HDMI Hiccups: When 'Standard' Is An Oxymoron

Remember that spare 60 GByte PlayStation 3 I recently told you I bought on closeout, taking advantage of Sony’s $150 credit? I’m up in the mountains this weekend, and I brought it with me to connect to the plasma TV (primarily for Blu-ray disc playback purposes). In doing so, I was rapidly reminded one of the (few) disadvantages of the PS3 versus a dedicated Blu-ray player, that being the PS3’s lack of six-channel analog audio output capability.

My setup here is atypical, at least at the moment. I don’t have an A/V receiver but instead route my Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player’s line outputs directly to a Creative Labs Inspire T7700 amplifier-plus-7.1 channel speaker set (which I’m only running in a 5.1 channel configuration), in conjunction with an Amphony model 1520 5.8 GHz wireless transmitter-and-receiver-and-amplifier for the rear surround channels. Granted, it’s not a particularly high fidelity configuration, but it gets the job done.

Although I was only able to coax two-channel analog audio out of the PS3, I did still have the opportunity to test a piece of gear I’d long wanted to evaluate, Belkin’s model AV24502 PureAV HDMI Interface 3-to-1 Video Switch. I’d received plenty of complaining communication from HDMI backers after the publication of my January 4, 2007 feature article, which included such inflammatory statements as:

Common consumer complaints include the inability to get an HDMI-equipped DVD player and display to communicate when an audio/video receiver is between them, for example, whereas the DVD player and display work fine when directly connected. Consumers also complain about the inability to get various pieces of equipment to work unless users power them up in a specific order and the inability to restore previously stable operation once the consumer switches from a particular video source at the display and then switches back. The root cause of all these problems is inevitably a disruption in the supposed-to-be-continuous HDCP "handshake" between source and destination, which the video source incorrectly interprets as a DRM breach and responds to by disabling its output. "Ugly" fixes for the problem include power-cycling the equipment or unplugging and replugging connectors to restore normal functions.

The HDMI fans’ feedback suggested that I was blowing an ‘extremely limited’ problem way out of proportion. Although all the evidence I’d seen on enthusiast websites, in home theater magazine letters-to-the-editor and in other forums suggested otherwise, I’m also aware that folks who don’t have problems aren’t typically motivated to publicize their success, so the data I was getting might be disproportionately slanted towards the negative side of the HDMI experience spectrum. Belkin’s HDMI switch exemplified the ‘in-between’ device category I’d mentioned in my article, so I decided to supplement my past anecdotal research with some hands-on testing.

As I’ve mentioned several times in the past, my Samsung HP-P4261 plasma display only offers one digital video connection: an HDCP-supportive DVI input. However, my Toshiba HD-A1 HD DVD player works fine with it in conjunction with an HDMI-to-DVI translation cable. And, as I first verified, the PS3 also worked fine (no stutter-step or other problems) when connected directly to the plasma display via the same six-foot translation cable, both when displaying the XrossMediaBar GUI and when playing back an AACS-inclusive Blu-ray title (Wild Things…ahem…), and at both 720p and 1080i output settings. Next, I inserted the Belkin switch in-between the PS3 and the plasma display, in conjunction with a 6-foot HDMI cable. Blu-ray playback remained artifact- and interrupt-free at both 720p and 1080i, and both when the switch’s PS3 input was active and (judging from the continued PS3 audio playback) when I’d selected one of the switch’s other inputs. Although the switch claims to also handle 1080p, I wasn’t able to test this mode since the plasma display doesn’t support it.

Feeling quite impressed, I connected the HD-A1 (running the latest production firmware release, by the way) to another switch input via another six-foot HDMI cable…and the deck of cards collapsed. The HD-A1 refused to handshake with the display through the switch, in either 720p or 1080i video modes, and regardless of whether or not its input was switch-selected or not. As soon as the Universal Studios logo began playing at the launch of the Dawn Of The Dead HD DVD, a HDMI ERROR message would appear on the HD-A1’s built-in display, and playback would abort. But that’s not all…at this point, the PS3’s playback would also freeze…until I disconnected the HD-A1 from the switch, at which time the Blu-ray movie would continue right where it left off.

So who’s to blame here?

• The HD-A1? But it plays fine when directly connected to the display!
• The switch? But it handles the PS3 with no problems!
• The HDMI cable? But swapping cables didn’t help, and both cables prominently showcase the HDMI Licensing LLC logo! Then again, so do the PS3, the HD-A1 and the Belkin switch…

Some nuance of the HDCP handshake that the HD-A1 expects to see isn’t being passed between it and the display when the HDMI switch is in-between them, although the PS3 seems content with the Belkin intermediary. And although I’d normally suggest a firmware upgrade for the HDMI switch, none exists on Belkin’s site. Nor is there seemingly any means of upgrading the switch (over USB, Ethernet, etc) short of shipping it back to the factory, since Belkin only included HDMI and power inputs.

I’ll pass this writeup on to Belkin, Samsung and Toshiba, and I’ll report back any notable feedback I receive. Regardless of whether or not my problem eventually gets solved, I reluctantly conclude that my earlier article’s stance was spot-on. Sorry, HDMI advocates, you haven’t convinced me…quite the contrary, my testing has only reinforced my pessimistic perspective.

Heck, maybe I’ll just forget about the switch and instead drive the plasma display’s VGA input via the PS3 or HD-A1 in conjunction with my HDCP-stripping and D/A-converting HDfury…