That's probably a first since most HDMI issues (and there are a lot) have been discussed in the following FAQ, along with a list of "things to check":

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71112


Have you performed a cold reboot of the PVR by unplugging it for a few seconds? Have you checked the signal strength and S/N ratio - it's possible that by disconnecting/connecting the video cables that you've affected the RF-coax connection... Here's the SA FAQ.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=17719


As you have time, check out the following post, useful for those new to the forum - FAQs, Search Tips, optimization, etc;

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741

Thanks for your reply
I reviewed the material in your links.
I went through the setup sequence that selects the varoius screen formats. When I subsequently turned off the system, the PVR immediately went to a boot. I had noticed the point about the handshake on HDMI so I changed the sequence of the power up. The TV now powers up first. So far so good. I'll let you know if this doesn't fix the problem.
Incidently, I asked the Rogers repair guy if the HDMI cable could be a cause of this behaviour and his answer was 'no - because the HDMI cable only sends the signal to the TV'. It will be interesting to see if this is actually the cause.

^^^^
I don't know that his answer is entirely correct, as some signals in the cable are bi-directional.

Well changing the power sequence didn't work. The PVR was stuck on BOOT again this afternoon.
Jamesk - I agree that the cable guy was probably not correct.
I'm out of things to try and am back to component cables!

Well changing the power sequence didn't work. The PVR was stuck on BOOT again this afternoon.
Jamesk - I agree that the cable guy was probably not correct.
I'm out of things to try and am back to component cables!
As pointed out in the excellent FAQ, the HDMI connector is not bullet proof. This is speculation, but it could be that an incorrect signal is received, when the TV is turned off, that the PVR cannot handle and decides that a reboot is required.

If you have the time and patience, you could try the HDMI cable again and try and wiggle it in place at the back of the PVR. I had a problem with my TV reporting a HDMI format problem that was caused by a flaky connection on the PVR.

Trying another HDMI cable (if the two you have are identical) should also be tried to rule that out as a possible cause. Of course, component works fine is does not lead to these problems.

Thanks Bplayer
I did rule out the cable by swapping it out with the one from my Blue Ray player - same result.
I changed every possible setting on the PVR and the TV as suggested in the FAQs and the other posts, I checked the signal strength and S/N ratio, and I checked and rechecked the connections.
I returned the cable today. Since I reverted to the component cables last night the problem has stopped.
Thanks all for your suggestions. My (uneducated) guess is that there is something wrong with the actual connection at the PVR or on that part of the board. As we own (not rent) the PVR, I'll live with the 5 cables.

I Just wanted to throw this out into the mix. We had finally signed up for TV and cashed in on the free HD PVR via the ditch-the-dish program that Rogers is currently offering.

My equipment:
TV: Panasonic 50PX75
AVR: Pioneer 1018
STB: Rogers 8300HD
Other: PS3, Sony Mega CD changer

All equipment into AVR, then one HDMI to the TV.

I was initially discouraged when the tech was here setting everything up. He did the cable (coax) connections and whatever he needed to do/check in the advanced hidden menu. I insisted on doing the connections with my equipment. I already had an HDMI cable ready and waiting and the input assigned on the receiver. It should have been just plug in and go.

I wanted to plug in the HDMI before plugging the PVR into power, but the tech insisted to do it the other way around. The receiver was off at the time. When the PVR powered up and did it's software download both audio and video were coming in and out. I swapped the cables with the one that was on my PS3 and the same thing happened (PS3 outputs 1080p and HD audio via bitstream with no problems). I then swapped inputs to test the receiver and the same thing was happening. Tried a couple of different power on sequences with no success. There I was pissed off, and the tech in a big rush to leave so I connected the component and RCA audio so he could finish his checks and leave. He told me I would have to take it in to a store tomorrow (which is today) to exchange it.

Off I went searching the forums - ignoring my obvious thought to unplug the PVR for a minute to reset it.

I found a similar case where the owner had a Pioneer elite receiver and Pioneer plasma with the 8300HD and he had to power up the receiver first, then the tv, then the PVR to avoid a handshake issue. I reprogrammed my Harmony 880 to follow that power on sequence, and while the remote was updating unplugged the power chord as I figured it couldn't hurt. I had read many posts where this simply solves the problem with these PVR's.

I removed the RCA and component cables from the PVR, put all the HDMI cables back to the way that they were originally THEN plugged in the PVR with the TV and AVR off. When the clock showed on the PVR I powered it down and turned everything on with the Harmony per the revised programming.

SUCCESS!!!

No handshake issues all night during the viewing, recording and playback that I tested. I switched between the PS3 and PVR a few times using the Harmony and no issues there either. For now I'm calling this resolved, I'll update if there are any further issues.

I'm not sure whether it was the revised boot procedure or the PVR reboot, or the connection vs plugged in sequence, but if you're having similar issues all 3 combined seems to have resolved mine.

Now to throw in a 500gb hard drive :D

My Sony 46XBR8 connected to HD8300 using HDMI cable. A few times a week there is no audio when tuning to HD channels recording. I have changed the HDMI cable. No luck. I have changed the unit 3 times, no luck.
Is there a way to split the HDMI for the video portion, and for the audio using another cable.
Pls show me how?
What will the settings be ?

If you're using the TV for audio, there may be no way to do what you want. Some TVs allow you to use video via HDMI and then "force" the input to use analogue audio cables for the audio input, but many Sonys don't allow for that.

