Quote:
Originally Posted by
ttownsend
Funny you should mention the updates. I just posted a reply to another the message above about that. I checked the DirecTV Genie download history and noticed that the C-31 clients received an automatic update on 9/16. I discovered the problem on 9/18, which is the first time I'd watched that TV in a few weeks. This seems to coincide with the other folks who, on the DirecTV forum, are now posting similar problems between the Genie clients and a Yamaha receiver. They're claiming it just started within the past week too!
Tom - Glad to see you are following this up. Great call to relate this problem to the 9/16 software rollout to the Genie.
It's important to note that reports of problems all involve the Genie client through an A/V receiver, whereas people who report their systems as working fine are using Genie servers, non-Genie DTV STBs, or have the Genie client directly connected to a television.
I too believe that this is an HDCP handshake issue. I have a customer now with an RX-A3030 that has HDCP issues with a Genie server/client configuration. Same firmware on the RX-A3030 with two FIOS boxes (Motorola) feeding main and second zone, main zone has Epson 6030UB projector, second zone has Samsung UN40F5000 (or some 5series). Everything worked fine.
Converted to Genie server for main zone, client for 2nd zone. If server is playing in main zone and second zone selects client, either of two things happen in 2nd zone: picture flashes video/black screen every second; or 'non-HDCP compliant/convert to component' message appears. However, if main zone is set to AppleTV or Blu-ray, for instance, then client can be selected in 2nd zone and video works fine. Main zone can then select Genie server and both display video. However, if you change source on 2nd zone to client while server is displayed on main zone's projector, no video problem happens.
This appears to be a different flavor of HDCP problems with DTV's Genie client boxes. Forums show DTV to be spotty in their understanding/implementation of HDCP.
Yamaha dealer support (tier 2) is getting plenty of reports of the audio drop-out issue with Genie clients, but I also see reports of that exact behavior with other AVRs (Denon, Onkyo) on forums. The problem is not seen when the clients are connected directly to TVs, but that doesn't mean that all the AVRs are at fault. It means that the Genie clients don't play with HDMI repeaters in the configuration, which is what the AVRs appear to be. Not surprising that DTV doesn't test with AVRs in their lab. They likely assume that their customers plug their Genie clients directly into a television. I consider that a bad assumption.
Thanks for your detailed reporting on the problem, Tom. I'd like to see everyone who's reporting good/bad experience with this issue note whether it's a Genie server, Genie client, or a non-Genie DTV box.