HDCP 2.2 error message on new Sony STR-ZA810ES receiver

[man0fsteel]

Hello all,

New poster here and hoping someone can help me troubleshoot this message. Ive searched this board and the web ad nauseum for a solution but have yet to find anything.

I am watching cable TV via a Spectrum 210 set top box connected to my Sony receiver to an older Bravia KDL-55W802A TV. The receiver was purchased this May and everything was just fine until we had a power outage a few weeks ago (everything is plugged into a large power surge protector (APC C3 Power Filter). Since then, no matter what I've tried (switching to new HDMI cables, changing input and output on the receiver and changing to different HDMI inputs on the TV) I still get the following message:

The content cannot be displayed. To display, please connect with the HDMI input which supports HDCP 2.2 on the TV.

The tv is older and doesn't support HDCP and as stated, it worked previously. I do get sound. Just no video except for the message. I've gone up and down the channel guide and all are the same, sound with no video.

Other troubleshooting I've done:
Switched cable boxes, (I have 2). Both cable boxes work on another non HDCP compliant (really old) TV connected directly.
Both cable boxes work when connected directly to the Bravia TV.
I've unplugged both the receiver and set top boxes to reset them per the mfg instructions
I've done a reset on the Sony receiver and cleared its settings per the mfg.
I've updated both the receiver and the tv to the latest firmware.

Sony customer support (which has been really great - talked to 2 different techs) has asked that I get a total replacement set top box so I've got Spectrum coming in next week. But it doesn't seem to me that is the issue.

I'm not trying to run 4K (the TV doesn't handle it obviously), although prior to the power surge I was getting a message (not sure which component was sending it) saying my TV is capable of better resolution. Would I like to try? I've said 'yes' a number of times to the same message, and never noticed a difference.

I'm thinking at this point, something in the receiver thinks the TV should be HDCP 2.2 compliant when it's not. The sony tech told me my receiver didn't have an HDCP bypass. But if it all worked previously, this shouldn't still be an issue, should it?

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[dante01]

Does your TV and the AV receiver include ARC? If so then connect the cable box directly to the TV via HDMI and then passthrough the audio and output it to your AV receiver via ARC.

If the TV and or the AV receiver are not ARC compliant then make an optical audio connection between the TV and your AV receiver and use this to convey the audio sourced from the cable box out of the TV and to the AV receiver.

The Issue you are having is a common one associated with how HDCP 2.2 has been implimentewd within most set top boxes. THe cable box is the culprit and gets confused by you having devices with different levels of HDCP compliance connected to it. Sucjh boxes exhibit this behaviour even if the content you are wanting to watch isn't 4K.

 

[man0fsteel]

Hi Dante,

Thanks for the workaround. I'll check when I get home. I believe they both are.

But why would the issue start after a power outage when all the same components worked fine before?

I have a warranty on the receiver and want to know if the glitch is there (if it is, I'd like to get a replacement). If the set top box is the culprit, why would it work when connected directly to the TV? The TV still doesn't have HDCP 2.2.

Thanks for contemplating the issue.

 

[dante01]

No idea as to why you'd not previously experienced this, but it is a common issue often experienced with 4K compliant sat and cable STBs.

The issue only really arises if the TV isn't HDCP 2.2 compliant. The STB doesn't do as it would ordinarily do and restrict its output to 1080p. The way in which the HDCP protection has been implimented onboard the STB unfortunately results in the error you are seeing even if the content itself isn't anything more than 1080p and not protected by HDCP 2.2.

The ultimate remedy is to use an HDCP 2.2 compliant TV or you could try using an HDCP 2.2 to version 1.4 convertor between the STB and the receiver?

 

[man0fsteel]

No idea as to why you'd not previously experienced this, but it is a common issue often experienced with 4K compliant sat and cable STBs.

The issue only really arises if the TV isn't HDCP 2.2 compliant. The STB doesn't do as it would ordinarily do and restrict its output to 1080p. The way in which the HDCP protection has been implimented onboard the STB unfortunately results in the error you are seeing even if the content itself isn't anything more than 1080p and not protected by HDCP 2.2.

The ultimate remedy is to use an HDCP 2.2 compliant TV or you could try using an HDCP 2.2 to version 1.4 convertor between the STB and the receiver?

Makes sense. I will end up getting a 4K TV but I'm going to remodel and need that to happen first.

I just hate it when my equipment works, then stops for no apparent reason!

 

[man0fsteel]

Does your TV and the AV receiver include ARC? If so then connect the cable box directly to the TV via HDMI and then passthrough the audio and output it to your AV receiver via ARC.

If the TV and or the AV receiver are not ARC compliant then make an optical audio connection between the TV and your AV receiver and use this to convey the audio sourced from the cable box out of the TV and to the AV receiver.

So HDMI 1 on the TV says ARC and the receiver out says ARC too. So if I understand correctly, I'm going to connect the STB directly to HDMI 2 (non ARC input) on the TV, then put the output from the receiver to HDMI 1 (ARC).

Giving it a go!

 

[dante01]

So if I understand correctly, I'm going to connect the STB directly to HDMI 2 (non ARC input) on the TV, then put the output from the receiver to HDMI 1 (ARC).

Correct. Then you'd need to Turn HDMI Control on onboard both the TV and the AV receiver and ARC. Set the TV's digital audio output to a setting that bitsreams the audio and not the PCM option.

 

[man0fsteel]

Dang...you lost me there Dante. I've got a Spectrum guy coming over today to see if replacing the STB makes any difference. But if it doesn't, I will dig into the instruction manual on what you suggested.

I swear, getting newer equipment makes me feel like my old man, who, back in the day, couldn't set the time on his vcr...