I recently completed building a new home. All the wiring is done, prob not going to be able to change anything, so I am trying to work with what I've got. I'd like to try and explain my system and connections, and maybe someone will have some ideas or that I have not thought, solutions to my problems or general suggestions. (Run more wires through walls or run conduit through walls for addition of new connections later on won't help at this point)
The system is relatively simple, only worried about two rooms and two tvs here.
In my den I have a Cox Cable DVR (HDMI and component outs), a new Mac Mini (HDMI out), a Sony STR-DA3400ES receiver, and a new Sharp TV.
From the equipment location in the den to the back of a TV on the wall in the masterbedroom, there is a single HDMI run over a cat5 balun.
My idea is that I want to be able to watch both the DVR and the Mac Mini in the master bedroom and obviously be able to watch and listen to both the DVR and Mac Mini in the den and over the main speakers.
Here is what I have tried already:
First, I have the Mac Mini run into this switch: hxxp://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=5557&seq=1&format=2
This switch accomplishes at least one thing that I need, which is the ability to output HDMI digital audio and analog audio from the Mac simultaneously (believe it or not the brand new mac mini cannot do this). I need this to send the analog audio feed into my receiver for Zone 2 (also surprising to me was that the Sony ES receiver my installer sold me doesn't send any digital signals to Zone 2, so I need analog).
Then from the switch I run the switch output into an HDMI splitter. One output goes into my A/V receiver, the other goes into the HDMI wall jack into the master bedroom.
This all works perfectly. I get audio and video on my master bed tv, the receiver gets digital audio and video and outputs it to the den TV, and zone 2 gets its analog audio from the Mac Mini. For whatever reason, if I put the splitter in front of the switch, and went from the switch into the wall jack, no signal made it to the bedroom from the Mac Mini.
Now, I need to get the DVR going to both TVs. It has component and HDMI outs, so no splitter is needed. I go from the component video out straight into the TV and use coax digital audio out into the receiver. To try and get it to the master bed tv, I obvioulsy have to go through the swtich, then into the wall jack.
However, when the signal makes it to the TV in my master bed, I get a HDCP protection error, us YBR, etc., for a minute (you can see video coming through around the borders, but no audio) then a green screen. I have tried two models of DVR box from Cox, same problem both times.
I think that kind of explains everything, if anyone could follow all of that. Any suggestions on any of my setup, ways to accomplish what I want to do that I havent thought of, things I could do better differently?
I would greatly appreciate the help.
Paul
The system is relatively simple, only worried about two rooms and two tvs here.
In my den I have a Cox Cable DVR (HDMI and component outs), a new Mac Mini (HDMI out), a Sony STR-DA3400ES receiver, and a new Sharp TV.
From the equipment location in the den to the back of a TV on the wall in the masterbedroom, there is a single HDMI run over a cat5 balun.
My idea is that I want to be able to watch both the DVR and the Mac Mini in the master bedroom and obviously be able to watch and listen to both the DVR and Mac Mini in the den and over the main speakers.
Here is what I have tried already:
First, I have the Mac Mini run into this switch: hxxp://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=101&cp_id=10110&cs_id=1011002&p_id=5557&seq=1&format=2
This switch accomplishes at least one thing that I need, which is the ability to output HDMI digital audio and analog audio from the Mac simultaneously (believe it or not the brand new mac mini cannot do this). I need this to send the analog audio feed into my receiver for Zone 2 (also surprising to me was that the Sony ES receiver my installer sold me doesn't send any digital signals to Zone 2, so I need analog).
Then from the switch I run the switch output into an HDMI splitter. One output goes into my A/V receiver, the other goes into the HDMI wall jack into the master bedroom.
This all works perfectly. I get audio and video on my master bed tv, the receiver gets digital audio and video and outputs it to the den TV, and zone 2 gets its analog audio from the Mac Mini. For whatever reason, if I put the splitter in front of the switch, and went from the switch into the wall jack, no signal made it to the bedroom from the Mac Mini.
Now, I need to get the DVR going to both TVs. It has component and HDMI outs, so no splitter is needed. I go from the component video out straight into the TV and use coax digital audio out into the receiver. To try and get it to the master bed tv, I obvioulsy have to go through the swtich, then into the wall jack.
However, when the signal makes it to the TV in my master bed, I get a HDCP protection error, us YBR, etc., for a minute (you can see video coming through around the borders, but no audio) then a green screen. I have tried two models of DVR box from Cox, same problem both times.
I think that kind of explains everything, if anyone could follow all of that. Any suggestions on any of my setup, ways to accomplish what I want to do that I havent thought of, things I could do better differently?
I would greatly appreciate the help.
Paul
