Audio dropouts on HDMI audio connection due to handshake issues

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by mdekoning, Sep 28, 2020.

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  1. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    This weekend I installed a new Sony UBP X1100ES bluray player in my dad's system which has a Denon AVR 950 receiver and a Sony KD-55XH3505 TV. The good thing is that all the different types of discs I've tried (CD, SACD stereo and surround, DVD-A stereo and surround, Bluray, 4k Bluray, bluray audio) play well in this set up and everything sounds really good. But the bad thing is that I'm experiencing annoying audio dropouts in the receiver due to severe handshake issues. At times the receiver's audio just drops out for a second or two while the disc just keeps playing. I'm not having these issues whenever I'm playing blurays or dvd's, but once I play an audio disc things go bad. Has anybody experienced similar handshake issues and is there a way to get rid of it or work around it? Thanks in advance.
     
  2. Onrd

    Onrd I am not a number

    Check your HDMI cable. Some are not up to the task.
     
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  3. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    Get a different HDMI cable. It's likely the cause.
     
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  4. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    The cables I'm using are both brand new high speed hdmi cables. I've already changed them with another similar cable, but the issues remain. What are the minimum specs for a hdmi cable to flawlessly play hi-res audio from SACD surrround or DVD-audio?
     
  5. Bill Mac

    Bill Mac Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I had issues recently with audio and video dropouts when playing Blu-rays from the Doobie Brothers Quadio set with my Oppo 103. There weren't issues with other discs or with my Roku. Replaced the HDMI cable with a new recently bought cable and that solved the issues.
     
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  6. formbypc

    formbypc Forum Resident

    Are the two cables both the same brand and type? If not, try a different brand and/or type.

    Try changing direction of cable?

    Try rerouting the cable, if possible?

    Could the dropouts be coinciding with power switching in other parts of the house? Fridge or freezer kicking in, heating switching on or off, that type of thing? If so, that's probably the cause.
     
  7. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    The cables are identical, so both should support the same bandwith. There's no mismatch there. They're both high speed cables with ethernet, according to a sticker they support 2160p, FULLHD, 3D and ARC.

    The dropouts are unrelated to power switching, I can turn on the lights or other equipment without causing anything. Once they occur it's so severe that they hardly go away anymore, so this can't be the issue.

    Which direction would you recommend? I have the following 2 cables:
    - Bluray player's HDMI 1 (video and audio) to Denon receiver's HDMI3 input.
    - Denon's Monitor 1 ARC/eARC HDMI out to Sony TV's eARC HDMI input

    I have also routed the video directly to the TV and the audio from a 2nd HDMI out to the Denon receiver, but this had the same issues and led to obvious syncing issues between audio and video when watching a bluray or DVD. So I guess the current configuration is the only option.
     
  8. c-eling

    c-eling They're made of light,We never would have guessed

    Been years Bill, so I'm going by memory here. :laugh: Think I had issues with ARC causing some problems.
     
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  9. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    What I do know is that disabling ARC in the amplifier (but not disconnecting the hdmi entirely) didn't fix the problems.
     
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  10. 33na3rd

    33na3rd Forum Resident

    Location:
    SW Washington, USA
    I don't know if it would solve your particular problem, but I had similar issues that a "locking" HDMI cable solved.
     
  11. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    Some more info: I've switched back the sampling rate of the audio from 192 back to 48 kHz, but the problems remain and dropouts appear to be longer. So it's not a case of the hdmi cables not being able to handle it.

    I'll look into locking cables, that may solve the issue.
     
  12. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff

    Location:
    NY
    Does it matter if the TV is powered on or not?
    If you haven't already, I would check to make sure "HDMI Deep Color" is selected on the BluRay if the option is available on the TV (I couldn't find a manual for that model Sony KD-55XH3505. Is that the right model?)
    Maybe turn off all CEC options on the 3 units, turn off secondary audio?
    Are there network connections to the 3 units? Disconnect and see if that could be a factor.

    ... just speculating...
     
  13. lv70smusic

    lv70smusic Senior Member

    Location:
    San Francisco, CA
    This happens with my Sony X800 universal player almost every time I use it, typically within the first 10 minutes of listening. Fortunately I can then listen for hours and don't encounter another drop out. Like you, it only happens with audio discs. I never thought to try a different HDMI cable so I might do that and see if it makes a difference.
     
