new HTiB to tv&cable dvr problems..

hello all,

i have recently added a sony ht-ss360 to a very simple bedroom setup. it includes an lcd tv (sharp aquos lc-32d44u) and a standard brighthouse cable DVR (SA8300HDC) and a PS3 slim.

i bought this HTiB because of audio over hdmi support and i got it for just over 200 bucks shipped to my door. i had recently been looking to add more sound to the room and after a bit of research this sony looked to be one of the best systems i could get, new, for my super tight budget of just over 200 bucks

ps3 slim -> ht-ss360 via hdmi (lpcm)
cable box -> ht-ss360 via hdmi (DD output)
ht-ss360 -> TV via hdmi...

once i turn on the components (doesnt matter what order) i occasionally get, what i can only describe as "audio/video blinking" or "audio/video switching". this only happened once i introduced the ht-ss360 into the setup. i have tried numerous resolutions to and spent hours testing different configurations only to still have this "blinking" or "switching" issue.

during this issue, the audio and video will literally drop from the TV screen. it will come back within a second or so. sometime this happens only once or twice a day, sometimes this happens in a loop, and never resolves itself until the components are unplugged and plugged back in.

i have reset each individual component back to factory defaults, i have swapped the standard issue SA8300HDC cable box with the ever popular SA8300HD and even with the newer samsung smt-h3090 DVR. i have swapped out the ht-ss360 for a panasonic sc-pt670

the panasonic surround sound system didnt support audio over hdmi, and i had to use the TV as the switcher but exhibited the same issues (using optical for audio and hdmi for video) the panasonic also suffered from audio crackling and popping. which i didnt care to try and remedy at the time.

whats funny is that the PS3 doesnt have any issues what so ever, with the panasonic sc-pt670 or the sony ht-ss360 i didnt have audio crackling issues OR this video blinking problem. if i plug the PS3 into the ports that the cable box was plugged into, there is no problems, and if i plug the cable box into the ps3 ports, the problem reappears. so i am confident that the hdmi ports are good as the ps3 works fine in all ports. i have taken the ps3 out of the equation and the problem still appears.

from my research it seems i might be suffering from HDCP handshaking issues.. but that doesnt really help me fix it..

im almost convinced that the culprit is the cable box. if anyone can shed some light on my issues, or help me fix them i would be most greatful, im getting tired of going back to the cable company and haveing to switch out the box. i have tried all 3 different models they offer in my area (hd-dvr) and im running out of options. from my work in the IT industry troubleshooting computers, my next step tells me to troubleshoot the tv, as it is the ONLY common peice of hardware in all the different configurations. but i really cant think of how the tv could cause this.

the only sure conclusion i can come to is, i need to ask the experts, so here i am.

well, first thanks for replying

its interesting you mention it could be signal quality. this house is older, built in the late 70's, the lines outside are original, except for customers that have had the cable co. re-run drops to the house (which we and just about every house on the street has had). we have had cable techs out at the house almost every weekend for the past 3-4 months now. it has gotten a lot better but there is still SEVERE signal noise on the line at high frequencies (almost all of the HD content) but the signal noise on the lower frequencies is absolutly PERFECT. *shrugs*

we are scheduled for another tech to come out (still) and look at things again to try something else.. in the mean time i think i am going to try and monitor if this happens more frequently on higher freq channels (hd) vs lower frequency channels (sd). if this could be related to the noise on the line, then maybe i can see a difference in the frequency of the "blinks".

i will keep this in mind and see what we can work out with the next tech who comes out. brighthouse has admitted they have a system problem in the past in this specific area, but honestly i think it's all who you talk to and what mood they're in. its hard to belive anyone there knows anything about what the left hand is doing, or even what their own right hand is doing . IF this "blinking" issue is indeed related to the signal quality coming into the box, then i honestly dont think it will ever be resolved.

if anyone else has any suggestions, insight, or other info, feel free to chime in.

thanks again..