[Stuart Wright]

Just been asked to post this on behalf of Sky:

Statement from the Sky HD Team

“We’re aware of a number of reports of HDCP compatibility issues with some Pioneer televisions when used in conjunction with a Sky HD box. Sky and Pioneer are working together to investigate the reports as a matter of urgency.

“We’ve designed the Sky HD box so that it is easy to use and compatible with a wide range of TV sets. Specifically, it is intended to work with TVs that carry the HD Ready label and it has successfully passed independent tests for compliance with the HDMI and HDCP protocols.

“While we investigate these reports, the recommendation to customers who experience this situation is that they simply use the component output to connect their Sky HD box to their TV to continue viewing Sky HD content. We will update customers once the cause of the reported issue has been identified.”

[brendan_dj]

What about the thousands of other Sky HD subscribers who do not subscribe to these forums?

What method are Sky using to communicate this important message to their customers?

The only letter I have received in the post was regarding billing.

The least they can do is advise their customers with a letter.

"I'm alright Jack", I read these forums and took precaution ages ago. I just feel sorry for those innocent individuals whose expensive damage could be avoided.

Originally Posted by brendan_dj

What about the thousands of other Sky HD subscribers who do not subscribe to these forums?

What method are Sky using to communicate this important message to their customers?

The only letter I have received in the post was regarding billing.

The least they can do is advise their customers with a letter.

"I'm alright Jack", I read these forums and took precaution ages ago. I just feel sorry for those innocent individuals whose expensive damage could be avoided.

Why dont you ask for their database and do it by email...

Heinz never told me their baby food had glass in until my one year old daughter cut her gum!!Then it was in the press.(1988)

Forums find out first (thank God)...

[lumpsucker]

“While we investigate these reports, the recommendation to customers who experience this situation is that they simply use the component output to connect their Sky HD box to their TV to continue viewing Sky HD content. ....


.....And if you don't experience the problem then what?????? go on using it as installed by SKY via HDMI?????

I have 6 months of my (3 year) warranty left on my 504 and 11 months left on my SKY HD box. I am going to carry on using HDMI until it fries until I get a letter from either Pioneer or SKY to advise me otherwise.

[rikwebb]

As I have said in other post regarding this problem......

The SKY Engineer has connected my Pioneer 436XDE to the SkyHD box via HDMI, and as yet neither Sky or pioneer have asked me to change this!!

I still suffer no problems with this fault. Fingers crossed

[Mighty Chipster]

Funny, I have in the last hour received a phone call from "Scott" at Sky HD team.

He basically read out the above statement to me verbally over the phone.

I also enquired about the poor SD quality through HDMI on my Sky HD box and he disclosed something very interesting.

".... there are currently two different versions of the Sky HD box.... "

"...although made by Thompson there are parts that are different in each box...."

So, could I be correct in thinking that the problems other forum members have posted (and myself) are due to the inferior version of the Sky HD box???

[loz]

And as I asked in response to this post made elsewhere (copied from digital spy), does this now imply that no other brand of display is affected, and everyone else besides Pioneer owners can continue to use HDMI in safety?

[Tony Hoyle]

The statement is so generic I'm not sure it implies anything.. they don't even admit that the problem is as severe as damaging sets - it might as well be a simple software glitch for all that reads as.

[Piers]

Loz,

I have been away and mostly out of action thanks to useless hotel broadband for the past two weeks.

It is not just Pioneer HDMI inputs that are failing. I have heard of other plasmas, scalers and receivers failing. Very small numbers, whereas bigger numbers of Pioneers (allegedly).

Advice has to be disconnect HDMI until Sky sort this, unless you are willing to take on Sky for a replacement HDMI input on your plasma / scaler / receiver.

[loz]

Originally Posted by Piers

It is not just Pioneer HDMI inputs that are failing. I have heard of other plasmas, scalers and receivers failing. Very small numbers, whereas bigger numbers of Pioneers (allegedly).

Well the evidence presented in this forum is those small numbers typically register as 1. One scaler, one denon receiver, one toshiba projector, etc.

So with 40,000 Sky HD units out there this could be entirely coincidental. Whereas clearly with Pioneer there is a trend with multiple failures.

