2. home-theater
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Interesting HDMI Problem: OPPO UDP-205

I have a McIntosh MX122, OPPO UDP-205, and a Sony Bravia OLED.   The OPPO is connected to the MX122 through both an HDMI connection (BluRay "in") and RCA patch cables (CD "in") so that I can use the OPPO DACs for listening to audio CDs.

The Sony is connected to the MX122 through the Monitor 1 output.

I've been having intermittent audio dropouts when using the analog connection to listen to audio CDs on the UDP-205.   I've finally traced the problem to the Sony Bravia.   The Sony implementation of Consumer Electronics Control (CEC) is called "Bravia Sync."

In the Bravia Sync menu, Sony does not provide an "OFF" setting.  They have "Enable" and...nothing to turn CEC "OFF."  What they have you do is delete the HDMI equipment list from the Sony CEC sub-menu.   This does NOT turn CEC "OFF" - it simply hides the expanded CEC menu as you no longer have an equipment list to control, while leaving the CEC feature / circuit active.

The CEC is active even when the Sony is turned "OFF," because, in reality - the Sony is on standby and only the screen has been turned off.  The electronics are still active because the Sony can be programmed to automatically turn itself "ON" when it senses a different piece of equipment turn on through the CEC / HDMI circuit.

What happens with the Sony turned "ON" or "OFF" is that the Sony constantly looks for equipment through the HDMI connection.   It's randomly looking for a friend and sending out a handshake signal.  This disrupts the UDP-205 as it's processing audio through its DACs and it momentarily times out to send a "Yeah stupid, I'm still here" response back to the Sony.

Haven't quite figured out where to go from here...as I don't have a resolution to the problem - but, I thought this might help someone else if they're having the same type of problem.



buckhorn_cortez

Showing 1 response by marylander

marylander
1 posts
 
Good thread--thanks. Buckhorn’s use of the the Atlona emulator in this case is good to know about. Although perhaps not a "solution," my way of handling the cd-interrupting handshake between the UDP-205 and my Bravia is to turn on the tv and select Action Menu--> Picture Off from the remote--no interruptions to playback then and dead black screen on the monitor.

I had a problem with digital playblack truncation over HDMI at the beginning of cd tracks with my BDP-103 and Cambridge Audio 651r very similar to what dweller describes above: Cambridge now calls this little lapse "expected behaviour," but it is certainly not menioned in the manual any more than the Oppo/Sony concern can be found in a manual from either of those manufacturers. No solution to be had there but analog playback, which I found to be a pretty unhappy avenue with that player compared to the 205.

Whatever would we do with all our free time in a perfectly synchronized world?
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