[eddiebrock]

Hi.


I signed up for HDTV with Comcast.


I have a Motorola DCT-6412 HD DVR and a Pioneer Elite VSX-84Tsi receiver.


When I plug in the HDMI cable, I get a message saying something like


" Setup box will not display HD because of content protection" Then, I get a green screen.


I called comcast and they told me that no matter what you do, there is no way possible to get a HD TV into any receiver because of copy protection and the box thinks that the receiver is a HD repeater. He told me he has never been able to setup HDTV with a receiver with HDMI.


Does anyone know what the issue is here? Is there no hope to get the full HDMI experience with a receiver?


Thanks.

 

[mjones73]

The Comcast box isn't set up correctly to work with an HDMI repeater, unfortunately if you want to use HDMI, you'll need to go straight to the set and run an optical or coax audio cable to the AV receiver for sound.


There are a bunch of past posts on this topic here, some searching would turn up plenty of info...

 

[eddiebrock]



Quote:
Originally Posted by mjones73 /forum/post/0


The Comcast box isn't set up correctly to work with an HDMI repeater, unfortunately if you want to use HDMI, you'll need to go straight to the set and run an optical or coax audio cable to the AV receiver for sound.


There are a bunch of past posts on this topic here, some searching would turn up plenty of info...

What topic should I search for?


I don't have an HDMI repeater, I have a Pioneer Elite VSX-84TXSi receiver. What's the point of getting a $1500 receiver, a universal remote, and a high def cable box if I have to disconnect and reconnect different cables every time I want to switch from cable to the PS3 or the computer? Why wouldn't a receiver be designed to work with a cable box? Isn't it pretty common to want to use a receiver in a home theater to watch tv?

 

[ekb]

Your Pioneer receiver is considered an HDMI repeater. The receiver is designed fine - it's the cable box that is not operating properly.


Ed

 

[mjones73]

Well technically you do have an HDMI repeater, that's what your AV receiver is doing when it passes the signal through to the TV.


elb hit the nail right on the head though, it's not the receiver it's the problem, it's your cable box, it's HDMI implementation is not correct. If the receiver was at fault, your PS3 and computer wouldn't work with it either.

 

[chewitt]

I have (in two locations) Time Warner Cable and CableVision, both using SA8300 HD DVR boxes connected by HDMI into Denon receivers. The Denons switch to the projector or plasma. The set top boxes settings provide for HDMI output. Both work fine ( so far).


There were some rumors about cable companies dropping support for HDMI and requiring component connections. I hope they are false.

 

[ekb]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ekb /forum/post/0


Your Pioneer receiver is considered an HDMI repeater. The receiver is designed fine - it's the cable box that is not operating properly.


Ed

BTW, I read that some components like the Anthem pre-pros can be set to "lie" to the STB and tell it that they're a TV (or whatever the name is for the component at the end of the HDMI chain). You can then get things to work as you wish with the bad STB.


Ed

 

[PlaciD]

I promise you this specific problem isn't going to be because of the "repeater," at least not merely because of it. I've had the Comcast Motorola 6412 since I moved into this place, far Chicago suburbs, in July. I've had it connected, via HDMI, since I've received my Westinghouse 42" 1080p in September. At the begining of this year, I get the content protection message - out of nowhere - and had to hook up the box via component because the box has no DVI output. Stupid industry and HDCP.


Comcast has told me that many people in the area are suffering the same problem, and... "we might have to send out new boxes eventually," but that they'd "let me know via mail what they will do." This is, of course, a box they've managed to update over the cable network for the past 6 months. Obviously, it's a software issue, as it was working previously.


I need my high-bandwidth digital connection back. Watching da bears over component is PAINFUL.

 

[Nmlobo]



Quote:
Originally Posted by PlaciD /forum/post/0


I promise you this specific problem isn't going to be because of the "repeater," at least not merely because of it. I've had the Comcast Motorola 6412 since I moved into this place, far Chicago suburbs, in July. I've had it connected, via HDMI, since I've received my Westinghouse 42" 1080p in September. At the begining of this year, I get the content protection message - out of nowhere - and had to hook up the box via component because the box has no DVI output. Stupid industry and HDCP.


Comcast has told me that many people in the area are suffering the same problem, and... "we might have to send out new boxes eventually," but that they'd "let me know via mail what they will do." This is, of course, a box they've managed to update over the cable network for the past 6 months. Obviously, it's a software issue, as it was working previously.


I need my high-bandwidth digital connection back. Watching da bears over component is PAINFUL.

I don't know why you would be bandwith constrained when switching to component cables. Component cables are capable of transporting 1080i.


"Digital to digital" conversion is no more a guarantee of signal quality than "digital to analog," and in practice may be substantially worse. Whether it's better or worse will depend upon the circuitry involved" So, which is better, DVI or component? HDMI or component? The answer--unsatisfying, perhaps, but true--is that it depends. It depends upon your source and display devices, and there's no good way, in principle, to say in advance whether the digital or the analog connection will render a better picture. http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messa...79/122868.html

 

[PlaciD]

I'm not neccesarily bandwidth constrained on the 6412 over component, as it does not do 1080p. And, you are correct, the "analog versus digital" thing is not the true difference, or problem. Each has strengths and weaknesses. The DVI/HDMI way of doing things is better for my application. For my (very common) source and display devices, and my cables, wiring, interference, insulation, and SPACE, etc., the DVI/HDMI choice is clearly better.


However, the "digital to digital" point that you were trying to make is invalid in this case. The source materials obviously convert formats, etc., and the DVR box does the same thing - it upsamples, and turns 480p content into 1080i or 720p, but over the interface of HDMI to a digital source, there is no extra resampling of the digital information.


Anyway, the entire discussion is besides the point; we were dicussing HDCP problems over HDMI. Hate on HDMI all you want, but the biggest thing to complain about is HDCP breaking very important basic functionality.


The Motorola 6412 on the Comcast network (at least in part of the Chicagoland area) is broken, because it does not provide its complete stated functionality.

 

[PlaciD]

Also, note the comment during a Sound and Vision review of common receivers:

Quote:
The box correctly recognized each of the receivers as an HDMI "repeater" that sits between it and the TV, transparently passing along the video signal. But Motorola's current software "does not support HDMI repeater," an onscreen message reminded me. So, for test purposes I settled for analog component-video from the cable box to the receiver and a digital HDMI connection from my Panasonic upscaling DVD player, whose HDMI signals the receivers switched perfectly.

from: http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/rec...receivers.html .


Of course, HDMI output from those motorola boxes on Comcast is still broken period, so this really doesn't even matter yet. (anymore...)