  14. Davey

    Davey NP: Portishead ~ Portishead (1997)

    Location:
    SF Bay Area, USA
    Make sure the HDMI audio is set to LPCM, and make sure both sides have the latest firmware updates.
     
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  15. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    I am also of the view of trying another cable, disregard stickers and whatever the cables say some are just bad and it is not helped by the HDMI hardware that for me has gone faulty on several devices rendering them useless or close.
    Have you tried a different input in the receiver?
     
  16. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    No, that doesn't matter. The dropouts occur when the TV is on and also when it is switched off, turning it on or off doesn't solve anything.
    Can't remember seeing that setting in the TV or bluray settings, but I'll check again. Sorry for the typo, it should be Sony KD-55XH9505
    Yes, that's all switched off. The only option that's turned on is the tv audio from the eARC out on the TV
    Yes, there are. Bluray player and amplifier are both connected to the internet. That's something to look into.

    Thanks for all your suggestions.
     
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  17. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    No, I've tried only one input so far. That's something I'll look into, there's 7 hdmi inputs available. Even they should all be identical it's always worth trying.
     
  18. formbypc

    formbypc Forum Resident

    Yes, but that's you operating stuff that you choose. I was sorta suggesting it might be something switching in the background that you hadn't considered, but ignore me if you've genuinely operated absolutely everything in the house and ruled them all out. There's also the remote, vague, unlikely possibility of interference coming from external sources outwith your property... if someone really close is operating a really old appliance with no RF shielding etc. ...

    Have you tried the system in the middle of the night? When the neighbourhood will be asleep?

    Direction? The opposite to the one that you've tried already. If you get issues with the cable one way, simply turn the cable around and try the other way. That's all. No particular direction.
     
  19. Does anything need a software update?
     
  20. Uglyversal

    Uglyversal Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sydney
    Yes, try another input, each HDMI has to go through some circuitry to change input so it's worth the try.

    I would still mistrust the cable but if the player is new try to lodge a warranty claim with Sony. I have a couple of X800's which might have the same HDMI interface as yours and I have now remembered that I had that problem a couple of times long ago.

    I haven't noticed it again but I don't play CDs often and have also changed cables, despite not noticing it anymore I have no certainty that it's gone either because it wasn't a constant problem.
     
  21. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    Thanks for all your replies. An update about what I know so far:
    - Issues can disappear for a short while once a hdmi cable has been disconnected and again connected.
    - Disabling wifi (I only use it for firmware updates), blutooth and 3D (2 things I do not use) in my blurayplayer hasn't fixed anything
    - There are no issues whatsoever when playing video, 4K, bluray, DVD, it all works perfectly
    - Firmware is upgraded to the most recent version on TV, amplifier and bluray player

    There are 2 things I'm going to check before replacing cables with expensive ones:
    - Switching directions of both cables
    - Changing the hdmi input used on the amplifier (there are 6 other hdmi inputs available)
    This is going to take a while to figure out, since this is not a constant problem. At times it doesn't occur until playing 4 CDs in a row.
     
  22. Cherrycherry

    Cherrycherry Forum Resident

    Location:
    Le Froidtown
    which CD's and does it depend on the play order? :)
     
  23. Strat-Mangler

    Strat-Mangler Personal Survival Daily Record-Breaker

    Location:
    Toronto
    No need to buy expensive cables. As long as they follow the right protocol, they'll perform just the same.
     
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  24. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff

    Location:
    NY

    I was having an issue with the OLED screen blacking out for a millisecond if I turned off my ceiling fan using the switch on the wall where the TV is mounted.
    I changed the HDMI cable from the AVR to the monitor with a Monoprice HDMI High Speed Active Directional Cable - 20 Feet which is CL3 rated for an in the wall connection and the issue was resolved.
    I've also read that using the HDMI input port closest to the HDMI output port may help (or was it the HDMI input port further from the output port?)
    I'm not sure if you tried to play music using the USB interface?
     
  25. mdekoning

    mdekoning Senior Member Thread Starter

    Thanks for the suggestion, it looks like Monoprice also has a webstore over here in Europe.

    I've tried 3 different HDMI ports by now, but the issues still remain. Playback can be flawless for a while, but once the first dropout occurs problems are very frequent so it seems like some kind of buffer eventually running out. I have yet to try switching the direction of the cables, but I think new cables will be the way to go.
     
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