HT experts need some thoughts on home theater glitches
 

Hi all:
I tried to post on the big home theater forum but for whatever reason they are blocking me...might be because I haven't posted in so long...anyway hoping for help from the resident HT experts.

We just completed a major home renovation and added a nice sized master bedroom suite. My wife was into having as little furniture as possible so that led to installing a nice home theater system to avoid clutter on the floors. The old, "well honey the walls are open we might as well...."

So a new Panasonic 42" 600U Plasma and while the walls were all open anyway we put front and rear in wall JBL surround speakers, a compact powered Yamaha subwoffer, Yamaha in wall center channel. All powered by a really nice Yamaha A/V receiver, HTR 5990, see it at this link:

http://www.yamaha.com/yec/products/productdetail.html?CNTID=200015&CTID=5000400

I bought this receiver b/c it processes both audio and video with HDMI in/out and upconverting.

Also in the wall is a 50ft HDMI cable which now connects the receiver and TV (this is important b/c now I suspect there is a problem). Comcast (our cable provider) came yesterday and installed an HD-DVR and connected it to my A/V receiver both via the component video and HDMI connections. I suspected it was only reading the component video connection b/c it wasn't pushing surround sound like HDMI should.

Well then things started happening, the picture kept dropping but the sound stayed on, when I tried to disconnect the Component video I lost everthing and the plasma screen turned green...Clearly it wasn't reading the HDMI signal, it was late I got frustrated and turned it off, then stewing in my bed for an hour.

This morning tried again and got a blue boxed error message on the plasma screen from what component I have no idea that said "the set-top box does not support the HD signal switch to component video" which I did along with some optical cable off of our other setup and just used component and optical and had a good picture and surround sound.

So firstly why wouldn't all of this brand new equipement with top notch connections support a full HDMI run from cable-receiver-tv. I tried switching out the HDMI connection from DVR to receiver but no different. And about 15 minutes later the picture started to drop again but not sound...

This is long and drawn out I know, but can anyone help? If my inwall HDMI is f-ed I'll be seriously bummed as it is going to be really difficult without cutting up brand new walls to get another cable through there...Does anyone have experience trying to connect Comcast equipment to higher end stuff, is the box just not sophisticated enough?

Help, please from the experts...
Thanks
Adam

HDMI is really 'picky' ... I decided to stay with Component cables in my install, my cable box (Cox) has HDMI but does not work worth a damm (even with short cable runs) using the HDMI connection.

Does the receiver/tv work fine with another HDMI source (i.e. DVD player)?

What Comcast receiver do you have?

Thanks Jordi:
Will check on the comcast receiver tonight. Was just at Best Buy picking up a new DVD player and mentioned it to them and they indicated that the long HMDI run may be the problem. They suggested having comcast swap out the box first, then changing to component if that doesn't work.

Just get's me a bit frustrated that such a high end cable that everyone is pushing these days "look here 2 HMDI inputs!, make one connection!!, etc, etc.." is such a problem cable...

Hopefully using it to pull component cables through the walls isn't too impossible...

Adam

I recentl read an article regardin HDMI cables that tested a few major brand names and no name cables of various lengths. All seemed to work well enough; Best Buy Sales people are just that - never ever ever take their word.

Actually just got off the phone with a great online cable company, they were really, really helpful, Blue Jeans Cable out of Seattle.
Anyway he sells both, among many other types (at a really great price) and is telling all of his customers to use component not HDMI. He feels for inwall cable that you don't want to have to change for years, that component is the best. They are seeing problems with picture dropping at 720 with HDMI that we won't have with component.

My electrician indicated that a swap wouldn't be terrible, we'll use that HDMI as a nice $100 guide wire! The run isn't that long and complicated, what's another couple of hundred dollars when you've spent as much as I have on this darn renovation...drops in the ocean...

HDMI is a great idea without a standard. Yep, v1.3 is coming out with the PS3. Supposedly a few months ago there were still issues with the HDMI connection between the PS3 and testing equipment, video and a high pitched signal came through for audio. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks.