# HDMI Is Driving Me Crazy!!!



## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Uga booga distenscia blabba blabba gack regack jibber jabber megga gack-gack megonnagoinsaneifIhaventalready!!!

Whew!

The previous sentence contains, nor was it meant to hint at in any way, any kind of profanity or off-color references. It represents the ravings of a man on the verge of insanity over trying to get HDMI to work in a new setup!

Once it works, it works and keeps on working. Great. Getting it to work can drive you right over the edge.

I feel better now. Sorry, I just had to get that out!!!


----------



## Wayne A. Pflughaupt (Apr 13, 2006)

That’s one reason I’ve avoided HDMI altogether. Hopefully by the time my current equipment wears out or becomes hopelessly outdated they’ll have worked all the bugs out. :TT

Regards, 
Wayne


----------



## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

AudiocRaver said:


> The previous sentence contains, nor was it meant to hint at in any way, any kind of profanity or off-color references. It represents the ravings of a man on the verge of insanity over trying to get HDMI to work in a new setup!


Really? What are you using? I stopped cursing at HDMI about 5 years ago.


----------



## Savjac (Apr 17, 2008)

Interesting indeed. Never had that much trouble but I would consider myself lucky indeed.

I just built a music server home theater computer and the HDMI started first time and every time. I dunno the voodoo that youdo but i hope it gets better.


----------



## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Thanks Kal and Jack, glad to know it is smooth for someone, and Wayne P., I don't blame you a bit. Maybe it is karma, balance in the universe, something unfathomable like that.

Here is what I had to work with a couple nights ago. A _basic cable box_ from Time Warner, with HDMI output, mainly to get local channels for the S.O. in the bedroom, and a Roku box with HDMI output, to go into a 27-inch monitor for the bedroom, with HDMI input and a pair of small external speakers. Either the cable box or the Roku box, cabled directly via HDMI to the monitor, worked fine.

Enter a simple 5-way HDMI switch with mini remote, chosen because I have another in use in my main system. Cable them all together - nothing. Power everything off then on again from monitor backwards to switcher and to sources - nothing. Unplug all HDMI cables and replug in sequence from monitor backwards to switcher and to sources - nothing. Do it all again with some slight variation or in another order - nothing. Move cables around - nothing. And again. And again. Finally after about 1/2 hour, it magically started to work. Now it works just fine and will continue to. Until it all gets turned off for some reason, then.....

Same with my main system. All works just dandy until I have to power the whole thing down for some reason, like being away on a long trip or doing some major power re-routing, and when powering it up again, there is invariably 20 to 30 minutes of the same nonsense until some magic pixie dust makes its way into the room at random and VOILA, all the sudden it works again.

I know I am being a crybaby here, but it has gotten to the point where I find myself avoiding making certain system changes until they are absolutely necessary because of the trouble it will take to get it all talking to each other again. I KNOW I can get it working again. I know the techniques that are normally necessary to get it working again, I even wrote my own little guide about it somewhere around here, but still I dread having to go through that process again.

Probably all newer and high-grade name-brand equipment would help. Probably a simplified system would help, but my system is always in flux and I am convinced that all is needed as it is.

I just had to send out a little cry of frustration, that's all. Thanks for your concern......:help:


----------



## Savjac (Apr 17, 2008)

Ahhh, now I see what you are frustrated about and I do feel your pain. I have had the same problem and it became personal after the third switchbox purchase. 
My cusses actually became real words !!

In an effort to not running multiple hdmi cables to the tv, I too tried to use several of the automatic or switched hdmi switch boxes things as well. 

Cheap Automatic Switch Boxes - These are the switches that are supposed to move to the active HDMI inputs automatically as different components are powered on and off. Well that did not always work because the satellite box was showing always on, so it had to be placed in a certain location on the back of the switch box and sometimes it did not want to allow any other components to work, yes it was selfish. 

Next I went to the Cheap remote controlled switch boxes and the little pieces of junk might work one out of a google plex times so that option became a no.

All of the above components were kicked to the left over drawer of my dresser to most probably never be used again. Does this remind anyone of Toy Story ?? Didn't think so....

I chose to purchase a slightly more expensive switch box from OPPO and finally the sun came out and the grass grew green. Zowie, it worked like a precision instrument, first time and every time. It has a smallish remote that, as does the main box, works all the time and the image seems ok, although the unit is attached to a 50" display we use in the bedroom so quality is not all that important. The OPPO is box is larger than all the other ones I had obtained but that is cool, it is less easily puled to the floor by the other cables. I am sooo very happy.

Maybe there are other switch boxes that would work in your situation that might be slightly more costly ??

Good Luck


----------



## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

Yeah. It had to be the switcher. The only ones I have ever used were pricey: Meridian HD621, Zektor MAS7.1


----------



## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Thanks guys, thinking back, I gotta admit that the word "cheap" was key to those experiences. Cheap switch box. Cheap Chromebook a few months back. Cheap.....

Lesson learned. Thanks for the feedback.

Oh, the Disturbances In The Force felt over the years because of such devices.


----------