Your option is therefore to use component video and analogue audio. See the following FAQ on HDMI issues and the list of things to check at the bottom.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71112

You can also connect the STB to an AVR or HTiB for better audio.


Also see the following post, useful for those new to the forum - FAQS, Search Tips, Optimization, etc.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741

If the sony is dropping the 5.1 signal there may be a setting in the sony menu to enable/disable the surround sound on its internal audio. I have seen this recently on a TV we were using in the USA connected to a comcast HD box. It dropped surround sound audio typically on HD broadcasts. It also wouldn't playback audio from my connected laptop via HDMI. I switched the audio setting to 'PCM' (if memory serves) in the audio menu and it fixed everything.

If the sony has an optical connection then you should be able to split the digital audio that way if you use it for audio.

Otherwise...I am certain the problem can be fixed on the sony.

Thank you both. I will try your solutions. My Sony does not have an optical connection

This is my first post on this forum. I'm really hoping that someone can help me out.

I swapped my SD 32050 for a 8300. I'm renting the unit. My TV is a Samsung LTN4061F. I'm using a Monster HDMI cable connection. The cable is going directly from the TV to the STB. There is no DVD/Bluray/receiver hooked up.

I've noticed that on certain channels, I've been getting some digital interference. It is very brief and last less than a second, but is frequent on certain channels (like WTN, or DejaView) and is very annoying. The interference is both audio and video. The screen would pixelate in a certain area of the screen for a second, and the audio would sound distorted.

Is it the box? Is it my HDMI cable?

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks.

Could be any of those things. See the following FAQ on HDMI issues, as well as the things to check at the end.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71112

Also check the signal strength and S/N ratio:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=17719

And then the following post, useful for those new to the forum - FAQs, Search Tips, Optimization:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=57741

Something changed recently - let me explain my setup. I have two TVs one upstairs, one downstairs connected to the 8300 via an HDMI switcher. The 8300 is upstairs, connected to a denon receiver via coax cable. That powers the sound upstairs. A 30 foot HDMI cable is connected to the downstairs TV, which just uses the TVs speakers for sound. This setup has worked fine for months. I could watch 8300 TV on both TVs at the same time or switch to other components.

In the last week or two (I'm not sure when, I was on vacation) the HDMI no longer has the dolby digital sound. I realized this when we got home and the upstairs audio did not work. It took me a while and I realized the 8300 audio setting was set to HDMI. I switched it to Dolby Digital and it worked upstairs. But, then downstairs would not work. The TV downstairs is new, Toshiba 55" LED, and it was able to get the sound before. I suspect something changed on the 8300 recently and it broke this.

Anyone else having issues? I know the cable is fine and the TV is fine, as I can switch to HDMI and hear it. Just something in that setting...

I believe the firmware now communicates with downstream devices, selecting the "appropriate" video and audio output formats. Unfortunately, these "appropriate" settings may not be what you want, especially when you're using the unit in a way they didn't intend (the 8300 is intended for use with a single system).

So, in your case you may be out of luck and the only option may be to use the "other" setting, which would not give you DD5.1 to your AVR. Or you could switch to component video and appropriate audio for both systems - not what you want to hear.

You could also set up a remote with a macro to change the settings depending on the system you want to hear.

You could purchase an AVR that accepted HDMI audio for upstairs - that way both would be HDMI.

You could purchase another 8300.

It may not be the way they intended, but it did work for ages. All my other devices work fine in this configuration. I'm curious if others are seeing the same issue. Ie, set the audio to Dolby Digital it no longer sends any audio out of the HDMI. In other words - it's either coax/toslink or HDMI, not both? Is this really how it works, or do I have a defective box? Wondering if someone can do a quick test... thanks.

I do know that you used to have to select HDMI for the audio option if you wanted HDMI audio (before the firmware update). I do not know if it then still allowed for digital audio output (optical/coaxial) since I never needed that in my travels.

If you used the DD setting, there was no audio out the HDMI - I encountered this quite a lot in my optimization travels. This applied to the 8300HD. The 8642 may be different. New firmware may allow for both. Did you try a cold reboot?

If you used the DD setting, there was no audio out the HDMI

Well - interesting as that is how I've been running since I bought this TV in March. I only have one cable going into the TV downstairs and that's HDMI. And no HDMI going into the receiver upstairs.

I did try a cold reboot - no difference.

If anything - it feels like a firmware update broke this. I haven't checked if a new one was pushed in the last two weeks though.

We have an 8300 PRV box with an external hard drive connected, wired to my tv via HDMI. (Locked to 1080)

The whole system is on a UPS, and the PVR has plenty of space around it for ventilation.

We got another firmware update recently, and since then, we have had a new issue pop up.

The HDMI signal seems to drop, then return a few seconds later at random intervals. Could happen 5 times in a minute, then be good for a few minutes, then happen again. Audio is also effected (also via HDMI).

The same thing happens when viewing the Diagnostic menus, so I am relatively certain this has nothing to do with the cable signal (which was strong when the screen was visible).

Powering off the Box and external disk, cutting power, then powering back on seems to clear the problem - for a while - but is has returned 3 times so far.

Now, it is POSSIBLE that some component of my box is failing - but given our experiences with new Firmware (lost all shows - twice) and the timing of this new issue coinciding with yet another 'upgrade'... I am suspicious.

Is anyone else seeing similar symptoms?

Thanks,
-craig

Check your HDMI connection by unplugging and replugging it a few times at both ends. Try a different cable? Here's the HDMI Issues thread and a list of things to check at the bottom:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71112

See also post 173 if you haven't already.