Samsung HDTV video Blacks out,audio stays on!

[rivrbyte]

Hi !

I bought a Yamaha RX-V665 Receiver (3-31-2009) to play alongside my Samsung LN46A750 R1F/XZA HDTV, purchased OCT. 18, 2008. We have Time-Warner Cable service with a DCH3416 Motorola Digital Video Recorder STB.
For a little over a year with this Samsung TV, I have been experiencing blackouts from the TV averaging about 6 times per hour, and lasting about 7-10 seconds, at any given time of day or night. This does not happen when playing a BluRay or watching ON DEMAND movies. When it blacks out, I only get the audio, but no picture at all!

This is the way I hooked this up- ALL HDMI connections, and ALL going into the Yamaha receiver. I've contacted Motorola maker of the STB, they told me Time-Warner installs their own software into these boxes, I’ve talked to TW, and after replacing cables under house twice, exchanged about 5 boxes and about 6 service calls, they have never heard of this problem, and each time the signal was all 100% feed.

I called Time-Warner, Motorola, Yamaha and Samsung last year and talked to each of their customer tech support and they all pretty much told me they have never heard of this problem. So now I’m stuck in the middle of a blame game. Seriously?

*** Today, a Time-Warner technician came over to check box again, 100% signal, so he suggested we take the Yamaha receiver out of the equation by bypassing the receiver and ONLY connecting the TW Cable out from STB, into the side HDMI IN4 Input to see if that would cause the blackouts as well. (I usually have the HDMI 12’ inside (wall-rated) usually connected to the receiver’s HDMI 1 on the TV rear.
That was around 8:30 AM this morning and it’s now 7:40 PM, and has not ever blacked out since we connected this way! I do not have a TOS Optical Audio,(not needed,just use the TV speakers for now)

The tech did mention something about a 3' fiber optic SPDIF from receiver to Cable box..? How is that going to help the video from blacking out?

I had contacted Samsung back in June of 2009. They had me do a few troubleshooting things to prove it was not the TV.

Do you have any suggestions on what is causing these blackouts, and do you still think it's a possible handshake issue with the absence of a HDCP Repeater either from the Samsung TV or the Time Warner Motorola DVR box causing the VIDEO to go out and the AUDIO to remain on?

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi !

I bought a Yamaha RX-V665 Receiver (3-31-2009) to play alongside my Samsung LN46A750 R1F/XZA HDTV, purchased OCT. 18, 2008. We have Time-Warner Cable service with a DCH3416 Motorola Digital Video Recorder STB.
For a little over a year with this Samsung TV, I have been experiencing blackouts from the TV averaging about 6 times per hour, and lasting about 7-10 seconds, at any given time of day or night. This does not happen when playing a BluRay or watching ON DEMAND movies. When it blacks out, I only get the audio, but no picture at all!

This is the way I hooked this up- ALL HDMI connections, and ALL going into the Yamaha receiver. I've contacted Motorola maker of the STB, they told me Time-Warner installs their own software into these boxes, I’ve talked to TW, and after replacing cables under house twice, exchanged about 5 boxes and about 6 service calls, they have never heard of this problem, and each time the signal was all 100% feed.

I called Time-Warner, Motorola, Yamaha and Samsung last year and talked to each of their customer tech support and they all pretty much told me they have never heard of this problem. So now I’m stuck in the middle of a blame game. Seriously?

*** Today, a Time-Warner technician came over to check box again, 100% signal, so he suggested we take the Yamaha receiver out of the equation by bypassing the receiver and ONLY connecting the TW Cable out from STB, into the side HDMI IN4 Input to see if that would cause the blackouts as well. (I usually have the HDMI 12’ inside (wall-rated) usually connected to the receiver’s HDMI 1 on the TV rear.
That was around 8:30 AM this morning and it’s now 7:40 PM, and has not ever blacked out since we connected this way! I do not have a TOS Optical Audio,(not needed,just use the TV speakers for now)

The tech did mention something about a 3' fiber optic SPDIF from receiver to Cable box..? How is that going to help the video from blacking out?

I had contacted Samsung back in June of 2009. They had me do a few troubleshooting things to prove it was not the TV.

Do you have any suggestions on what is causing these blackouts, and do you still think it's a possible handshake issue with the absence of a HDCP Repeater either from the Samsung TV or the Time Warner Motorola DVR box causing the VIDEO to go out and the AUDIO to remain on?

Time Warner have heard of it. They lie through their teeth. This is a repeater handshake issue with the HDCP codes, and Time Warner, Atlantic cable are notorious for bad software on their end causing interrupted hand shakes.

The reason you don't have trouble with the direct TV connection, is that a TV being an end device is not required to make repeated handshakes, just one initial one. This is why the tech told you to connect your Motorola unit to the TV. He knew why too, but did not let on.

So the only way you will solve this is to go to over air, or a satellite provider.

I would beat Time Warner about the ears one more time though. When they know you know the jig, they might do something about it and install their latest software.

One last thing, have you tried another HDMI cable? A bad cable can and fairly often does cause this problem.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I feel like I've had this conversation before... This exact conversation... With the exact same person.

You may get more responses here, but the answer will be the same. Your cable box, connected to the Yamaha receiver, then to the TV has HDCP handshaking issues which are most likely due to the hardware (not software) of the Time Warner cable box. Motorola, at last check, still only puts one key into their boxes for HDCP, while Scientific Atlanta (and others) put 16 or more keys in. This is only a part of the issue, but the end is the same.

Connect the cable box directly to your TV.
Connect digital audio from the cable box to your A/V receiver.

Get your cables from www.monoprice.com

 

[rivrbyte]

YES it's Meeeeeeeeeeee again!
hey, Happy New Year!

Yes.... I ordered a TOS Optical cable today and will (finally) heed your advice. Back then it was so crazy with people telling me to run a TOS from my wall-hung TV to the receiver,but heck if I was going to remove that monstrosity down from the wall, or replace my 12' HDMI Monproce 28AWG (wall-rated cable,thinking that might be the problem) I had other suggestions, so I just lived with the blackouts until now.

Now, a few are telling me I need 24 AWG HDMI cable, and not the 28AWG! That might be the Culprit, because running to a AVR receiver,from the cable STB, has poor signal pass-through. Also, using 3' or less does not have the strength to carry the signal to the receiver and suggested using bigger than a 3' footer. So you hear all kinds of stuff.

So, I'll try the TOS from Cable to receiver and hope that it works..Thanks again! Monoprice $4.58.