James Tozer
UK Daily Mail
April 12, 2010
Annoying: Emma Clements said Phillips low-energy bulbs
switch the channels on her Virgin Media box
Some feared it must have been a problem with their remote. Others suspected ghostly goings-on.
But when TV viewers complained their sets were changing channel by themselves, few could have guessed the real culprit - their light bulbs.
Low-energy bulbs can make your television turn over the station at random, according to customers.
Among the first to spot the problem were cable customers Alistair and Emma Clements.
They rang their supplier, Virgin Media, and were told the problem could be because of the Philips low-energy light bulb fitted nearby.
But while changing it helped, the couple say the channel still flips from time to time even though the nearest low- energy bulb is now in another room.
Experts say infra-red light from modern fluorescent bulbs can be 'mistaken' by electrical equipment for commands from its remote.
They warn that while moving or changing the offending device usually solves the problem, the proliferation of gadgets in homes increases the likelihood of such interference.
Traditional bulbs produce infra-red too, but because they don't 'flicker' like some fluorescent bulbs there is no danger of interference with electrical equipment.
The Clements, who have two young daughters, subscribed to Virgin Media after moving into their home in Carshalton, Surrey, and began experiencing problems with the Samsungmanufactured set-top box a few months ago.
'At first we thought it was the children's sticky fingers on the remote control and that the buttons were sticking,' said Mrs Clements, 37.
Virgin dispatched an engineer whose first question was whether the couple used any Philips energy-saving lightbulbs - which they did.
Virgin recommended swapping to a different brand of bulb, while Philips asked them to return the bulb.
An adviser from Philips said the problem only occurred with older compact fluorescent lamps.
However, the Clements have found a different brand of low-energy bulb in a different room also causes the set-top box to flick channels.
Several customers have reported similar problems on internet forums.
On cableforum.co.uk, one posted: 'My light switch is controlling my Virgin TV box each time it is used - anyone have any idea what is going on? Is my flat haunted?'
A response from a technician reads: 'It will be energy-saving lightbulbs. Seen it several times before with Samsung set-top boxes.'
Traditional light bulbs are being phased out by EU rules - opaque bulbs were taken off sale last year, and clear ones will follow in 2011.
Virgin Media said the problem was an 'isolated' one which can affect any equipment using a remote control.
