I recently purchased the Scientific Atlanta 4250HD box and it seems to be outputting picture and sound through the HDMI port even before I power on the unit.

Basically like this:

I turn my tv on, and I get picture and audio, tuned to the last channel I was on before I shut the box off.
Then if I press 'power' on the 3250, it loads the default channel and lets me access the menu.

If I hit power again the box turns off and the screen goes black.
but if I turn my tv off - then on again, I'll see picture and sound without turning the box on.

So basically the 4250 is always sending an HDMI signal to the tv unless i power it off while the TV is on - but then restarting the TV will recapture the HDMI signal.

Does anybody know why it does this or if there' a workaround (whilst still using HDMI)

p.s. I know others have had this issue and I know the old 3250hd box did the same thing with a DVI-HDMI connection.

Thanks in advance for any help!

EDIT: Here's a similar situation to mine.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=14437833

Also, is it bad for the TV in any way to have a constant HDMI signal fed to it? Even when the TV is off?

Thanks!

I don't think the TV is receiving a signal when it is off since HDMI is a handshaking protocol.
What I believe is happening is that when your cable STB is "off" although it has stopped outputting over any of its interfaces it is only in standby so it can record any scheduled programs, can come out of standby either when you push it's power button or when your TV tries to communicate with it when you turn the TV back on.

I don't think the TV is receiving a signal when it is off since HDMI is a handshaking protocol.
What I believe is happening is that when your cable STB is "off" although it has stopped outputting over any of its interfaces it is only in standby so it can record any scheduled programs, can come out of standby either when you push it's power button or when your TV tries to communicate with it when you turn the TV back on.

I've had experience with the 8300HD PVR, and this issue doesn't happen.

It seems as though all of SA's non hard drive based cable boxes are "activated" when the TV is turned on.

It's just odd when you turn on your TV and you have picture and sound from the last channel you were watching and NOT the channel you set the box to default to. Because when you turn on the TV and you see picture and sound, you have to press power on the box anyways to access the menu and such...

so it's like the box comes half-way on (last channel watched but no menu and no default channel)

This is incredibly odd but since it's evidently not limited to my unit, I'll live with it so long as no harm is done to the TV.

I don't think the TV is receiving a signal when it is off since HDMI is a handshaking protocol.

The thing about this is that when you turn the box off the TV doesn't display the normal banner that it usually does when it has no signal.

Like if I shut off my bluray player, the tv then displays a banner with the input name etc etc... because it's getting no signal. But when I try to power off the cable box, the screen just goes dark but the TVs banner doesn't pop up meaning it's still being sent a signal of sorts.

My TV does not display any banner if I turn off my Motorola cable box. It only displays the
HDMI no signal banner if I switch to the cable box from another source and the cable box is off.
If while watching TV from the STB and I turn off the STB and then turn off the TV I do get the message to turn my cable box back ont when I turn the TV back on.
If am using digital audio from the STB to my amplifier instead of the HDMI audio to the TV. The STB stops sending the audio if I just turn off the TV.

Well mine is a Scientific Atlanta, not Motorola. So that doesn't really apply.

Anyways I just want to know if the constant HDMI signal is harmful to the tv.

I know yours is a SA I was trying to point out that most of the behavior of your SA unit is exactly the same as with my Motorla unit. The only difference is that when your TV is turned off after using its HDMI interface from the STB that when your TV is turned back on it checks the HDMI connection with the STB your STB upon receiving this check comes out of standby. My Motorola on the other hand does not so my TV displays a message telling me to turn it back on.
I thought it important to note that if I turn off STB while the TV is on that no message is displayed on the TV even though the audio output and apparently the Video output from the STB is also turned off.

I know yours is a SA I was trying to point out that most of the behavior of your SA unit is exactly the same as with my Motorla unit. The only difference is that when your TV is turned off after using its HDMI interface from the STB that when your TV is turned back on it checks the HDMI connection with the STB your STB upon receiving this check comes out of standby. My Motorola on the other hand does not so my TV displays a message telling me to turn it back on.
I thought it important to note that if I turn off STB while the TV is on that no message is displayed on the TV even though the audio output and apparently the Video output from the STB is also turned off.

Okay I understand a little better now. So your box doesn't competely stop sending a signal either. Like mine. Just mine is 'awakened' by the tv power.

Awakened but not really 'turned on' since i still have to hit power on the box to access the menu etc.

It appears to stop sending video as well as audio but the electrical connection is still present as evidenced by the fact that the TV tells me to turn my cable box back on if the TV was turned off before the STB.

It appears to stop sending video as well as audio but the electrical connection is still present as evidenced by the fact that the TV tells me to turn my cable box back on if the TV was turned off before the STB.

I see. Same stuff, different pile. Silly if you ask me. Is this harmful to the tv that a constant signal is being sent to it even when off?

It is not sending a signal it is just in standby and is responding to the TV when the TV is turned on and interrogates the connection a which point it responds. It stopped sending signals when the TV stopped responding when it was turned off.