I have an onkyo tx sr 608 which I have connected to my 500gb imation hard disk media player via HDMI. The TV is connected tto the a/v receiver via HDMI cable. The moment I switch on the media player, the picture on the tv skips (or goes off )for a second and then returns back. This on and off happens continously as long as the media player is switched on. If I play a movie from the media player, the sound and picture go of for a second and then return back, then go off again... and so on. I've been using the media player connected directly to the tv via HDMI since the last 2 years without any problem. Its only when I hook up the the media player to my a/v receiver that this problem occours. Perhaps thre is a setting on the receiver that I need to change. I've even tried pressing VCR and return simultaneously to disable the video processing, but even disabling it doesn't work. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
It's the old frequent problem. It is a problem of repeater HDCP codes within the HDMI connection.
A TV is an end device and not required to have repeater architecture. A receiver on the other hand outputs HDMI. So a receiver has to make repeated handshakes which the TV does not.
Almost certainly the problem is the Imation media player. See if it is HDCP certified, I bet it is not. Your Onkyo is HDCP certified.
HDCP certification is very expensive and rigorous, and a lot of devices such as media players are not certified and so foul up with repeater handshakes are common. What you are describing is classic for a repeater HDCP handshake problem.
Your only solution is to purchase an HDCP certified media player. You need to make sure that it has repeater architecture and is certified.
