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This topic comprises 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
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Author
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Topic: Blu-Ray player blacking out every 20 min
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
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Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 05-04-2013 05:20 AM
If the audio keeps going, and assuming that the audio stream is not going through the HDMI cable along with the picture, that would seem to narrow it down either to the scaler, the cable or a fault in the actual BD player.
Have you tried playing an unencrypted BD (e.g. a home-burnt one)? If that plays without the problem, then HDCP decryption failure would seem to be the culprit.
HDMI cables cost very little, and having a spare in the booth is probably a good idea anyway, and so if it were me I'd be inclined to swap that out on spec.
If playing an unencrypted disc through a new HDMI cable doesn't make the problem go away, then you're down to the scaler and the player itself. My gut feeling would be to troubleshoot in the following order.
1. Ensure scaler and BD player firmwares are up to date (costs nothing). 2. Try connecting player to projector directly, if this is possible (if the projector does not have an HDMI input card, for example if the scaler to projector connection is SDI, I guess it might not be) - again, costs nothing. 3. Try playing an unencrypted BD. 4. Replace HDMI cable. 5. Try another player (e.g. one borrowed from a friend or colleague).
If 2 or 3 makes the problem go away, that would suggest that the scaler can't decrypt the HDCP and rescale with the bitrate above a certain level - it just gets overwhelmed. If that's the case, the solution is probably a new scaler.
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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!
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Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 05-04-2013 06:12 AM
You are almost certainly seeing an HDCP issue. I predict that a direct connection to the projector will eliminate the problem. However, since the Gefen is your sound decoder (most likely) too, that is not a solution for you. A lot of people are using the Gefen (A/V Pro II) and are not reporting this issue so it isn't intrinsic. I have people using a lot of Sony BluRays (mostly BDP- S5x0 where x is dependent on the year purchased) and they seem to be pretty stable.
The advice of updating the firmware of the BluRay player and the scaler are good ones though I did have a Gefen fail on a firmware update and died as a result...the current is 3.27 for the Gefen.
Watch out for cheap cables...they can really screw you. With digital, you don't know just how close to the "cliff" you are since it is perfect, until it isn't. That said, generally, anybody's cable that is 6-feet and less will work. Most cables under 15-feet work...anything longer than that...get very good cables because you are exceeding the specification of the HDMI format. Size matters on the long runs.
I too recently experienced essentially what you have described and I was using the same equipment I've used where I didn't have these problems. My system was a bit more complicated though...it had a matrix switcher in it and a preview monitor as well as the projector. The preview monitor never would flash...only the projector. The problem seemed to have been a HDMI/Cat 5 extender (the sender box)...despite it always claiming a good HDMI lock. Changed it out and the problem left. (note, all firmware in all pieces were indeed updated to current too).
Thus, I'm thinking it may be the Gefen...in a defective way, not intrinsic. The other are to look are the cables. On the outside, the projector could also have an odd HDCP issue. It can strike anywhere it is a really nasty system.
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/534a.jpg)
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 05-04-2013 04:01 PM
quote: Steve Guttag You are almost certainly seeing an HDCP issue.
That's my gut feeling, too.
Whenever I watch a BD on my PC (or at least, when I'm able to resume doing so when its replacement PSU arrives...), if it's an encrypted one with HDCP activated on the cable between the graphics card and the monitor, Windows Aero is disabled when the disc boots and the screen goes totally black for about 5-6 seconds before each new programme stream starts playing (so for example, if the distributor's logo is encoded as a separate stream from the movie, there's a black gap between the two). Furthermore, the GPU fan runs fast enough to make a noticeable noise throughout the playback. If I play an unencrypted BD, however (e.g. one I've burnt myself), none of this happens: the disc will play happily in a window with Aero still active.
This suggests to me that HDCP uses a lot of processing power: so much, in fact, that it pushes the graphics card (NVidia 9500GT) to its limit.
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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!
![](http://www.film-tech.com/ubbmembers/268e.gif)
Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 05-04-2013 06:50 PM
I have heard of Deep Color causing issues.
HDMI uses EDID, among other things. With this, the source and sink (monitor) negotiate the best quality image that can be supported. This is a continual thing.
Another thing that is continual is the HDCP handshaking.
Listen to Joe too...the more HDCP/HDMI crap that is trying to "help" you the greater your chance of issues. You really want to strip things down to the essentials like resolution and sound. And don't push things. Only go as far as your system can honestly handle. The Gefen scaler is NOT that great (AV Pro II) as scalers go...it is a prosumer piece). Really, what it is bringing to the table is its ability to scale non-HDMI sources, provide switching and decode the low-bandwidth audio (Dolby AC-3). Remember too, most BluRays are mastered for crap so don't go crazy on the stuff. Get the resolution right (1920x1080...that is what a DCinema projector is going to deal with and the Gefen won't be "scaling" for that). Note, 1080/60 is high-bandwidth so you are going to tax the system a little there anyway but that is as close to native (and if the movie is 24p...likely...let it do that...lower bandwidth). Ideally, for BluRay, you would not have the scaler in line at all, unless you had a good scaler that could blow scope up to 2048x858 and there can be arguments either way there. If you got yourself a good BluRay player like the Oppo and let it do the audio decoding and connect it straight up to the projector...you'd not have these issues. You could use the other DVI input with the Gefen for the non-BluRay stuff. It would be MUCH safer.
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