HDMI: Some thoughts (both informal and expert) on the new connectivity - Page 2

Shane Martin · 01-10-2008, 09:17 PM

Outlaw got burned a while back on the 750. They have something up their sleeves for sure but are keeping it close to their chest. After the 750 fiasco, I don't think they want to relive that.

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Jon_B · 01-11-2008, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane Martin

Outlaw got burned a while back on the 750. They have something up their sleeves for sure but are keeping it close to their chest. After the 750 fiasco, I don't think they want to relive that.

Correct me if I am wrong....but wasn't the 750 their amp? I haven't been online for a while, so I may have missed out on anything that happened to outlaw audio.

Shane Martin · 01-12-2008, 10:58 AM

Sorry it was the 950. My bad.

Gaurang · 01-24-2008, 01:23 AM

Are there any good 4x2 boxes or a splitter box?
I want the output from the receiver to go to the flat panel TV or to the projector. The splitter would be ideal.

Thanks,
Gaurang

Marc_Sulinski · 01-24-2008, 11:40 AM

A 4x2 splitter/switch:

Switch

Man-Fai Wong · 01-24-2008, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane Martin

Outlaw got burned a while back on the ~~750~~ 950. They have something up their sleeves for sure but are keeping it close to their chest. After the ~~750~~ 950 fiasco, I don't think they want to relive that.

Edited for correction of Outlaw model number. _Man_

Yeah, I was wondering when Outlaw would come out w/ an affordable HDMI prepro. Anyone have any ideas? What about Rotel? I'm starting to look for an upgrade now that I've gone Blu w/ the PS3, and right now, it seems like the Onkyo 805 might be a good way to hold me over. Don't think I can afford the Integra prepro though. I'm not in a rush to upgrade just yet since I'm still just using a non-HDMI 1080i RPTV, and my BD collection is still pretty small. But would be good to start looking anyhow.

Thanks.

_Man_

PS: Sorry if this doesn't belong in this thread.

Great article and info, RAF.

Inspector Hammer! · 02-19-2008, 03:44 PM

That article explains alot for me, I was using HDMI to DVI connection when I was using my SP 4805 and every once in awhile the player would "lose contact" with the projector and I would get a black screen. The only way to get the picture back was to switch off the projector and then back on again after a couple of minutes.

Never knew what was causing it until I read that article.

Thanks, RAF!

jumbotron · 02-29-2008, 06:47 PM

My friends just hook up their PS3 via hdmi and now they are saying the picture looks more grainy. I told them that they probably got a cheap cable which was not 1.3, do you guys think this is the issue because I was not 100%.

RAF · 07-03-2008, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumbotron

My friends just hook up their PS3 via hdmi and now they are saying the picture looks more grainy. I told them that they probably got a cheap cable which was not 1.3, do you guys think this is the issue because I was not 100%.

Sorry this wasn't answered more promptly. It probably fell between the cracks.

The fact that HDMI might look more grainy than (I assume) a component connection can be based on several factors, but I would not think it was the cable (unless it is ridiculously shoddy). All well constructed HDMI cables regardless of price can handle HDMI 1.3 just fine. An HDMI cable is an HDMI cable and it has nothing to do with 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and beyond. This is just ad hype.

The cause of the grain? It could be the way the TV processes component and HDMI (or the receiver if such is applicable). Even the PS3 might be slightly flawed but I think that's not very likely.

I hope some of this helps and once again, I apologize for the delay.

mylan · 07-03-2008, 10:25 AM

I've got a weird problem with HDMI that has occurred twice now, I have a Denon 2910 DVD player connected straight to my Sony LCD, the audio is connected through the receiver, and i'll get audio but the video shows flashes and "hiccups" with no picture whatsoever. The first time this happened we had had some sort of electrical disruption and the fix was unplugging the HDMI and the power from the Denon and reconnecting but this did no good this time around. I connected it with a component cable I had and have had no further problems, sometimes I wonder if HDMI is all that it could be.

RAF · 07-03-2008, 04:01 PM

mylan,

Without a doubt HDMI is much more finicky than some of the more traditional connection methods. I think that's what you experienced with your recent HDMI flakiness. The problem stems from the fact that not all manufacturers see fit to follow the HDMI guidelines exactly so sometimes there are incompatibilities. With HDMI 1.3a, the "a" represents that the equipment has been certified to adhere to HDMI guidelines to the point where the type of experience you had is greatly lessened.

But, of course, that doesn't address your immediate problem. As you said, switching to component for your video solves the problem for you, but HDMI should still work better than it did. Here are a few ideas off the top of my head. Does your Denon 2910 have the latest firmware? I believe you can check on the denon.com website under support, downloads, etc. Firmware updates usually address HDMI issues to a degree and since the 2910 has been out for some time this might be a lead. Also, I'm not sure, but maybe your Sony LCD also has firmware updates? Same reason.

I hope that you can get to the bottom of your issue because this is exactly the type of thing that my article was talking about. HDMI can be a beautiful thing, but sometimes it can be extremely frustrating because of the wide variance in HDMI implementation by the various manufacturers. This will get better once all equipment is routinely "certified." Unfortunately, one might say that the public has become unwitting Beta Testers for HDMI at the moment.

Good luck.

Inspector Hammer! · 07-03-2008, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumbotron

My friends just hook up their PS3 via hdmi and now they are saying the picture looks more grainy. I told them that they probably got a cheap cable which was not 1.3, do you guys think this is the issue because I was not 100%.

In additon to what RAF has stated I recognize this problem as I experienced the same thing when I hooked up my Blu-ray player via HDMI and tried to watch a standard def DVD on it, it looked extremely grainy until I switched the players resolution output from 1080p to 480p and then DVD's looked fine.

Not sure if that's a help but it sounds like it might apply to your friends problem as well.