I just finished installing a brand new home theater and I'm having serious issues with the HDTV channels and my cable box. I have the Scientific Atlanta 8300HD throught Optimum connected to a SONY STR-DG910 and a SONY 52XBR4 LCD TV.

Whenever I watch any of the HD channels, the picture and audio cut out for a few seconds every few minutes. The picture will flash and the sound will become distorted and the receiver will have "Dolby Digital 5/2.0 scroll across the display everytime this happens. Again, this lasts for about 1-3 seconds and happens every 1-3 minutes while watching an HD channel.

Please help me out guys. I cannot figure out what problem is occurring. I'm not sure whether the receiver is struggling to decode the HD info from the box or if this is an issue with the cable box itself.

How is everything hooked together?

that sure sounds like an HDMI handshake issue but we need the OP to confirm that's how it's connected.

Have Comcast send a signal through, but the 8300HD is notorious for drops (especially with higher end equipment for some reason). Call Comcast and have them replace it, and replace it again if necessary until you get a good box.

Also, some older firmware revs for the SA 8300HD boxes (IIRC) were known to dislike HDMI repeater devices - which HDMI-equipped AV receivers appear as to the HDMI source device. That might be related...

Have Comcast send a signal through, but the 8300HD is notorious for drops (especially with higher end equipment for some reason). Call Comcast and have them replace it, and replace it again if necessary until you get a good box.

They are not using Comcast.

i30d, first, you need to disconnect the Sony STR-DG910 and run the 8300 directly to the Sony TV and see if it drops out like it is doing now. If it does not, the issue with the Sony STR-DG910 and not the SA8300.

Until you can verify which unit is truly the cause, you will only be spinning your wheels.

Optimum will make you do the same thing, so might as well get ahead of the game now.

I'm going to try connecting the HDMI from the cable box directly to the TV. The problem is that this issue does not always happen. Some nights I watch TV for an hour or so and not have the problem occur. And then other nights I can't watch Tv for more than a minute without it. LOL . I'm going to try to connect directly and see. Thanks for the input guys, keep any other suggestions coming!

Everything is connected via HDMI cables.

If you get the drop outs with the direct connection from the STB to the TV you can also try running the coax directly to the TV and see if you get the drop outs. If you do then it's a signal issue, if not then the problem is in the STB.

Again, this lasts for about 1-3 seconds and happens every 1-3 minutes while watching an HD channel.

The problem is that this issue does not always happen.

Every 1-3 minutes != does not always happen

When I had originally reported this problem it was happening constantly. Within the past week I have had times when it did not occur. Thats what I'm saying BeachComber