Sky had every opportunity in this announcement to name other brands, or tell everyone else to be cautious. They didn't so I can only assume there is not a problem.

[Mighty Chipster]

Originally Posted by loz

Well the evidence presented in this forum is those small numbers typically register as 1. One scaler, one denon receiver, one toshiba projector, etc.

So with 40,000 Sky HD units out there this could be entirely coincidental. Whereas clearly with Pioneer there is a trend with multiple failures.

Sky had every opportunity in this announcement to name other brands, or tell everyone else to be cautious. They didn't so I can only assume there is not a problem.

"Scott" did mention that there is only around 10 calls from Sky HD customers reporting the HDCP error.

So it may not be as widespread, but as someone else has commented before preventative measures have been taken by a large base of Sky HD customers. i.e. component.

[mremulator]

Originally Posted by Mighty Chipster

"Scott" did mention that there is only around 10 calls from Sky HD customers reporting the HDCP error.

"Scott" from Sky called me last night, who also said that Sky had only 10 reported HDCP errors to date. Strange thing is "Dan" from Pioneer confirmed nearly a week ago that they (Pioneer) had over 50 (and rising) reported cases of HDCP failure. Who do you believe?

[loz]

Originally Posted by mremulator

"Scott" from Sky called me last night, who also said that Sky had only 10 reported HDCP errors to date. Strange thing is "Dan" from Pioneer confirmed nearly a week ago that they (pioneer) had over 50 (and rising) reported cases of HDCP failure. Who do you believe?

Presumably this "scott" is only calling people who have reported a problem to Sky.
Perhaps of those 50 who have reported to Pioneer, only 10 have also reported to Sky.

The other interesting point to note is that, apart from a few people on this forum, the only people stating that this problem affects multiple brands of TV is ... Pioneer. They would, wouldn't they?

[mremulator]

Originally Posted by PEHowland

The other interesting point to note is that, apart from a few people on this forum, the only people stating that this problem affects multiple brands of TV is ... Pioneer. They would, wouldn't they?

I agree, however, how do you explain the fact that all other HDMI/HDCP devices have been working perfectly with Pioneer plasmas since 2004? OK, I'm sure there has been the odd problem, but Pioneer has said that they have seen nothing on this scale before. I'm still hoping the problem is simply down to a dodgy batch of Sky HD boxes, as many people are unaffected. But there again so many people have now switched over to component, so it's hard to tell exactly how many people would have had the problem. Also lets not forget it's been barely a month since the first people had their HD installed.

Two possible explanations:

1) Either Pioneer sets have been susceptible to HDMI errors all along, and the introduction of SkyHD is the first mass market introduction of a single product in one "big bang". Therefore several hundred/thousand Pioneer owners all plug in the same device in the same few weeks and hence the errors appear together. Whereas before, there was a similar failure rate, but spread over different devices over a wider time period.

or;

2) Pioneer's design is more sensitive or less well protected than other manufacturers; *and* (some/all) Sky HD receivers are slightly out of specification due to design or manufacturing faults.

Hard to say which at the present time, although 2) seems more likely.

[LFCRules]

Deserves to be a sticky for a while for all people to be aware

[Madkitty]

can I ask a daft question - Im getting this all the time on my little bedroom lcd upstairs...now I know its not HD but its driving me loopy...is it supposed to happen?

Sorry guys, when you talk about HDCP failure, is it that the HD box refuses to feed the display panel or is it that the HD box causes hardware failure at the displays?

I have a problem with non-Pioneer, a Toshiba/InFocus HDCP ready projector too, and i am not alone.

Yes..but I've disconnected my Sky HDMI input to my Pioneer, but is it a problem with the Sky HD box or the Pioneers - i.e. should we disconnect any HDMI input to Pioneer e.g. my Denon 1920?. There seems to be non-Pioneer issues reported on the web.

We are aware that some of you are experiencing a compatibility issue with the HDMI connection between your Pioneer Plasma screen and SkyHD+ set top box. We are working closely with Sky to get to the root of the problem. Whilst we continue to investigate we have set up the blog spot http://pioneerhdblog.com/ to help create an open dialogue. If you have experienced any compatibility issue with your HDMI connection please let us know the details so that our technical team can collate and utilise this information. We in return will provide you with advice on a regular basis as well as any updates as soon as they happen.

