HDMI issues with Sony TV/PS4/Apple TV

[Wingfan19]

Hello fellow home theater peeps, I'm trying to solve an issue I've been having with my girlfriend's TV set up for the past year that I believe is being caused by an HDMI handshake issue.

She has a 55" Sony XBR55X900F that is wall mounted and is using a 25 foot HDMI cable (this exact cable) running through the wall down to a hole in the wall. There is a plastic tube that was installed in the wall when the place was built designed to house the cable and help guide it through the wall in an upside down U shape. The cable is running the correct way (TV end connected to TV and Source connected to other devices) and it's in the HDMI 2 slot, but we've been having intermittent connection issues as of late.

We have the cable connected to an HDMI switch so she can switch between her Apple TV (the newest model) and her PS4 Pro. This was all working just fine for a while, but then it would start to disconnect randomly and the TV would flash a black screen or a "No Input" screen for a brief second before reconnecting. After a while she got fed up and just moved her PS4 upstairs, so we just ditched the HDMI switch and connected the Apple TV directly to the TV via that 25 foot cable. That seemed to work fine for months. Then two weekends ago she wanted to move the PS4 back downstairs to the main TV so I hooked everything back up again and it was working for about a week (mostly, she said it was doing the quick disconnects when she was using the PS4 a few times, but never when using the Apple TV). Well this past weekend it got worse. The AppleTV and PS4 would both flicker and most of the time not even display a picture on the TV. I tried disconnecting the switch again and hooking the PS4 up directly, but it was still doing the same thing. The AppleTV seemed to fare a bit better, but would still disconnect occasionally.

Does this TV have known handshake issues with 4K content that I'm not aware of?
Is the HDMI cable I'm using ok to use behind drywall at that length?
Am I just missing something else that I didn't think of?


Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[tabris]

Does it just happen on HDMI2 and 3 aka the 4K enhanced ports? If so had the same issue and it will once in a blue moon resurface. When it was really bad I just factory reset the tv but when it pops up every so often I force stop the Bravia sync apps and then do a restart of tv (hold power button on remote).

I have the 65 version and I found buying better HDMI cables helped as well.

 

[Knight613]

Have you tried using a different HDMI cable from the TV to PS4 or Apple TV?

The HDMI cable that you linked to isn't nearly good enough to transmit 4K HDR as it doesn't have enough bandwidth. And I guess depending on what it's trying to output to the TV it is messing things up.

 

[Wingfan19]

Does it just happen on HDMI2 and 3 aka the 4K enhanced ports? If so had the same issue and it will once in a blue moon resurface. When it was really bad I just factory reset the tv but when it pops up every so often I force stop the Bravia sync apps and then do a restart of tv (hold power button on remote).

I have the 65 version and I found buying better HDMI cables helped as well.

Click to shrink...

She has a Sony soundbar hooked up via the ARC with HDMI3, so I can't use that input for the other devices.

Have you tried using a different HDMI cable from the TV to PS4 or Apple TV?

The HDMI cable that you linked to isn't nearly good enough to transmit 4K HDR as it doesn't have enough bandwidth. And I guess depending on what it's trying to output to the TV it is messing things up.

Click to shrink...

I haven't tried using another cable just yet from the TV to the devices. That was going to be my next step.

Are you sure that cable isn't good enough? I don't see anything that has higher bandwidth (it's 18gbps) and it WAS working with the AppleTV 4K and HDR for quite a while.

 

[BLEEN]

Have you tried using a different HDMI cable from the TV to PS4 or Apple TV?

The HDMI cable that you linked to isn't nearly good enough to transmit 4K HDR as it doesn't have enough bandwidth. And I guess depending on what it's trying to output to the TV it is messing things up.

Click to shrink...

A digital cable is a digital cable. Length can come into play, and shoddy build quality. But don't fall for expensive digital cable snake oil lol

On that note, I have seen HDMI cables fail before. Usually the pins or the relief area.

 

[Darknight]

You really need to try two things.

1) Try a different HDMI port on the TV with the current cables and see if you get the same problem.
2) Try a different HDMI cable hooked up to the existing port and to the devices and see if you get the same problem.

You need to figure out if the problem is the TV or the cable.

 

[Wingfan19]

You really need to try two things.

