Sony Wega with LG Blue Ray

[Cfbugman]

Hi folks,
Thanks for a place to ask questions! Hopefully someone has an answer.
I have a Sony Wega KDF-E55A20 with one HDMI input. I just bought an LG Home Theatre System LHB535. I hooked everything up (HDMI from cable box to HDMI input 1 on the Blue Ray and HDMI out to the tv.
I have got sound and picture with a dvd and using the wifi connection to the internet. But, I have no sound when I am watching cable. I have a picture just not sound.
Any ideas what I might be overlooking?
Thanks in advance,
Cfbugman
Greg

 

[BMXTRIX]

There is nothing obvious in the manual about this as the LG does process audio over HDMI which means you should be good with a cable box.

Have you connected your cable box directly to the TV via HDMI to confirm that the cable box is sending audio out over the HDMI connection? It is possible that you need to go into the cable box and tell it to send audio via HDMI instead of analog or S/PDIF.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi folks,
Thanks for a place to ask questions! Hopefully someone has an answer.
I have a Sony Wega KDF-E55A20 with one HDMI input. I just bought an LG Home Theatre System LHB535. I hooked everything up (HDMI from cable box to HDMI input 1 on the Blue Ray and HDMI out to the tv.
I have got sound and picture with a dvd and using the wifi connection to the internet. But, I have no sound when I am watching cable. I have a picture just not sound.
Any ideas what I might be overlooking?
Thanks in advance,
Cfbugman
Greg

Did you by any chance miss this step in set up?

HDMI IN 1/2 connection
You can enjoy the pictures and sound of your
component with this connection.
Connect the HDMI OUT jack of your
component into the HDMI IN 1 or 2 jack on this
unit. And then select the [HDMI IN 1/2] option
by pressing RADIO&INPUT and ENTER.
You can also use F button on the front panel to
select the input mode.

If you did this correctly, then may be your cable box does not output audio over HDMI, and you need a later model from your cable company.

 

[Cfbugman]

Just got off the phone with the cable company.
They are having someone coming out tomorrow.
I'm not sure what it could be. A message comes up from the cable box that the TV doesn't support DVI input to choose another. The HDMI cable that we bought for the box a couple of years ago is HDMI to DVI and has worked fine up until I was setting up this new system.
That is where I'm at now, (lost).
I did go through those steps and it didn't make a difference. I am guessing I will have a new cable box tomorrow.
Thanks for the responses!
Greg

 

[TLS Guy]

Just got off the phone with the cable company.
They are having someone coming out tomorrow.
I'm not sure what it could be. A message comes up from the cable box that the TV doesn't support DVI input to choose another. The HDMI cable that we bought for the box a couple of years ago is HDMI to DVI and has worked fine up until I was setting up this new system.
That is where I'm at now, (lost).
I did go through those steps and it didn't make a difference. I am guessing I will have a new cable box tomorrow.
Thanks for the responses!
Greg

There is your problem. HDMI is a two way communication and DVI is not. So your set up does not support the required repeater architecture.

 

[Cfbugman]

She said there newer boxes use HDMI to HDMI cables. If they trade the box out tomorrow for a newer one, is there a good chance that it will fix the problem?
Also, with the tv having one HDMI input, will running the HDMI from the cable box output to the LG Blue Ray input and then from the LG Blue Ray output 1 to the TV work with out a HDMI switch box?

 

[TLS Guy]

She said there newer boxes use HDMI to HDMI cables. If they trade the box out tomorrow for a newer one, is there a good chance that it will fix the problem?
Also, with the tv having one HDMI input, will running the HDMI from the cable box output to the LG Blue Ray input and then from the LG Blue Ray output 1 to the TV work with out a HDMI switch box?

The cable box change will solve your problem, as long as it has repeater architecture, and some still don't. Atlantic cable seems to be the worst offender judging by post here.

I don't know why you are asking about an HDMI switch. Why do you need that you have two HDMI inputs in your HTIB?

Generally the simpler you keep HDMI connections the better. Theses connections can be fraught with problems. Your question can not be answered because there are now a lot of versions of HDMI, and the switcher, if you use one ,will need to be a late version.

 

[Cfbugman]

Wasn't sure if the connections on the Blue Ray would suffice since I only have one connection on the t.v..
Hopefully tomorrow a newer cablebox will take care of my aggravations.
Thanks again TLS!

 

[TLS Guy]

Wasn't sure if the connections on the Blue Ray would suffice since I only have one connection on the t.v..
Hopefully tomorrow a newer cablebox will take care of my aggravations.
Thanks again TLS!

You should just need one HDMI cable from your cable box to your HTIB and one from your HTIB to your TV, unless you have devices you have not told us about.

 

[Cfbugman]

Nope thats it. Cable box, HDTV, and Home Theater Blue Ray.
Thanks again. I'll post the results tomorrow.