We look forward to working closely with you

The Pioneer team

[chaparral]

Originally Posted by Madkitty

can I ask a daft question - Im getting this all the time on my little bedroom lcd upstairs...now I know its not HD but its driving me loopy...is it supposed to happen?

If your LCD is not HD then it will not have a HDMI input for this problem to be able to happened with.

[Madkitty]

Originally Posted by chaparral

If your LCD is not HD then it will not have a HDMI input for this problem to be able to happened with.

but it does LOL and its connected via the aerial - as soon as you press backup its fine and resumes normal picture but then keeps happening every 5 minutes or so which is a real pain

[brendan_dj]

Originally Posted by Madkitty

but it does LOL and its connected via the aerial - as soon as you press backup its fine and resumes normal picture but then keeps happening every 5 minutes or so which is a real pain

Madkitty, What is the model number of your LCD panel?
If you are seeing the error saying that your TV does not support HDCP, then it is probably due to the fact that it doesn't and is not designed to accept HDCP protected material.

What is being discussed here are genuine "HD-Ready" displays which DID accept an HDCP signal but are now damaged by SkyHD so that they are no longer capabale of receiving HDCP signals any longer via HDMI.

i am also having this problem with the hdcp error on my 506 xde it came on last thursday. i have had hd since 23rd may. i rang sky and when i told them about the hdcp error the guy asked "you havnt got a pioneer panel have you?" i rang pioneer who were most helpfull and also very interested in what sky had to say to me wanting to know word for word what was said. i was also asked to see if my denon 1920 was still working in hdmi3 which it is not.pioneer left it at we will contact you when we know what the problem is untill then use component. i had a phone call from pioneer yesterday to say that the media box would be looked at under warrenty. i asked if they knew what the problem was and he said no but they would fix my tv anyway. so well done for stepping up pioneer or is this an admission of guilt? as long as they fix my tv ill be happy and then either sky or pioneer can sort the ongoing mess out so we can all enjoy hd via hdmi like were are supposed to.

[Tollyman]

Originally Posted by scottybull

i am also having this problem with the hdcp error on my 506 xde it came on last thursday. i have had hd since 23rd may. i rang sky and when i told them about the hdcp error the guy asked "you havnt got a pioneer panel have you?" i rang pioneer who were most helpfull and also very interested in what sky had to say to me wanting to know word for word what was said. i was also asked to see if my denon 1920 was still working in hdmi3 which it is not.pioneer left it at we will contact you when we know what the problem is untill then use component. i had a phone call from pioneer yesterday to say that the media box would be looked at under warrenty. i asked if they knew what the problem was and he said no but they would fix my tv anyway. so well done for stepping up pioneer or is this an admission of guilt? as long as they fix my tv ill be happy and then either sky or pioneer can sort the ongoing mess out so we can all enjoy hd via hdmi like were are supposed to.

Would you be able to post your details on the sticky 'HDCP failure survey' thread below this one? The more responses the better.

[byron_hinson]

hoping to call Sky HD PR tomorrow about all this as it started to appear on my Philips TV today for the first time, so its clearly not just a pioneer problem and indicates a problem with the Sky HD boxes.

[strewth_bruce]

Originally Posted by brendan_dj

What about the thousands of other Sky HD subscribers who do not subscribe to these forums?

What method are Sky using to communicate this important message to their customers?

I, too, am staggered at the lack of effort shown by Sky in making HD subscribers aware of this problem. Don't the digiboxes have a built in messaging system - certainly when I'm scrolling through channels, the yellow button seems to be capable of showing messages that have been received.

If this is something which Sky can use to send system related messages to subscribers, then surely this would've been a far more effective way of highlighting the issue than posting it on AVForums (love this site though I do!)...

[JagoPlasma]

i wanna know what do people that dont have component inputs do? sit n swivel? (tho most tvs will have component i guess)

There is a rumor that the HDCP issue has apparently been seen previously in the US with DirectTV. I have an industry contact there who I am badgering to see if he will admit it. I'll keep you posted