I thought DENON was reliable?

[JimmyTango]

Yeah, Ecost is not the best.

Maybe the HDMI board on my 5308 had a similar cause...

I didn't realize that HDMI boards are so sensitive.

But now I will be 100% careful with HDMI inputs/outputs.

I will completely unplug the power cord from now on before even hooking up any inputs.

Besides grounding the wires from outside & surges, are there any other HDMI "precautions"?

No, my issue was a DirecTV installation issue. The coax cable that comes from the dish into the house has to be grounded. Most people do not realize this, but the signal gets converted to an electrical current, and if not ground you can have serious issues. It was not a Denon issue at all or an HDMI issue at all. I am lucky I only lost the Denon because of this, it could have been a lot more.

FWIW, the current is strong enough that if you hold the end of the coax, and then touch something metal with your other hand, you will feel the electricity. Just a tingle, feels like those old trick lighters. Same thing if holding the end of the HDMI from the DVR box when the coax plugged into the DVR. That is what zapped my 3808, and why DirecTV paid for it and gave me no issues and apologized over and over for their installer not grounding the dish.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I just got a call from FedEx that they will be delivering my AVR-5308 tomorrow Friday from Denon factory repair.

I regret sending my AVR-5308 via UPS to Denon factory repair (as I will never again use UPS to deliver anything fragile).

But it's good to know that Denon factory repair uses FedEx, instead of those damn UPS!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Panurgy OEM Denon Repair impressions

Before vs. After

1) I sent my AVR5308 in it's original double boxes via UPS - they sent me my AVr5308 in 2 brand new double boxes in a crate via FedEx!

2) 3 broken HDMIs - they replaced HDMI panel.

3) My AVR5308 had some dust and finger prints/smears on it - they cleaned it all up and wrapped it up in thick clear plastic.

My AVR5308 looks, feels, and sounds brand new.

I am very impressed.

 

[KEW]

Good to hear you are back in the groove!!!

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Good to hear you are back in the groove!!!

Yeah, perhaps now I won't be so grouchy & pessimistic on the forum.

Do you leave your AVR/pre-pro/amps on "standby" or do you completely turn them off?

I'm thinking it is safer to just completely turn them off. Normally I keep them on standby, but after this incident, I'm wondering if it is wise?

 

[Pyrrho]

Yeah, perhaps now I won't be so grouchy & pessimistic on the forum.

Do you leave your AVR/pre-pro/amps on "standby" or do you completely turn them off?

I'm thinking it is safer to just completely turn them off. Normally I keep them on standby, but after this incident, I'm wondering if it is wise?

It shouldn't make much difference in most cases. If you had a lightning strike, just being plugged in could take it out, so if you are totally paranoid, you should unplug everything when not in use. (That could be done fairly easily by using a power strip with your gear plugged into that, and then unplug the power strip to unplug it all.)

If you do not need to use a remote to turn it on, it would be best to totally shut it off because it will use less power that way, which is good for your electric bill and the environment. But I doubt it would make any noticeable difference as far as longevity of the gear is concerned.

 

[3db]

It shouldn't make much difference in most cases. If you had a lightning strike, just being plugged in could take it out, so if you are totally paranoid, you should unplug everything when not in use. (That could be done fairly easily by using a power strip with your gear plugged into that, and then unplug the power strip to unplug it all.)

If you do not need to use a remote to turn it on, it would be best to totally shut it off because it will use less power that way, which is good for your electric bill and the environment. But I doubt it would make any noticeable difference as far as longevity of the gear is concerned.

Thats what i do in the summer time. Always unplug my sytem's power bar before going to bed.

 

[allargon]

Thats what i do in the summer time. Always unplug my sytem's power bar before going to bed.

You don't use a DVR, do you?

 

[highfigh]

Yeah, Ecost is not the best.

Maybe the HDMI board on my 5308 had a similar cause...

I didn't realize that HDMI boards are so sensitive.

But now I will be 100% careful with HDMI inputs/outputs.

I will completely unplug the power cord from now on before even hooking up any inputs.

Besides grounding the wires from outside & surges, are there any other HDMI "precautions"?

It's not just the HDMI board, it's anything with ICs in it. resistors, caps, etc aren't as sensitive but internally, ICs have incredibly thin conductors and under normal conditions, they're fine but if they're exposed to constant current at the input or strong supply fluctuations that aren't handled by the power supply, they eventually turn into a fuse. It only takes losing one conductor to cause failure.

 

[highfigh]

No, my issue was a DirecTV installation issue. The coax cable that comes from the dish into the house has to be grounded. Most people do not realize this, but the signal gets converted to an electrical current, and if not ground you can have serious issues. It was not a Denon issue at all or an HDMI issue at all. I am lucky I only lost the Denon because of this, it could have been a lot more.

FWIW, the current is strong enough that if you hold the end of the coax, and then touch something metal with your other hand, you will feel the electricity. Just a tingle, feels like those old trick lighters. Same thing if holding the end of the HDMI from the DVR box when the coax plugged into the DVR. That is what zapped my 3808, and why DirecTV paid for it and gave me no issues and apologized over and over for their installer not grounding the dish.

The satellite cables are supposed to be grounded, but not for the reason you posted. It's in case of a nearby lightning strike. The cable is connected to the LNB and the receiver but the LNB only receives the power supply voltages the receiver send it. If you felt a tingle, it means the LNB or receiver have a lifted ground or a connector isn't grounding properly. Still, it should have been grounded and your installation was like mine- not done properly. I called them and told them that I wanted it grounded because the NEC calls for it. They don't ask many questions when the NEC article is directly quoted.

I got a good tingle when I unplugged the coax from the cable box before I had DirecTV installed and I called them out, too. I'm not sure they explain why the feed is supposed to be grounded but they need to know it's a serious safety issue and that it really screws up a lot of equipment if it's not done correctly.

Cable and satellite installers are known for not grounding their feeds and they often use the guy wire for this, which isn't proper, either, since it's not rated for use as a ground. They're supposed to install a ground block at the demarcation point, or immediately upon entering the building, to the breaker panel or a cold water supply pipe that's grounded.

 

[highfigh]

Yeah, perhaps now I won't be so grouchy & pessimistic on the forum.

Do you leave your AVR/pre-pro/amps on "standby" or do you completely turn them off?

I'm thinking it is safer to just completely turn them off. Normally I keep them on standby, but after this incident, I'm wondering if it is wise?

I think the standby mode is just to allow a command to turn it on. It really doesn't supply power to anything else and if none of the sources is sending current where it shouldn't be going, it should work fine. I guess the manufacturers could build these with an isolator inside but it's not their problem to deal with, IMO. The cable and satellite providers need to step up and pay the installers to do their job correctly, not as fast as possible in order to make a buck. Satellite companies don't pay much for this.