

To access voicemail from your phone:

Dial 555 to access your mailbox for the first time, in which a user tutorial is automatically activated. This tutorial will guide you through your first mailbox session. It will explain how to record a greeting and prompt you to change your temporary passcode.

Greetings
You will be asked to record a greeting that callers will hear when they reach your mailbox.

Passcode
You will always be prompted for your passcode before accessing your mailbox. During the tutorial, you will be prompted to change your passcode to a number with 4 to 10 digits. Please define a passcode that you can remember, but do not select something such as “1234.” Your Voicemail is now set up and ready to use.

Access your Voicemail
From the phone with voice mail:
1. Dial 555
2. If prompted, enter your PIN followed by the # key. Your PIN is set to 0000 by default until you change it.
3. Press 1 to retrieve messages or Press 2 to listen to saved messages.
Away from the phone with voice mail:
1. Dial 701-XXX-MAIL. (701-XXX-6245) XXX- your exchange number
2. Enter your 10 digit telephone number.
3. If prompted, enter your PIN followed by the # key. Your PIN is set to 0000 by default until you change it.

Change Your Pin
1. Access your voice mailbox
2. Press 9 for the mailbox setup
3. Press 2 to change your PIN
4. Enter your new passowrd and then press #
5. When prompted to verify PIN, enter it again and then press #

When Retrieving Messages You Can:
Press 1 to Play the message again
Press 2 to Save the message and play next
Press 3 to Delete the message and play the next
Press 4 to Save the message as new
Press 5 to Reply to the message
Press 6 to Forward the message to another mailbox
Press 7 to Skip backward in the message
Press 8 to Pause the message
Press 9 to Skip forward in the message

Troubleshooting

What’s wrong with my phone? I have no dial tone or there is static on the line.

1. Make sure all the phone receivers in your house are in their cradles and placed correctly.
Check that every telephone line is properly plugged into its phone jack. If you have a problem with just one phone, plug a different phone into that jack. If the second phone works, the problem is most likely the first phone.

2. Call your home number with a cell phone to see what happens. You might hear the home phone ringing or it may go straight to voice mail, if you have it.
You also might get a busy signal or a hear message from the phone company saying the phone is out of service or your service has been disconnected. In the last two cases, contact us at 1.800.771.0974.

3. Unplug each phone and answering machine in your house from the phone jack and outlet, one at a time. Wait 30 seconds after unplugging the first device. Pick up another phone to see if there’s a dial tone — if there is, then the first phone may be faulty. If not, continue unplugging phones in the same way and check for dial tone. If you find a phone that doesn’t work, plug all your other phones back in and see if they work properly. The faulty phone should be replaced.

Local Calling Area

Unlimited local calling means that calls within all of our 16 exchanges (shown below) are considered free local calls. And ‘free local calls’ means no long distance fees!

This also means that it is no longer necessary to dial that pesky “1-701” when calling within the local calling area!

Local calling between all of these DCT landline exchanges and prefixes:
285 Edmunds
424 Streeter
486 Medina
435 Courtenay
485 Gackle
489 Ypsilanti
674 Grace City
652 Carrington
752 Woodworth
763 Windsor
962 Bowdon
984 Syketson
251, 252, 253, 952 Jamestown

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I end telemarketing calls to my home, mobile or business?
A: The National Do Not Call Registry gives you a choice about whether to receive telemarketing calls at home. Most telemarketers should not call your number once it has been on the registry for 31 days. If they do, you can file a complaint. You can register your home or mobile phone for free.

Go to www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222

Q:  What is unlimited local calling or extended area of service?
A:  Unlimited local calling or EAS means you can call anyone within the DCT service area for free!  Exchanges include 251, 252, 253, 285, 424, 435, 485, 486, 489, 674, 652, 752, 763, 952, 962, 984.

Q:  How do I check my voicemail?
A:  If calling from your landline phone, dial 555 # or dial XXX-MAIL (6245) with your exchange number in place of the XXX.  (952-MAIL).  If requested, enter your password followed by #.

Q:  How do I make an International call?
A:  011 + (Country Code) + (City Code) + (Telephone Number)

For example, to place a call to Mexico City, Mexico you would dial 011-52-55-555-1234
011=international dialing prefix 52=Country Code for Mexico 55=City Code for Mexico City
555-1234=phone number