6 Pop Songs Great for Audio Demos
Worst DIY Installs Ever Part 7
10 Must-Have Products for Your Next Install
6 Amazing High-End Home Theaters
Print
Email
Comments (1)
Share
- Latest
- Subscribe
- Blogs
- Research
People On the Move: Milestone AV, Definitive Technology, JL Audio, NACE
CEDIA White Paper Examines How to Build Mobile Device Wireless Networks
Arizona Passes Statewide Alarm Licensing Law
Photos
6 Pop Songs Great for Audio Demos
Channel Vision Adds 6710, 6721 Outdoor PTZ Cameras
Ask the Advisors Will ‘Crush’ Integrators Who Don’t Do Electrical
AVC Group Adds SpeakerCraft, Proficient, Panamax/Furman; Mark Terry Out
Slideshows
Featured Topics
- Amplifiers
- Audio
- Automation & Control
- CCTV/Cameras
- Central Vacuum
- CE Pro 100
- Displays
- Distributed Audio
- Distributors
- Equipment Racks
- HDMI Corner
- Lighting
- Mounts & Lifts
- Movie Servers
- Multiroom Video
- Power Protection/Mgmt.
- Receivers
- Security
- Speakers
- Structured Wiring
- Universal Remotes
- Video
- Wire & Cable
White Papers
When to Test Your HDMI System Installations
Dealing with a vintage DVD player leaves one installer feeling purple.
One Saturday afternoon, I received a call from an installer having a Big Mac Attack because a system he had just installed was giving him trouble. Things were getting pretty out of hand.
The problem was an HDMI installation that wasn't functioning under certain conditions. The HDMI switching system he was using was built into a good, quality home theater stereo receiver. No problem there.
However, the problem raised its ugly head when the user switched from cable to DVD. For some reason, the DVD would only produce purple.
There is always a logical explanation for these types of problems.
He had also installed a repeater with a diagnostic monitoring system that gave him enough data for the fix. The monitor indicated that the interface was fine, but he still had a purple screen. But it was only a little deductive reasoning needed to cure the problem.
Swapping the inputs showed that the purple picture moved from input 1 to input 2. This pretty much told us that the DVD player -- an early vintage -- was the problem, even though the player worked perfectly when connected directly to the screen. A new DVD player was installed and the problem was solved.
So what's the lesson here? Well, for one thing, the installer should have never attempted such an project without pre-testing all of the equipment together as a system. He would have spotted this before he ever made it to the house. It could have been cured and delivered without a hitch.
These problems will begin to leave us as even better testing becomes standard, providing everyone with the necessary information for compatibility.
Stay tuned for this; it is going to really shake things up!
Jeff Boccaccio, principal, InVisions Technology, can be reached by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
The problem was an HDMI installation that wasn't functioning under certain conditions. The HDMI switching system he was using was built into a good, quality home theater stereo receiver. No problem there.
However, the problem raised its ugly head when the user switched from cable to DVD. For some reason, the DVD would only produce purple.
There is always a logical explanation for these types of problems.
He had also installed a repeater with a diagnostic monitoring system that gave him enough data for the fix. The monitor indicated that the interface was fine, but he still had a purple screen. But it was only a little deductive reasoning needed to cure the problem.
Swapping the inputs showed that the purple picture moved from input 1 to input 2. This pretty much told us that the DVD player -- an early vintage -- was the problem, even though the player worked perfectly when connected directly to the screen. A new DVD player was installed and the problem was solved.
So what's the lesson here? Well, for one thing, the installer should have never attempted such an project without pre-testing all of the equipment together as a system. He would have spotted this before he ever made it to the house. It could have been cured and delivered without a hitch.
These problems will begin to leave us as even better testing becomes standard, providing everyone with the necessary information for compatibility.
Stay tuned for this; it is going to really shake things up!
Jeff Boccaccio, principal, InVisions Technology, can be reached by e-mail at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Subscribe to the CE Pro Newsletter
Read more HDMI stories
Aavara appointed as the HD distribution solution by Ski Dubai ResortAavara supports European Athletic Championships by HD Broadcasting system
Aavara will introduce their new range of HD Distribution Solutions at Infocomm USA 2012
Aavara PB5000V HDMI-Over-IP Multicasting Digital Signage Solution at Infocomm 2012
HDMI to Cat 5/6: Are 1- or 2-Wire Solutions Best?
More in HDMI
About the Author
Jeff Boccaccio, President, DPL Labs
Jeff Boccaccio, president of DPL Labs, can be reached at either jeff@invisionstech.com or jeff@dplrating.org.
1 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
Page 1 of 1 comment pages
You are obviously paid bu a group that represents the HDMI technology in some way. You write that it was the installers fault for not testing DVD player that was pre existing in the system on his bench befroe he went to the site. What HDMI filled world do you live in where I can tell a customer that i need to remove an existing peice of their equipmewnt and test it to make sure it works via an HDMI interface? That means I have left the customer without a working system, and basically told them we dont know if it will work “cuz da back of da unit dont tell us dat part of what wire it is” That is now my fault!?
This is not the installers job…..these variation need to be taken care of by the manufacturer, and clearer marked for the installers and users! NOT after the fact! If is up to us to “installers” thses items corectly….it is only fair to gove the guys on the job the tools they need. At the price fo these cable! They should work everytime and be compatible with new formats. Or skip it!
OR, Just do what I do…..skip HDMI all together. All my high end clients like the soft colors the component video produces. Yet I have certain HDMI switchig available, just in case.
Analog comes through again!