Pete C. wrote:

5 minutes probably wasn't long enough. The data channel used to update
the box is pretty slow, and the longer the box has been offline the more
updates it may need. I had a digital box here that sat disconnected for
about a year, and when I hooked it back up it took sitting overnight
before it started doing the digital channels properly. Presumably the
updates include things like CODEC software which could take a while.

I hooked up the same type of box at another relative's house in the same
city, and the digital cable worked right away. But I'll still have them
try just leaving it plugged in. I do all this on the weekend, and it's a
small municipal cable company with no one to call on the weekend for
questions.