1) Try a different HDMI port on the TV with the current cables and see if you get the same problem.
2) Try a different HDMI cable hooked up to the existing port and to the devices and see if you get the same problem.

You need to figure out if the problem is the TV or the cable.

Click to shrink...

Yep, these are the next steps I'm going to take when I head to her place on Wednesday. I'm really trying to avoid having to take the TV off the wall and run a new cable through the wall as it's a pain in the ass (I have to use a lead line and getting the cable into the tube from the bottom hole is just a hassle since it's a tight fit).

 

[Darknight]

Yep, these are the next steps I'm going to take when I head to her place on Wednesday. I'm really trying to avoid having to take the TV off the wall and run a new cable through the wall as it's a pain in the ass (I have to use a lead line and getting the cable into the tube from the bottom hole is just a hassle since it's a tight fit).

Click to shrink...

I don't know what wall mount she's using, but several of the ones I've tried have let you pull it out from the wall to some degree. Usually enough to do temporary testing like you need to. Are you sure there's no way to gain access without taking the whole TV off the wall?

 

[Wingfan19]

I don't know what wall mount she's using, but several of the ones I've tried have let you pull it out from the wall to some degree. Usually enough to do temporary testing like you need to. Are you sure there's no way to gain access without taking the whole TV off the wall?

Click to shrink...

Oh, sorry I wasn't clear. I meant that if I had to run a new HDMI cable through the wall, I'd need to take the TV off the mount as the hole is like dead center behind the TV and you can't angle the TV far enough forward while it's on the mount to access it. I can test the HDMI ports on the TV with different cables fairly easily.

 

[Ashhong]

I'm pretty sure the issue is the cable. You don't need anything fancy, nothing specific for "behind the drywall" or anything. Amazonbasics cables will work

If you need to install a new cable, just tape the new cable to the bottom end of the old cable. Then pull the old cable out, bringing the new cable in!

 

[StrangerDanger]

I have the 65" version...but besides what others are suggesting, which is testing the other HDMI cables..
1) Go and see if she has the enhanced signal/display feature turned on. Sometimes the full gbit bandwidth it uses might not be supported by the cable or whatever, so turn it off and see. Otherwise turn it on
2) Have to check the manual, but i think HDMI 3 is the ARC port on the tv. But i think that port and another (forgot which one) support the enhanced HDR signal format

Check the manual again. There is something written in there about which port to use depending what you want to output. However i know i had flickering issues in regards to that and enhanced signal thing when i bought my blu-ray player

 

[R0987]

In my experience flickering usually means faulty cable.

 

[Wingfan19]

I have the 65" version...but besides what others are suggesting, which is testing the other HDMI cables..
1) Go and see if she has the enhanced signal/display feature turned on. Sometimes the full gbit bandwidth it uses might not be supported by the cable or whatever, so turn it off and see. Otherwise turn it on
2) Have to check the manual, but i think HDMI 3 is the ARC port on the tv. But i think that port and another (forgot which one) support the enhanced HDR signal format

Check the manual again. There is something written in there about which port to use depending what you want to output. However i know i had flickering issues in regards to that and enhanced signal thing when i bought my blu-ray player

Click to shrink...

Yeah, HDMI 2 and 3 are the Enhanced port that support the Deep Color, but HDMI 3 is also the only port that supports the ARC which I need to use for her sound bar.

 

[CosmicPanda]

Hello fellow home theater peeps, I'm trying to solve an issue I've been having with my girlfriend's TV set up for the past year that I believe is being caused by an HDMI handshake issue.

She has a 55" Sony XBR55X900F that is wall mounted and is using a 25 foot HDMI cable (this exact cable) running through the wall down to a hole in the wall. There is a plastic tube that was installed in the wall when the place was built designed to house the cable and help guide it through the wall in an upside down U shape. The cable is running the correct way (TV end connected to TV and Source connected to other devices) and it's in the HDMI 2 slot, but we've been having intermittent connection issues as of late.

