HR10-250 problems (HDMI, A/V synch)

[cmassa]

I believe my HR10-250 just lost the HDMI port. It's only 3 months old. I turned on the TV and the screen color was all wrong. The resolution seemed worse and the colors seemed inverted, mostly gray. I have switched to component which works fine. If I wiggle the HDMI cable, it will work for a second or two, then quit again. Should I get a replacement or just stay with component? Is the HDMI failure an indicator of any other failures to come?

Another problem is bad audio/video synch on HD channels, especially DiscoveryHD and Universal HD. DiscoveryHD was unwatchable tonight because the sound was about a second off. I've been getting this frequently. Universal HD seems worst during Battlestar Galactica. Is this a problem on my with the equipment or is it D* or the source? Is it something fixable?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[The Stone Man]

Your HDMI failure is a well-documented flaw on units that were manufactured prior to 11/15/2004. If you look on the back of the unit by the fan, the manufacturing date is listed at the bottom of the text portion of unit information. The exact same thing just happened on my Tivo too, manufactured on 11/8/2004.

Don Landis has a post where he explains what causes this, and it is some type of copper clip. He fixed his own, but if you are not inclined to be your own repair guy, then you have basically two choices.

1. Forget HDMI and use component, knowing that a box swap is coming sometime.
2. Replace the Tivo with one manufactured after 11/15/2004.

My personal choice is to replace the Tivo now. I figure I paid good money for a feature-laden piece of equipment, and everything should work. The box is under warranty, so the manufacturer has to make good on the warranty. Although this problem is well-known, units manufactured prior to 11/15/2004 are still being shipped. And my television has HDMI capability, HDMI is one reason why I wanted the Tivo, so I'm not going to say 'oh well--MPEG4 is coming anyway and I'll have to swap then'.