New Poll: HDMI Port vs Length of Use

[Tom Bombadil]

Please only respond to this poll if you have been regularly using the HDMI port from your 211, 411, or 622 Dish receiver.

I am interested in seeing if there is a correlation between the length of time one has been using the port/connection and the failures being reported in the other threads.

I will allow for multiple boxes to be checked, so you can report on more than one receiver ... although there is no provision for reporting on two receivers of the same age having the same experience ... sorry.

 

[mdonnelly]

I reported 3+ months with no problems on my 211. The HDMI cable is well supported coming out of the back of the 211, going through the opening in my AV cabinet.

 

[Poke]

I have not tried HDMI is it really worth it? From what I have read and heard there is really not that much of a difference on PQ between component and HDMI.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I tried to think of a good way to ask about how one's HDMI cable is connected, but couldn't come up with one. As you probably know, it is my theory that the connector is fragile and the internal connections to it break more easily than they should.

So I settled on asking about how long it had been used, figuring that a pattern might emerge as people do jiggle things around over time.

It would be interesting to take say 4 211s, jiggle the cable a lot on two of them and make sure the other two were stable and secure, and see if the two being jiggled suffered the mysterious "software problem."

 

[bhelms]

I have not tried HDMI is it really worth it? From what I have read and heard there is really not that much of a difference on PQ between component and HDMI.

You should get an inexpensive HDMI cable and try it for comparison. There will likely be a difference, but which you prefer will be very subjective, dependent on your equipment/settings, and dependent on program/content. So far I believe I prefer HDMI. It seems a bit sharper to me, but with a bit less color saturation vs. component, YMMV...

 

[bhelms]

Tom - I voted one each as I had two 622s; the first was DOA on HDMI and the replacement has been working fine for about 1.5 months. I also share your concern about the HDMI socket and what appears to be a rather fragile SMT connection to the main PCB. "Wiggling" the HDMI plug will most likely eventually break one or more connections at the PCB. I'm also concerned (but with no proof) that thermal cycling might have the same result. My HDMI plug is unsupported, but does not move of its own accord...

 

[williamkmurphy]

I have had one picture lock up that required a reboot...happened a week ago. First real problem since February.

One thought about HDMI connector fatigue. The "premium" (and I do mean this very sarcasticly) $100 Monster HDMI cable's connector shield (the little thing that goes around the whole connector end) is tighter than a $15 cable from monoprice. This could cause the user to force the connection a little bit. My monoprice cables go on very nicely. The DVI\HDMI monster that I stupidly bought for way too much money takes some serious effort to get the HDMI connector to mate. This is true on both the tv,receiver, and dish box.

I wonder if there is a correlation between monster users and hdmi failures. Not only is monster raping your wallet they might be breaking your a\v equipment too.

On a side note... I have no problem paying the premium price for analog interconnects where cable quality really matters. It just ticks me off that the big box drones keep pushing cables that are 5x more expensive than something that is just as good and possibly better for digital video and audio. Its digital its either there or its not.

 

[VinceT3]

1 month

622 no issues (so far)
211 currently needs the HDMI unplugged and plugged back in to get audio working.

 

[Dirtydan]

Hooked mine up May 4th, no prob. Using inexpensive Monprice.

 

[TBarclay]

All right, here's the deal. Got the 622 in early April. HDMI worked great. After about 6 weeks (and not in connection with a software update) it went dead. Nothing worked to get it back. Finally, got Dish to send a replacement. HDMI works great again. It's not the TV. Not the software. It's the 622!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Okay, so who wants to step up and be our "crash test dummy?"

Who will take their working MPEG4 HD receiver and wiggle the HDMI connector for 5 minutes then test, then 5 more then test, and so forth?

Someone who uses only their component connection?

Perhaps someone who has a receiver with a different problem and who is already authorized for a return!!!

 

[MikeD-C05]

Using hdmi on both hdtvs from Toshiba and having no problems now since February when I got my new 622s.

KNOCK ON WOOD!!!

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Well, not many responses so far, just 39.

But what we have is showing no relationship between the problem incident rate and the length of time one has used their receiver. But if we get another 100 or so responses, a pattern could still surface.

 

[BobMurdoch]

My port died after 2 months of use. I got my 622 in early March......

 

[thomas_d92]

411 HDMI still working after 5 months 622 HDMI failed after 3 weeks. No other problems with either unit . I do not want to exchange my 622 because it has no other problems , like audio sync, stutter , missed timers . It has been perfect except for HDMI . I am afraid I will get one with other problems. I hope new software in the future will fix the HDMI problem.

 

[bhelms]

Kind of a sad state of affairs - we're all scared to exchange a unit with one quasi-tolerable problem for fear that we'll incur others! My replacement unit arrived slightly damaged (seems to be cosmetic only but I was afraid that the shock that caused the damage might have also been too much for the HDD) so I had E* add that information into my record, hopefully reserving my right to return it for a third unit. But like thomas_d92 and others are experiencing, my current unit is performing well and I don't want to tempt fate! At this point I think I'll just repair the slight damage and be thankful everything else (as far as I can tell - haven't tried everything) is OK - KOW...!

 

[Dishpointer]

I had HDMI problems when I first got my 211 in February. I had the box for 3 weeks and then purchased a 622 at the end of February. I haven't had any HDMI problems and I used the same TV and cheap HDMI cable for both receivers. Go figure.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Funny observation about the two current polls on the HDMI issue.

In the other poll we have 186 responses reporting a 40% HDMI failure rate.

In this poll, we have 52 responses so far, but only a 30% HDMI failure rate. ("ONLY" gee whiz, I'm being kind to Dish to use that term!)

So it appears that many people with HDMI problems are not voting in this poll, at least so far.

 

[mdonnelly]

...
So it appears that many people with HDMI problems are not voting in this poll, at least so far.

Or perhaps some people without HDMI problems didn't vote in the other poll.

 

[bhelms]

Funny observation about the two current polls on the HDMI issue.

In the other poll we have 186 responses reporting a 40% HDMI failure rate.

In this poll, we have 52 responses so far, but only a 30% HDMI failure rate. ("ONLY" gee whiz, I'm being kind to Dish to use that term!)

So it appears that many people with HDMI problems are not voting in this poll, at least so far.

So Tom, being a statistician can you state that the difference is statistically significant? (Need a t-test here? )

BRgds and have a great weekend all...!