We have the cable connected to an HDMI switch so she can switch between her Apple TV (the newest model) and her PS4 Pro. This was all working just fine for a while, but then it would start to disconnect randomly and the TV would flash a black screen or a "No Input" screen for a brief second before reconnecting. After a while she got fed up and just moved her PS4 upstairs, so we just ditched the HDMI switch and connected the Apple TV directly to the TV via that 25 foot cable. That seemed to work fine for months. Then two weekends ago she wanted to move the PS4 back downstairs to the main TV so I hooked everything back up again and it was working for about a week (mostly, she said it was doing the quick disconnects when she was using the PS4 a few times, but never when using the Apple TV). Well this past weekend it got worse. The AppleTV and PS4 would both flicker and most of the time not even display a picture on the TV. I tried disconnecting the switch again and hooking the PS4 up directly, but it was still doing the same thing. The AppleTV seemed to fare a bit better, but would still disconnect occasionally.

Does this TV have known handshake issues with 4K content that I'm not aware of?
Is the HDMI cable I'm using ok to use behind drywall at that length?
Am I just missing something else that I didn't think of?


Thanks in advance for any help!

Click to shrink...

Hey Op i had the same problem this solved it!

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

For 4K, personally, I would trust any cable Monoprice sells that is stated to work at 18Gbps. I never had an issue with their cables.
For copper, there are both active and passive cables.
Passive cables are generally cheaper and it doesn't matter which direction you plug them in. This is most HDMI cables.
Active cables are usually more expensive, but they can be thinner while achieving longer distances, and must be plugged in in a certain direction.
Looks like Monoprice sells passive cables capable of 18Gbps at up to 30ft. Personally, I wouldn't use a passive cable longer than this anyway:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15427
As you can see, it is a fairly thick cable.
They also have active copper cables capable of 18Gbps up to 100ft in length:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=12735
Still pretty thick.
Monoprice does sell slimmer cables. Just as you see, they are also much shorter:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24187
If you need distances longer than 100ft, or really long and really thin, then look into fiber optic cables at that point.

you would need a fiber hdmi cable if you want to run longer than 25 feet at 4k and not have any problems.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Speed-Fiber-Optic-Cable/dp/B07X4QHZHF/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=fiber%2Bhdmi&qid=1598935106&sr=8-3&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Braided-HDCP2-2-Vision-18Gbps/dp/B07RN7Q5MJ/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=fiber+hdmi&qid=1598935150&sr=8-4

 

[Mobius 1]

25 foot HDMI cable

Click to shrink...

There's likely your problem. Consider using an HDMI signal booster, or reduce the cable length if you can.

Edit - or one of the active cables the poster above mentions.

 

[Crazymoogle]

I have the 55X900F and I agree that the cable is probably the problem.

That being said I've had my own issue:

Plugging in an HDMI device (android TV, splitter, etc) causes the ARC signal to eventually drop out and be completely unusable.

• Ex: Plug Android TV or Macbook into HDMI1 (side port, not high bandwidth) and ARC will eventually drop out
• Ex: Plug a splitter into HDMI2 (back port, high bandwidth) and ARC will eventually drop out

It drove me crazy when I bought it - the ARC device (Sony soundbar, actually paired to that year's model) would just be completely missing from the loop. Even a factory reset with everything plugged in couldn't find the soundbar. But sure enough if you unplug alien devices from those ports Bravia Sync/ARC returns in like 10 seconds.

So my pain in the ass method is literally unplugging devices (except for the PS4, which works flawlessly in HDR) after use. It doesn't seem to matter which end you unplug but after either a TV off/on or enough time, it will drop.

End lesson is I can't say I'd go Sony ever again. Love Android TV but not having 4 high bandwidth 2.1 ports is a huge problem.

 

[R0987]

I have the 55X900F and I agree that the cable is probably the problem.

That being said I've had my own issue:

Plugging in an HDMI device (android TV, splitter, etc) causes the ARC signal to eventually drop out and be completely unusable.

• Ex: Plug Android TV or Macbook into HDMI1 (side port, not high bandwidth) and ARC will eventually drop out
• Ex: Plug a splitter into HDMI2 (back port, high bandwidth) and ARC will eventually drop out

It drove me crazy when I bought it - the ARC device (Sony soundbar, actually paired to that year's model) would just be completely missing from the loop. Even a factory reset with everything plugged in couldn't find the soundbar. But sure enough if you unplug alien devices from those ports Bravia Sync/ARC returns in like 10 seconds.

So my pain in the ass method is literally unplugging devices (except for the PS4, which works flawlessly in HDR) after use. It doesn't seem to matter which end you unplug but after either a TV off/on or enough time, it will drop.

End lesson is I can't say I'd go Sony ever again. Love Android TV but not having 4 high bandwidth 2.1 ports is a huge problem.

