New TVs, New Problems, New Solutions

​For years televisions have been plug-and-play. From the introduction of color television, to component, to the early years of HDMI, everything just worked. Today, we live in a world of catching up. Our legacy set top boxes struggle to produce 4K while advanced 4K displays sometimes resist the change to new formats. But hope is not lost, understanding common issues in today’s mixed resolution world can decrease the amount of time spent troubleshooting.

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Bullet Train 18Gbps HDMI Cables with Ethernet

4K and HDR have taken the world by storm. Next-Gen gaming consoles and premium streaming devices have made this possible within the home but not all displays are as accepting as others. You may find a host of problems while simply trying to connect your device. 
Problem:

• When trying to pass 4K HDR or 4K60 4:4:4 the display connection drops out or becomes discolored.

Solution:

• Ensure you are using an 18Gbps HDMI Cable with Ethernet
• Most displays have an “enhanced” format setting that allows the display to do 4:4:4 chroma when in 4K and enables HDR. This may be enabled on all outputs or only select outputs. To find the correct setting for your display refer to www.rtings.com/tv/learn/chroma-subsampling under the How to get the best results section

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Distributed systems are a perfect way to deliver all sources to any part of the home; but what about HDR sources on legacy displays that do not support it? While scaling to the resolution of the display may show picture, you might find an issue with the image displayed.
Problem:

• A legacy display’s picture appears washed out while scaling HDR content.

Solution:

• Setting all sources to SDR will resolve this issue. This problem occurs because most legacy displays do not know how to process HDR metadata correctly, producing a light washed out effect over the screen.

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Dolby Vision is the cream of the crop in terms of HDR. The ability to adjust brightness levels frame by frame attracts many consumers to buy displays capable of doing it. Unfortunately, not everyone can agree on how to process Dolby Vision leaving us with different profiles used in the market. If the source plugs directly into the display, this is not an issue. However, in a distributed system with multiple displays capable of Dolby Vision, they might not be processing it the same.
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Problem:

• The screen on some displays is pink and fine on others while using Dolby Vision.

Solution:

• Ensure that all of the devices have up to date firmware.
• If in a distributed system, use EDID management and copy the EDID from the trouble display. This display's profile of Dolby Vision will work with all displays that are capable.

​As displays continue to move from 4K to 8K and beyond it is almost guaranteed that new issues will arise. Being able to diagnose these problems now will help your ability to address them in the future. For help managing EDID and addressing high end 4K visit support.AVProEdge.com or give us a call at 877-886-5112.

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