Major Nightmare: Tracking Down HDMI Issues in an AV System

​Tracking down issues in an AV system can be a headache inducing nightmare for integrators.

In the past AV integrators have relied on primitive troubleshooting skills, such as the pluck and chuck method. This is a method of troubleshooting that involves an installer to continuously swap out components in a system because the system isn’t performing as expected. Maybe the system is supposed to be 4k, but the display is only producing a 1080p image. Maybe the system is supposed to display HDR content, but it comes through as SDR. Maybe there is no signal at the display, or the image is flashing. These are just a few of many potential issues with any system.

Tracking down these HDMI related issues end up costing tons of time. At Murideo we understand that time is money, and we do not want you to waste either!

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​Murideo built a tool to help out in this frustrating situation; Fox & Hound HDMI troubleshooting kit. This kit consists of a generator and analyzer, designed with ease of use in mind. The generator/analyzer are small, portable, and give you the valuable data that you need to set up or troubleshoot a system, all in a simple menu system. This is a true point-to-point troubleshooting kit, and although these are techy tools you do not have to be an engineer to use them.

One of the most popular features of the Fox & Hound kit is the ability to use several built in EDIDs to emulate a display or repeater device. You can even copy the EDID from a display to troubleshoot at the rack which could be in a completely different room. Another great feature of the Fox & Hound kit is the ability to test HDMI cables for functionality and bandwidth. Defective and/or low bandwidth HDMI cables are a common reason for many system failures.

The Fox & Hound will help you troubleshoot and fix these issues (and others) as easily and as quickly as possible:

-No Picture –

-How could you use the generator? Using the generator in place of the source, inject a video signal into the system. Move the generator downstream in place of each component until you pinpoint which component is not passing the signal.

-How could you use the analyzer? Using the analyzer in place of the display, check the analyzer’s LCD screen for signal/no signal. Depending on the results you can now make an educated decision on what to troubleshoot next.

-No HDR –

-How could you use the generator? Using the generator in place of the source, inject an HDR signal into the system. Move the generator downstream in place of each component until you figure out which component is not passing HDR.

-How could you use the analyzer? Using the analyzer in place of the display, analyze the signal information. If HDR is not present, move the analyzer upstream in place of each component until you find which component is not outputting HDR.                                        
 
-Image has Banding –

-How could you use the generator? Use the generator in place of the source to inject a video signal of varying bit depths (8, 10, 12bit). Check for banding on the display at each bit depth. If there are still banding issues, move the generator downstream in place of each component, trying each bit depth, until the image no longer has banding issues.

-How could you use the analyzer? Using the analyzer in place of the display, analyze the signal information to verify the correct color bit depth is coming through the system. If not, move the analyzer upstream until you find the component that is not outputting the correct bit depth.

-Discolored Video-

-How could you use the generator? Using the generator in place of the source, inject a video signal into the system. Switch between RGB and YCC (YCbCr) and verify that the image is no longer discolored. If it is, move the generator downstream until you find the component that has the mis-matched color space.
           
-How could you use the analyzer? Using the analyzer in place of the display, analyze the signal info and verify that the signal is either RGB or YCC. If there is a mis-match in color space, move the analyzer upstream until you find the component that is outputting the wrong color space for the system.

-The Image is Flashing

-How could you use the generator? Using the generator in place of the source, inject a video signal into the system with different versions of HDCP encryption (off, 1.x, 2.x). Check to see if the image is still flashing. If it is, move the generator downstream in place of each component to track down the component that is causing the image to flash.

-How could you use the analyzer? Using the analyzer in place of the display, check the signal information to verify the version of HDCP encryption that is coming into the display. If the image is still flashing , move the analyzer upstream in place of each component until you find the component that is outputting an incompatible version of HDCP.

-How could you use the generator and analyzer together? Using both devices, test all HDMI cables in the system for functionality. Also test each cable and verify that the cable can pass the required bandwidth for the system.

-Lots of “sparkles” or noise in the image

- How could you use the generator and analyzer together? Using both devices, test all HDMI cables in the system for functionality. Also test each cable and verify that the cable can pass the required bandwidth for the system.

These are just a few of many examples of how the Murideo Fox & Hound system can save you time and money when setting up or troubleshooting a system. We want you to successful as an integrator, and one big hurdle is spending excessive time and money for truck rolls. With this kit you can leave the jobsite knowing that the system is 100% functional, which always makes a happy client who recommends you to new clients. 

Written By Jason Dustal