HDMI Cord and Voltage

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deedwa06

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#72321 24-Nov-2010 08:49

Hi! I am currently fighting a battle with Direct T.V.

Long story short, when hooking up our new cable box to our T.V. with our HDMI cord, the T.V. sparked and caught on fire. After doing some investigating, when the tech was at our home the first time and he said the first box "blew up" we believe that he compromised our HDMI cord, causing it to no longer handle the voltage at the appropriate level.

However, the man doing my damage claim says there is no voltage that runs through an HDMI cord, but I have been told by many people that there is.

Can anyone send me some links or material that proves that there is voltage in an HDMI cord? He wants me to send him the information that states it, but I have only been told and I do not know how to find proof that there is.

Thank you.

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#408784 24-Nov-2010 10:33

Sometimes wikipedia has its uses

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hdmi

On the right hand side it lists the pins and what they carry. Looks like it is pin 18 and only 5v @ max 50mA which should not be catching anything on fire I would have thought.

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kiwitrc

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#408787 24-Nov-2010 10:37

Possibly an earth issue with either the TV or the cable box.

Dunnersfella

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#409113 24-Nov-2010 19:55

Nice try here...
But a faulty HDMI cable won't cause your TV to catch fire... unless you start a webpage on the internet, claim that it can... then send the company involved that link...

Which, is about as handy as most Wiki pages prove to be in a court of law.
Sorry, I'd go looking for another cause.

deedwa06

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#409258 25-Nov-2010 03:16

Okay, so here's what happened and you tell me why, because I'm out of reasons.

They came, set up the our second box (the first box we broght from our hold house), brought it back downstairs and said it "blew up" and they were gonna bring us another box. After that the HDMI inputs on that T.V. no longer worked so we got rid of that T.V.
When the tech came w/ another box we had not yet bought another T.V. so he activated the box and left it for us to hook up.
When we bought a new T.V. we unhooked our old T.V. from our old box and hooked the new T.V. up to the old box just fine (showing that my fiance does know what he's doing). When then took the old T.V. (that use to be hooked up to the old box) upstairs, and when we set stuff up, we plugged the HDMI cord (that was previously used by the tech hooking up the first box) into the reciever and it was fine, when he went to plug it into the back of the T.V. it sparked and caught on fire. The playstation was hooked up too, but the only things that did not work after the spark was the T.V. and the reciever, and the back of the T.V. and the HDMI cord are charred black. We tested all of our outlets and they're grounded and putting out the correct voltage.

This is why when someone told me that the cord was compromised the first time the box "blew up" it couldn't handle the voltage at the correct level and thus resulted in what happened when we tried to hook things up.

If you don't think this is so, do you have any other explanation?

elldizzle

91 posts

Master Geek

#409267 25-Nov-2010 06:27

90% of household consumer electronic devices in your home are double insulated. The only way I could see you plugging in an HDMI chord to a TV and having it spark would be some kind of short circuit in you appliances. Although unlikely if there double insulated. Or the Outlets were drawing to much current and your household fuse failed to trip.. Id most likely be checking that out. first..

Jaxson

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#409319 25-Nov-2010 09:24

deedwa06: They came, set up the our second box (the first box we broght from our hold house), brought it back downstairs and said it "blew up" and they were gonna bring us another box. After that the HDMI inputs on that T.V. no longer worked so we got rid of that T.V.
When the tech came w/ another box we had not yet bought another T.V. so he activated the box and left it for us to hook up.
When we bought a new T.V. we unhooked our old T.V. from our old box and hooked the new T.V. up to the old box just fine (showing that my fiance does know what he's doing). When then took the old T.V. (that use to be hooked up to the old box) upstairs, and when we set stuff up, we plugged the HDMI cord (that was previously used by the tech hooking up the first box) into the reciever and it was fine, when he went to plug it into the back of the T.V. it sparked and caught on fire.

Sorry but that is really confusing to read. Have all your problems been with the one TV?

