HDMI cable the root of all evil?

Forums › TiVo › HDMI cable the root of all evil?

boostinu13

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#102976 27-May-2012 19:10

Installed Tivo at my place and tried for hours to get it to work. I moved the aerial and everything with no luck. I then got tv 3 and 4 to work but all the rest had no signal..
I rang support and they said try the rcas not the HDMI cable. So i did not unplug the hdmi i just put the rca to a different av channel.
Still no luck so the support said unplug the HDMI totally and it worked!
I have test a few time with the HDMI out it works fine but as soon as I put a HDMI in have tried a couple it loses signal... Any ideas about this as I would much prefer to use a HDMI cable over rca as the higher def the better.

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#631153 27-May-2012 19:18

Tell us about your antenna system, its cabling and your location and distance from transmitter.

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Dunnersfella

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#631157 27-May-2012 19:26

Do other HDMI devices work in your setup (and using the same HDMI port + cable)?
If so - take your Tivo back.

Spong

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#631181 27-May-2012 20:11

Sounds like the TiVo isn't handshaking properly with the HDMI port on your TV or AV Receiver (if you use one). Try another HDMI cable as you could have a bad one. My experience has also been that TiVos are fussier than most when it comes to HDMI standards so it could be that your TV or receiver are just not going to talk to your TiVo. Try pressing the Format button on the front of the TiVo a few times to cycle modes and see if you can get a picture at 575i at least, and experiment. Hopefully 1080i will be the optimum if your TV will accept it. Again, it's possible you have a bad TiVo, but I've always had HDMI problems with one of my TiVos when used with an AOC TV and some others here have had problems with Sony TVs.

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MikeB4

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#631186 27-May-2012 20:30

Ensure you have at least version 1.2 or better HDMI cable

scuwp

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#631196 27-May-2012 21:02

+1 on the format button on the front idea, or you could change the video output via the settings while the RCA is plugged in and working. The TiVo has a number of output formats, you just need to find one that your TV likes.

If that doesn't work, just process of elimination. Try it on another TV? Try another HDMI cable?

If everything fails those tests then I would take the TiVo back.

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boostinu13

31 posts

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#631215 27-May-2012 21:46

Thankyou all for your replies.

Ok will try somethings mentioned

My system is an antenna on the roof straight to my Tivo. Two story my perception of distance is bad so cannot estimate distance.

I have tried 2 hdmi cables

My tivo had a hdmi cable directly to hdmi 2 on my tv (Now using rca to av2)
My Ps3 runs a Hdmi cable to hdmi port 1 and works fine (Have tried both ports for tivo)
I used this setup at my old house worked fine (Two hdmi not rca)

Ok another strange thing so as I said my setup is
Tivo rca to av2 on my tv and Ps3 to Hdmi 1 on my tv
When I turn my ps3 on the Tivo loses all signal and goes grey screen.
I turn the ps3 off and it works fine.

Spyware

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#631228 27-May-2012 22:05

You need to be clear as to whether you are talking about loss of signal in respect to a reception of DVB-T signal or the signal output by the TiVo to the TV, two different things.

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boostinu13

31 posts

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#631236 27-May-2012 22:31

Spyware: You need to be clear as to whether you are talking about loss of signal in respect to a reception of DVB-T signal or the signal output by the TiVo to the TV, two different things.

Firstly and sorry for asking what is DVB-T Signal.
and i mean if tivo is on and i turn the ps3 on then the screen goes grey and says
"searching for signal on: Antenna In."

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#631240 27-May-2012 22:36

DVB-T is the signal that is coming from the antenna.

coffeebaron

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#631296 28-May-2012 09:08

What type of coax cable is the antenna feed? I have seen issues with HDMI interference affecting poor quality antenna feed.

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boostinu13

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#631334 28-May-2012 10:27

Spyware: DVB-T is the signal that is coming from the antenna.

Thankyou

coffeebaron: What type of coax cable is the antenna feed? I have seen issues with HDMI interference affecting poor quality antenna feed.

I have no idea sorry. I'm thinking the most common type as its the same as the few houses I have moved into.

trig42

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#631336 28-May-2012 10:31

Wow, that is a strange problem.

Can you move the TiVo away from the PS3 temporarily?

It sounds like switching on the PS3 disturbs your signal (from the aerial) just enough to give you the grey screen. With DVB-T, it is pretty much good or off (you can get a bit of blockiness/pixelation, but generally it is either good or off).

I would check the aerial is pointing the right way, and that it is a UHF one. TiVo does not like VHF.

boostinu13

31 posts

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#631451 28-May-2012 12:45

trig42: Wow, that is a strange problem.

Can you move the TiVo away from the PS3 temporarily?

It sounds like switching on the PS3 disturbs your signal (from the aerial) just enough to give you the grey screen. With DVB-T, it is pretty much good or off (you can get a bit of blockiness/pixelation, but generally it is either good or off).

I would check the aerial is pointing the right way, and that it is a UHF one. TiVo does not like VHF.

Ok so If i unplug the hdmi cable from the ps3 (at either end tv/console) it works fine
I plug it back in and grey screen.
I turn my dvd/surround sound player on which uses hdmi cable and it goes grey screen, I unplug and it works fine.
I use hdmi on tivo and it goes grey use rca and its fine.

I used aerial extension from a different aerial plug (Different room) And still same thing.

I plugged the hdmi from my tv to my laptop and no problems at all.

I tried another tivo uni and same thing happens, I use a hdmi on any device and it goes grey and says trying to find a signal.. So i am really confused on what to do

The aerial is the right way and is the right kind (Had to get it as old one was wrong one).

To make it stranger tv3 stays fine even when 2 is greyed out

Skolink

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#631516 28-May-2012 14:58

Is your TV plugged in to an aerial socket also?
What signal strength does the TiVo list for TV2 or TV1(TVNZ mux), for TV3(MediaWorks mux), and for Prime or Maori(Kordia mux)

boostinu13

31 posts

Geek

#631519 28-May-2012 15:00

Skolink: Is your TV plugged in to an aerial socket also?

No

Well i did some more playing around and replace the aerial that goes intot he back of the tivo.
Its still very iffy if you touch it but it seems to allow my ps3 to be on and even use a hdmi cable from my tivo. So lets hope its problem solved.

Out of curiosity if a signal is week does a tv/tivo draw power to increase the signal? As the antenna may just be giving a weak signal and when i try to use my ps3 or somethign it draws power away from the tivo?? Just wondering only thing i can think of.

Another question on my parents tivo it says on the front in lights

Fixed and 720p while mine has never said that and is just a green light no words.

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