----- HDTV Magazine Tips List -----
Just read the following from CNET regarding HDMI problems with the Toshiba
HD-A1 and for those interested it follows:
Hugh
When we reported a few problems with an "HDMI error" in our Toshiba HD-A1
HD-DVD player review, we were contacted by representatives of HDMI LLC, the
licensing agent behind the High-Definition Multimedia Interface, who
expressed concerns about the reports. We'd met previously with
representatives from SimplayHD, a new HDMI testing subsidiary of HDMI chip
maker Silicon Image, and we all agreed it would be a good idea to put the
HD-A1 through their rigorous testing procedure.
A few days later, the rep from SimplayHD got back to us with the results,
and they're not pretty. Apparently the Toshiba HD-A1's HDMI interface, which
provides the highest video quality among the player's outputs, is much more
susceptible to errors than any HDMI source should be. Specifically, numerous
real-world scenarios can induce the "HDMI error" readout we saw on the
Toshiba (always accompanied by a lack of any picture on the TV's screen),
which sometimes necessitates either restarting the player completely or
disconnecting and reconnecting the HDMI cable, but always interrupts
playback. Here's an excerpt:
The executive summary is that the Toshiba player appears to be able to
handle only two of the many different allowed TV power-on/active states: 1)
when TV is fully on with the HDMI input selected and fully active, 2) when
HDMI signals effectively indicate the cable has been physically
disconnected. The player goes into the Error state whenever it sees the TV's
HDMI port in any other kind of standby or interrupted state, which
unfortunately, are states seen in the majority of the TVs on the market.
In other words, you could get the error and possibly cause the player to
crash by simply powering on the TV after the HD-DVD player, by switching
inputs on the TV or on an HDMI switching A/V receiver connected to the TV,
or even by powering on another piece of gear connected to the same switcher
as the player. Of course, many HDMI displays and switchers operate
differently, so they may not cause the error while others do.
It's possible that Toshiba will release a new firmware update for its HD-DVD
players, which hopefully will address the issues and make its HDMI input
less touchy. Of course, all of these problems are exacerbated by the fact
that the player takes a minute or more to even turn on, so recovering from
crashes is particularly tedious.
To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that same day) send an email to:
[email protected]
Just read the following from CNET regarding HDMI problems with the Toshiba
HD-A1 and for those interested it follows:
Hugh
When we reported a few problems with an "HDMI error" in our Toshiba HD-A1
HD-DVD player review, we were contacted by representatives of HDMI LLC, the
licensing agent behind the High-Definition Multimedia Interface, who
expressed concerns about the reports. We'd met previously with
representatives from SimplayHD, a new HDMI testing subsidiary of HDMI chip
maker Silicon Image, and we all agreed it would be a good idea to put the
HD-A1 through their rigorous testing procedure.
A few days later, the rep from SimplayHD got back to us with the results,
and they're not pretty. Apparently the Toshiba HD-A1's HDMI interface, which
provides the highest video quality among the player's outputs, is much more
susceptible to errors than any HDMI source should be. Specifically, numerous
real-world scenarios can induce the "HDMI error" readout we saw on the
Toshiba (always accompanied by a lack of any picture on the TV's screen),
which sometimes necessitates either restarting the player completely or
disconnecting and reconnecting the HDMI cable, but always interrupts
playback. Here's an excerpt:
The executive summary is that the Toshiba player appears to be able to
handle only two of the many different allowed TV power-on/active states: 1)
when TV is fully on with the HDMI input selected and fully active, 2) when
HDMI signals effectively indicate the cable has been physically
disconnected. The player goes into the Error state whenever it sees the TV's
HDMI port in any other kind of standby or interrupted state, which
unfortunately, are states seen in the majority of the TVs on the market.
In other words, you could get the error and possibly cause the player to
crash by simply powering on the TV after the HD-DVD player, by switching
inputs on the TV or on an HDMI switching A/V receiver connected to the TV,
or even by powering on another piece of gear connected to the same switcher
as the player. Of course, many HDMI displays and switchers operate
differently, so they may not cause the error while others do.
It's possible that Toshiba will release a new firmware update for its HD-DVD
players, which hopefully will address the issues and make its HDMI input
less touchy. Of course, all of these problems are exacerbated by the fact
that the player takes a minute or more to even turn on, so recovering from
crashes is particularly tedious.
To unsubscribe please click: [email protected]
To receive the digest mode (one email a day made from all posted that same day) send an email to:
[email protected]