Click to shrink...

I too once had problems with ARC port not working when I hooked up other devices what fixed the problem for me was disabling hdmi cec on the devices that are causing the problem.

 

[Wingfan19]

Hey Op i had the same problem this solved it!

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

For 4K, personally, I would trust any cable Monoprice sells that is stated to work at 18Gbps. I never had an issue with their cables.
For copper, there are both active and passive cables.
Passive cables are generally cheaper and it doesn't matter which direction you plug them in. This is most HDMI cables.
Active cables are usually more expensive, but they can be thinner while achieving longer distances, and must be plugged in in a certain direction.
Looks like Monoprice sells passive cables capable of 18Gbps at up to 30ft. Personally, I wouldn't use a passive cable longer than this anyway:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=15427
As you can see, it is a fairly thick cable.
They also have active copper cables capable of 18Gbps up to 100ft in length:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=12735
Still pretty thick.
Monoprice does sell slimmer cables. Just as you see, they are also much shorter:
https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=24187
If you need distances longer than 100ft, or really long and really thin, then look into fiber optic cables at that point.

you would need a fiber hdmi cable if you want to run longer than 25 feet at 4k and not have any problems.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-High-Speed-Fiber-Optic-Cable/dp/B07X4QHZHF/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=fiber%2Bhdmi&qid=1598935106&sr=8-3&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Fiber-Braided-HDCP2-2-Vision-18Gbps/dp/B07RN7Q5MJ/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=fiber+hdmi&qid=1598935150&sr=8-4

Click to shrink...

There's likely your problem. Consider using an HDMI signal booster, or reduce the cable length if you can.

Edit - or one of the active cables the poster above mentions.

Click to shrink...

The 25 foot cable I'm currently using has an active chipset... here are the stats from it

Features

• Supports High Dynamic Range video, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision™
• Delivers up to 18 Gbps data bandwidth
• Compliant with HDCP™ 2.2
• CL2 fire safety rating
• Features Spectra7® (formerly RedMere®) HT8181 Active Chipset Technology
• EMI verified for minimal interference with wireless signals
• Supports up to 32 audio channels with ARC for an immersive audio experience
• Support for wide angle theatrical 21:9 aspect ratio
• Deep Color up to 16 bits per channel
• Auto equalization
• Future proofs 4K Ultra HD environments
• Available in 20 and 25 foot lengths

I just bought a fiber HDMI off amazon, so maybe that will help.

 

[Crazymoogle]

I too once had problems with ARC port not working when I hooked up other devices what fixed the problem for me was disabling hdmi cec on the devices that are causing the problem.

Click to shrink...

Good idea but unfortunately can't disable on the Android TV devices I've tried. And even a Macbook and hdmi switch would cause it. Too bad we never got an eARC update for the TV, maybe that would have helped.

 

[Darknight]

Good idea but unfortunately can't disable on the Android TV devices I've tried. And even a Macbook and hdmi switch would cause it. Too bad we never got an eARC update for the TV, maybe that would have helped.

Click to shrink...

Which device doesn't allow you to disable CEC? I haven't seen one that didn't allow that including various Android TV boxes. I'm curious which ones don't.

 

[Ashhong]

Which device doesn't allow you to disable CEC? I haven't seen one that didn't allow that including various Android TV boxes. I'm curious which ones don't.

Click to shrink...

Yea same. Android TV should all have the same settings interface right? There's def CEC controls in there

The solution to CEC issues? Get a universal remote and don't look back!

 

[Kompis]

Try to get a cable that is "HDMI Premium Certified". I'm not sure if they are available at that length though.

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

I had a very similar issue to what the OP described but the issue was between my Samsung Blu Ray player and the Bravia. It'd cut out at odd intervals and return, despite everything I did (replacing the cable, trying a different HDMI port etc).

Turns out the issue was some kind of handshake problem when I set the Blu Ray player to "Auto" output resolution. As soon as I locked it to its native 1080p, it fixed the problem.If replacing the cable or trying a different port doesn't work, maybe do something similar on your devices and see if that'll work.

 

[broony]

Had a similar issue and updated the system software on the tv and has been fine since. Maybe try that first before buying new cables or hardware. Easy to do via the tv's settings. Will need the tv connected to the internet via cable or wifi.