Video Signal Drop-outs
Hi there Guys, I hope you don't mind. I am reviving this old thread because I have an annoying HDMI interference problem that I am struggling to resolve. I have an AV receiver connected to 2 sources, a blu ray player and a cable/sat box (DSTV). The AV receiver outputs video to a ceiling mounted projector via a 49 ft HDMI cable. Here is the problem I am having:-
1. When watching content from the cab/sat box (DSTV), the video signal to the projector keeps dropping after about 5 minutes and then reconnects after a few seconds as the projector starts searching for sources and locks-on again.
2. When watching content from the blu ray player the signal gets dropped every 20 minutes or so.
3. The sound remains intact, it is the video signal that has the problem.
4. The I discovered something new: Apart from the random loss of video signal every few minutes, I found that whenever I switched-on the lights (LED) in the room, I would the video signal.
What I did in an attempt to resolve the problem:-
1. Initially, I associated the issue with signal loss due to HDMI cable length (HDMI/HDCP handshake). I replaced my cable with HDBaseT over single CAT6 but the problem persists.
2. Concerning the lights, I assumed that the lights draw current when switched on and figured that it may be effecting the equipment momentarily in terms of unstable voltage/current. Hence, I connected all the equipment including the projector to a TripLite UPS that not only provides back up power during mains power failure but stabilises the power and removes line-noise. The problem still persists, in other words: the random video drop-outs and drop-outs when I switch-on the lights still remains.
3. Currently, I am using a 49ft CAT6 patch cord cable. I am of the opinion that the patch cord cable is being subjected to RFI by the LED lights or some sort of EMI although I have tried my best to keep the CAT6 cable away from power lines and it passes through it's own 1.5" PVC conduit.
4. The last test I conducted was that I moved the AV Reciver and the blu ray player on a tall stool right below the projector. Connected the AV Receiver to the projector using a 2m HDMI cable. Ran a movie via the blu ray player and did not experience any breaks in the video signal for up to 50 minutes. I hit the lights several times and it did not effect the video signal. I realise that the 49ft feet cable (HDMI or CAT6) could be behaving like an antenna.
5. Unfortunately, I am unable to move the DSTV box close to the projector because the coax cables that connect to the box are not long enough. I will call a DSTV engineer tomorrow to assist me with this test so that I can get a better understanding of the problem. The DSTV is the worst at video signal loss and apart from the RFI/EMI issue, it could also be an HDCP issue too. The AV receiver (Marantz SR-5010) is HDCP 2.2 compliant.
6. I upgraded the firmware of the AV Receiver but no change in terms of the problem being resolved except I feel that video signal reconnection is obtained slightly faster than before once it is lost.
7. Just as a quick additional test. I connected the blu ray player directly to the projector via the HDBaseT and 49ft CAT6 cable. The video signal loss was less frequent but it did get effected (Video signal loss) when the lights were switched-on.
At this point, I am not sure if a well shielded CAT6 cable will make a difference.
Any help from fellow members will be highly appreciated.
