722 breaks TV/Theater receiver HDMI connection

[sam fisher]

Hi everyone! I have searched both this forum & Google for an answer and have could not find anything. So I made the mistake of trying to talk to, then email Dish tech support. Anyhow, here was the exchange:
ME:
I upgraded to a 722 recently. Before the upgrade, my TV controlled my home theater (HT) receiver through HDMI. When I added the
722 to this set up (HDMI cable through the HT receiver), the connection between the TV and the HT receiver is broken. I have proven the 722 is the culprit by simply pulling the HDMI cable out of the 722 and the connection is restored. This is really annoying because I like to control the power to the HT receiver and volume by simply using my TV. I called about this and the Tech Support person suggested I program the
AUX port on the Dish remote to control the HT receiver. While this would be a band-aid, it simply doesn't work because my HT receiver has distinct codes for power on and standby. The remote's programmer decided I would like power on to be on the power button and gave me no way to turn the HT receiver off. Anyhow, unable to resolve my problem, he put me on hold for 10 minutes and then hung up on me. I could find no way to control the HDMI settings of the 722 in the menu system. I am not sure exactly what is causing the connection between the TV and HT receiver to break as I am not sure what all is involved. I just
know one of the advantages of HDMI is the communication between devices using HDMI.
Here are my system's specs (if that helps):
TV: Sony KDL-40W3000
HT Receiver: Onkyo Tx-SR705
PS3, XBOX 360, and Dish ViP 722 connected to the HT receiver by HDMI 1.3a
compliant cables.
A fourth HDMI cable runs from the HT receiver to the TV. Please pass this to your awesome tech people and see if they can figure out how to fix this issue (switching to component cables or reprogramming the Dish remote are not fixes). I have the 722 plugged into Broadband and would be happy to assist in any diagnostic efforts needed. I am a long time dish customer (7 years) and enjoy your services. Please help me!

THEM:
Thank you for your email. I’m sorry that you are having this problem. If there is an HDMI cable from the TV directly to the stereo receiver it should still work.
Our customer service center is not trained on the products manufactured by Sony or Onkyo. Their technical support will be best suited to assist you in hooking up your new product. You may also check the owner’s manual that came with the product. Usually, manufacturers include diagrams to assist you in hooking up the equipment. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

ME:
Thank you for confirming the problem is with the 722. Can I get an RMA #? The Onkyo and Sony work perfectly together. You state that the 722 "if there is an HDMI cable from the TV directly to the stereo receiver it should still work." Since it does not, I must have a defective 722. Please advise on how to proceed. Thanks!

THEM:
Thank you for your email. I’m sorry but I did not say or mean to imply that there was a problem with the 722. Does the 722 work if connected directly to the TV? If it does it is not defective. As I stated we are not trained on the other products so I am not aware of why it is no longer working. You would need to consult with the manufacturer of the other devices to see what the issue is.

ME:
You're telling me that as long as HDMI transmits a TV signal that the 722 is working properly? I find that hard to believe. Since I have proven the 722 is causing the HDMI connection between the HT receiver and the TV to break, why should I contact the other manufacturers?!? They would simply tell me to contact you based on the information I have presented. Please escalate this to the engineers or RMA my 722 if it is not working as designed. Thank you very much!


Any chance of getting this resolved? I also have a 612. I am thinking about swapping it with the 722 to see if it also breaks the link. Nice "undocumented feature" if you ask me...

 

[primetimeguy]

I'm confused by what you say is happening. What do you mean the connection is broken? And by unplugging HDMI from the 722 the connection is restored?

I agree with customer service, plug the 722 directly into the TV to make sure the 722 and cable do indeed still work.

One thing I can think of is your receiver is doing some auto sensing of the HDMI inputs. Since the 722 has a screen saver and goes into standby rather than off, this may be confusing the receiver or TV since the 722 is essentially always on.

HDMI is great when it works, but when it doesn't it's a pain in the arse!

 

[Uther Pendragon]

I'm like primetimeguy, I don't see how the 722 can "break the connection. First my setup:
Dish 722 -> HDMI cable -> Onkyo Tx-SR675 -> HDMI cable -> Mitsu DLP HDTV. The 722 is plugged into Video 1 of the Onkyo.

