622 with blank picture

[faster68]

My 622 is not displaying a picture on the HDMI out. I’m using an HDMI to DVI converter and I can get the picture back if I play with the cables, I’m thinking that the HDMI to DVI converter may be going bad-- actually, I am hoping.

Anyone have a similar issue?
faster68

 

[riffjim4069]

HDMI died on one of my 622s (D version) last week and I just received a replacement. This will be the 2nd 622 I've had to replace due to HDMI. The symptoms of both HDMI failures were very similar and both died after around 2 months of use:

- Audio flaky for a few days (not very noticeable)
- Picture disappears...usually a soft reboot or two will correct the problem.
- Audio drops out completely...usually a hard reboot will recover the problem.
- Audio/Video drops and no amount of hard rebooting will recover from the problem.
- Component will work (at least for a while).

This receiver was in the open area and well ventilated so I'm not about to keep a fan running on it 24/7. However, I think I'm going to cut out quarter-inch rubber footpads to help air circulation. Something I've noticed with HDMI on the B and D versions: the volume is about twice as loud as my TV, two other component devices, and the 622 with component out. I wonder is this is why HDMI is so problematic on these units? I also don't think this a problem with the unit overheating since all other functions continue to work perfectly...just HDMI...and the fan never kicks in nor does the unit power down. Other than HDMI, the 622 works pretty much as advertised. However, replacing a 622 every two months is going to get old....fast.

Anyway, there are several threads about the 622 and HDMI, just search HDMI+622.

 

[faster68]

Oh man, this just keeps getting better and better. I have had the 622 since April, so I have 3 months on the unit. Is there anyway to confirm that I need to do a return?

 

[bhelms]

Agreed - there are plenty of previous posts on this situation. You may have a faulty connection inside the 622 itself, especially if you have a DVI/HDMI adapter hanging from the HDMI socket on the 622. IMHO, that's a very fragile socket that's SMT soldered to the 622's main PCB and any excessive force on it could fracture a connection, or heat cycling might have the same effect. The symptoms you describe are congruent with this kind of failure, but I have no objective evidence of this actually happening to anyone.

I disagree about heat probably not being a problem since the other functions work. That main Broadcom chip that handles the HDMI decoding runs VERY hot in some circumstances and that may present a long-term reliability problem that could include HDMI failure. There are plenty of posts in other threads about cooling initiatives as well. (I am continuing my experiments re: heat mitigation and will post my observations and results soon in the main thread on this topic...)

Call E* tech service and lodge your complaint. They may be willing to do a swap-out, as they did for me. My HDMI was DOA and they originally explained it as an "incompatibility" between the 622 and my Sony TV, but they eventually caved-in after the next SW update did not fix the problem. My replacement unit has been working fine ever since. NOTE: I DO have fans cooling it 24/7...

 

[faster68]

I talked to Tech Support and they have suggested that I try doing a reboot with the HDMI cable unplugged. I will do so when I have the chance and post the results.

They said, however, that if the reboot does not fix the problem they will ship a new unit to me and then let me ship my unit back to them… for $14.95. Not bad, but man, what a pain in the rear.

How much picture quality would I lose by just using component?

 

[bhelms]

...They said, however, that if the reboot does not fix the problem they will ship a new unit to me and then let me ship my unit back to them… for $14.95. Not bad, but man, what a pain in the rear.

They didn't assess me anything for the shipping on the replacement unit, but that may be because I have DHPP. You can add that for $5.99 per month, long enough to get the replacement shipped for free (?? - verify first) then cancel the plan again. (I wouldn't normally resort to this kind of practice but others have said the CSRs themselves recommend it!)

How much picture quality would I lose by just using component?

There will be some difference but you may actually prefer it with component vs. HDMI - some do! You can possibly minimize the differences and/or "peak" the PQ to your liking with settings you have in your TV.

I have both connected and to me, using my current TV settings (with which I have had little time to experiment), the HDMI (digital) image seems a bit sharper, whereas the color saturation seems a bit better (warmer) with the component (analog) connections. I prefer the "sharper image" so I generally watch HDMI. I wish I could do an "A/B" comparision of the two, but the changeover time in my TV is excessive such that the picture ususally changes too much in the interval for a good comparison. YMMV.

Good luck with your swap-out, if you choose to go that route. I would. No sense in paying for a feature that you don't have, even if it turns out that you prefer the component PQ. One additional thought: It seems to me, based on the current reduction in posts, that a lot of the other problems folks experienced with the 622 (like picture stutter and A/V sync issues) have settled-down a good bit, but when you swap a unit there's always the possibility you'll swap one problem for another - just my 2-cents worth.

 

[Fgsilva]

hmmm. that sounds like the problem I had Sunday. had to reboot 3 times! called tech support and they said "that's the way it is cause of the software". time to keep on calling tech support roulette to get one that will ship me another receiver!

 

[bhelms]

If wiggling the HDMI plug (from "playing with the cables") causes the picture to come and go as the OP described, I can't possibly see how that can be a SW problem! This particular situation really sounds like a hardware problem (thermally or mechanically induced intermittency) that can only be given a HW fix!

As I have postulated in other posts, there are most likely multiple, and possibly unrelated, root causes to the "no HDMI output" problem. One or more of them could indeed be related to "incompatabilities" and/or "SW problems" as the support personnel are trying to communicate to us. They get their information from their engineering staff and I believe there is little attempt made to filter the information from the customer to try to more accurately pin down the likely real cause of a given failure. So they regurgitate the script they've been given. I don't think I can blame them for that, but it's an over simplification of a more complex problem, i.e., the whole gamut of possible causes.

The only way one could know for sure would be to have a qualified technician trouble-shoot the unit, and that might even have to be in-situ vs. on the bench! So over the phone we continue to get only partial or perhaps completely incorrect information.

As long as E* continues to support the customers having these problems with expedient swap-outs vs. hiding behind an illusive SW fix that may or may not be forthcoming and that may or may not address the real problem(s), and as long as E* is taking this seriously and really looking for long-term solutions, then I guess that's the best we can expect at this still relatively early point in the 622's product life cycle.

Sorry for the soap-boxing...

 

[gutter]

I HDMI died for the second time too but this time so did the component. My TV does not even recognize that the HDMI is even connected. It had been working fine since May when it was replaced. My 3rd 622 should arrive Wednesday. When are they going to fix this problem? First I knew that the component also died. And yes I plugged both HDMI and the component into my DVD and they worked perfect.