Nety

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#409323 25-Nov-2010 09:28

I would think that something major has happened (prior to the fire) either in the Direct TV box or the TV.

Basically no matter what you do with a HDMI cable it is not going to cause a spark let alone a fire. There simply is no where near enough current/voltage available to it.

So that leaves two options as I see it.
1. something major has gone wrong in one of the appliances which has allowed mains voltage into the HDMI plugs.
2. the cable was plugged in to the wrong plug on the TV. Difficult as the HDMI plug is fairly unique and I am not aware of any other sockets that put out high voltage on the TV.

I would get a independent electrician to have a look as they should be able to tell you what has gone wrong and either back you up or explain why it is your fault (cannot see how it would be though).

To me I would have been VERY concerned if I tech installing something admitted that what they were installing had "blown up". First with the safety features built into electronics they should never blow up and second if it has blown up it will have damaged whatever it was plugged into. In this case it seems that it damaged the TV and I am sure it also damaged the HDMI cable. I just do not think that could cause a fire in itself.

deedwa06

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#409498 25-Nov-2010 15:09

The T.V. was hooked up to the old receiver minutes before we hooked it up to the new one, so therefore there is nothing wrong with the T.V. And all of our outlets are putting out the correct voltage, so there is no problem there.

My friend says the cord was compromised when the first box "blew up," and that's why we had the result that we did when we plugged the cord into the T.V. I think that of everything I've heard, that's the most reasonable explanation, but proving it is another story.

xarqi

727 posts

Ultimate Geek

#409618 25-Nov-2010 20:24

Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but an HDMI cable contains no active components and is nothing more than a set of wires. albeit a highly specified set of wires. No HDMI cable, no matter how compromised, can do more than break a wire that should be linked, or short wires together. Neither of those eventualities would be sufficient to cause a fire unless there were some other much more significant fault.

Laurence

44 posts

Geek

#409659 25-Nov-2010 22:00

What brand/model are the receiver and tv?
Was the next tv box plugging direct into the TV?
What port on the TV?
Was it the same TV both times or was the TV replaced?

I have seen a spark out of a HDMI port before. I wonder if some TV's are putting down more Volts on unused pins?

deedwa06

7 posts

Wannabe Geek

#409712 26-Nov-2010 03:52

The HDMI cord is a Pelican. There have been two TVs effected. When the first tv "blew up" all HDMI inputs on a Samsung tv no longer worked but the tv did (the box stopped working though). When the bigger spark happened it was on our Dynex tv. That caused the receiver to stop working and the tv. It was plugged into the first HDMI input. The area around the inputs is charred black and so is the HDMI cord. I don't know what brand the recievers are other than they're Direct tvs.

deedwa06

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Wannabe Geek

#409713 26-Nov-2010 03:53

I'm sorry - correction to that last post. In the first line it should read when the first RECEIVER "blew up"

ZollyMonsta

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#409721 26-Nov-2010 07:44

First tv

Possibly the box "blowing up" had tripped a fuse on the HDMI side of things (maybe)

Second tv.. Just bad luck here I think. The TV Had a fault and caught fire. You did say it was 'new' so return it for replacement under warranty.

I think what you are dealing with here is a coincidence and nothing more.

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Jaxson

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#409768 26-Nov-2010 09:23

Right, technically yes there could be a hardware failure of the lead. This could potentially allow the 5V power etc to then touch another core in the lead. It would be difficult to predict in advance the consequences of this voltage being applied directly to other areas of the circuit board on a TV.

I guess you could get the cable tested.

Who provided the lead?

I'd be looking to see if you could get this covered by insurance or a warranty back to the shop you purchased the TV from initially.

Nety

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#409827 26-Nov-2010 11:17

Interesting thread here...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archive/index.php/t-1216359.html

The consensus seems to be faulty ground connection could cause what you have experienced. You mention that the correct voltage is being put out by the plugs used but has your ground connection been tested?

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