This works just fine so you should be ok, we just need to figure this out. I am not aware how the TV can control anything besides itself. But the TV remote can possilby control the 722 if it is programmed correctly. I have a Logitech universal remote. When I press Watch TV the remote turns on the 722, the TV, and the Onkyo and sets the Onkyo to Video 1 input for the 722. Was your TV remote programmed simularly? Or to you need to turn on each piece of equipment seperately? It sounds to me like a remote needs be programmed or the Onkyo setup may not be correct. For instance, on my Onkyo Video 1 HDMI is the 722, Video 2 Component is for cable, Video 3 component is to the Wii. Add in Optical Audio connections for the 722 and cable and it took me quite a while to get the setup in the Onkyo just right. Maybe your setup is off.

OR

If you plug the 722 directly into the TV it can resolve two issues. Is the 722 working correctly, and if so, there may be a problem in the Onkyo. Also HDMI cables could have faulty connectors or the pins in the connector may be bent when the cable was inserted into the 722. By your description, it is possible a bad connector in the 722, or something wrong with the cable between the 722 and the Onkyo might make it appear that there is a bad connection. That is why going from the 722 direct to the TV may be the best help. You know the TV works ok.

 

[KAB]

Your comment, "I know one of the advantages of HDMI is the communication between devices", makes me wonder if you thinking of something like Samsung's Anynet+ network system. That and other manufactures similar feature allow you to control all of the SAME MANUFACTURER"S ENABLED units. Since the VIP is an amimal unto itself, nothing like that is going to work. HDMI in your case is only going to pass digital video and audio. So perhaps you are working under a misconception?

 

[sam fisher]

Thanks for your input! Let me answer some questions.

I'm confused by what you say is happening. What do you mean the connection is broken? And by unplugging HDMI from the 722 the connection is restored?

Sorry, perhaps not descriptive enough. Both the TV and the HT receiver allow control of other HDMI devices. So by enabling the features so that the TV controls the HT receiver, all I have to do to turn both on or off is to turn the TV on or off. Another cool thing is the TV passes the volume control to the HT receiver. Again, all I do is press the TV volume up or down and the HT receiver does the actual adjustment. This occurs using only the TV remote on TV, not programming it to control the HT receiver. Makes sense? This process works flawlessly until the 722 is added to the setup.

Your comment, "I know one of the advantages of HDMI is the communication between devices", makes me wonder if you thinking of something like Samsung's Anynet+ network system. That and other manufactures similar feature allow you to control all of the SAME MANUFACTURER"S ENABLED units.

The thing is, until the 722 is added to the setup, the Sony controls the Onkyo without issue. I have also used 3 different HDMI cables by two manufactures (all HDMI 1.3a compliant) and this power/volume connection always fails once the HDMI from the 722 is plugged in.

The Onkyo uses assignable HDMI (3 inputs and you go into menus and tell the receiver which input is what device). I have moved around the assignments, thinking the Onkyo could be confused by me telling it the 722 was TV/SAT. So I moved the 722 to DVD, GAME, and AUX and the power/volume connection still did not work.

This could all be a minor inconvenience, except the Onkyo has distinct power on & standby codes, so the Dish remote can only turn it on, not off. Guess it's time for a Logitech... I just hate that because everything was working when I had an older receiver.

 

[KAB]

Thanks for your input! Let me answer some questions.


Sorry, perhaps not descriptive enough. Both the TV and the HT receiver allow control of other HDMI devices. So by enabling the features so that the TV controls the HT receiver, all I have to do to turn both on or off is to turn the TV on or off. Another cool thing is the TV passes the volume control to the HT receiver. Again, all I do is press the TV volume up or down and the HT receiver does the actual adjustment. This occurs using only the TV remote on TV, not programming it to control the HT receiver. Makes sense? This process works flawlessly until the 722 is added to the setup.



The thing is, until the 722 is added to the setup, the Sony controls the Onkyo without issue. I have also used 3 different HDMI cables by two manufactures (all HDMI 1.3a compliant) and this power/volume connection always fails once the HDMI from the 722 is plugged in.

The Onkyo uses assignable HDMI (3 inputs and you go into menus and tell the receiver which input is what device). I have moved around the assignments, thinking the Onkyo could be confused by me telling it the 722 was TV/SAT. So I moved the 722 to DVD, GAME, and AUX and the power/volume connection still did not work.

This could all be a minor inconvenience, except the Onkyo has distinct power on & standby codes, so the Dish remote can only turn it on, not off. Guess it's time for a Logitech... I just hate that because everything was working when I had an older receiver.

If I were you, I would keep pouring over your Onkyo manual. There are several people on this board who have them (power on/off problem mentioned often) but I do not recall any reports of your problem. Perhaps there is a setting you have missed?