 

[BMXTRIX]

If you are saying that your cable box has a DVI connector on it, and not a HDMI connector, then that most definitely IS your issue. PERIOD!

The person who said that DVI doesn't support two-way is incorrect as many DVI devices are HDCP enabled and work just fine with HDMI products.

But, DVI does not and never has carried audio over the connector. Don't confuse buying a cable with two different ends on it as something which actually changes the signal.

You have a DVI to HDMI cable - but you are carrying DVI digital video information ONLY on that cable.

So, get the new cable box with HDMI output and you will be fine.

The other option was to hook digital audio from the cable box to your all-in-one system via Toslink or SPDIF.

 

[Cfbugman]

Alright here is where I'm at now.
The cable guy came by and changed out the 4 year old box. Replaced it with a new one with HDMI. He set it up and had it working prior to leaving. He did go through 3 remotes before he found a new one that worked.
After he left I removed the HDMI cable from the t.v. input and put it into the Blue Ray input 1. Then hooked the HDMI output from the Blue Ray into the TV. Tried it, no picture or sound.
Hooked it back up the way he had it, cable box HDMI output to HDMI tv input. Now no picture or sound. If I hook up composite cables I get picture and sound in poor quality (analog?).
The tv is a sony wega KDF-E55A20. Is there something I am missing?

 

[TLS Guy]

Alright here is where I'm at now.
The cable guy came by and changed out the 4 year old box. Replaced it with a new one with HDMI. He set it up and had it working prior to leaving. He did go through 3 remotes before he found a new one that worked.
After he left I removed the HDMI cable from the t.v. input and put it into the Blue Ray input 1. Then hooked the HDMI output from the Blue Ray into the TV. Tried it, no picture or sound.
Hooked it back up the way he had it, cable box HDMI output to HDMI tv input. Now no picture or sound. If I hook up composite cables I get picture and sound in poor quality (analog?).
The tv is a sony wega KDF-E55A20. Is there something I am missing?

He installed another out of date box! You should have made him connect to your receiver.

You are up against HDCP codes.

Now for anti piracy reasons, any device that receives and then sends out an HDMI signal has been required for some time to have repeater architecture. So your receiver has to make repeated handshakes with you cable box during the entire viewing.

Now an end device like a TV is not required to have repeater architecture and is only required to make an initial handshake.

That is why it only works when connected to your TV. A switch will not help, as they have to have repeater architecture.

Your cable company may be able to solve this with a software update, or may have to give you another box. You have an early HDMI 1.1 in that box. Make them give you version 1.3 if you can.

 

[Cfbugman]

I just check the box it is a Cisco Explorer 4640 HDC. The manufacture date on the tag is 2/18/2010. Not sure if that is significant or not.
The gal I called into to set the appointment said they can't touch our equipment so I didn't ask to hook it up to the receiver.
TSL Guy---I printed out your last post and will keep it and have my wife give it to him when he is by in the morning.

 

[Cfbugman]

Just looked at the cable box specs on the Cisco site and it showed HDMI 1.3.

 

[TLS Guy]

Just looked at the cable box specs on the Cisco site and it showed HDMI 1.3.

Both your cable box and LG unit are HDMI version 1.3, or should be. So in theory your set up should work.

However I suspect that the cable company has installed old firmware in the box.

Unfortunately we get a boat load of HDMI problems with cable boxes. It is not helped by the fact that the cable companies appear to have a poor grasp of the problem, and are happy if the box gives a picture when connected to the TV.

I suspect you will have to lead them by the nose and ask about available firmware updates.

I would try another good quality HDMI cable just in case that is the problem. Not all HDMI cables have the required bandwidth.

After reviewing your cable box and your LG unit, and past experience with other posters problems, I feel this is most likely a cable company issue. We have had quite a number that only work with direct TV connection. However when members are persistent with the cable company they usually get satisfaction.

I don't see any updates to download for your LG unit, but if all else fails you might ask LG if there is an update you need.

Unfortunately HDMI is a needlessly complex system with a lot of versions and even more addenda within versions. So we do run into compatibility problems, but I don't think as may as we used to a little while ago.

I think this is as far as we can take your problem on this forum. Good luck!

 

[Cfbugman]

Thanks again TLS Guy. I will hopefully get the cable company to rectify it today.

 

[Cfbugman]

Well just wanted to followup on my issue.

The cable guy came back and replaced an old splice outside to improve signal. He also pulled the old DVI to HDMI cable out of the entertainment center in which he had left it.

I was plugging in a dead cable. The space in the entertainment unit is tight so when I reached in and got the hdmi cable I had fed into the back of it, little did I know I was plugging in the one he had left.

Anyway, it all works now and I thank everyone who posted to get me through the fix.

Thanks again,
Cfbugman (Greg)