HDMI Long Cable Problem

Westlander

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Hi,

I have a cheap £40 ALBA STB300HD freeview set top box, the box works fine when connected with the 1M length HDMI cable direct to the screen. I need to be able to run the freeview box using a very long (20ft) HDMI cable.

I have tried using a laptop with HDMI output and this works fine over the long length.

The freeview box over the long cable run does work but the signal only lasts a minute before it freezes the picture.

I have also purchased a NEET HDMI repeater to boost the signal - This failed
Also tried a NEET HDMI to cat5 converter - This failed.

I just want to know if it is because the cheap ALBA freeview box is crap and does not have the capacity to be used over a long cable run.

If this is the case can anyone recommend another freeview or dvd/blue ray player that will work over a long HDMI cable run?

Thanks
Steve
 
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20 feet is only just over 6 meters , so the "long HDMI problem" or to describe it correctly , the attenuation issue , is not what is going on here at all.

That is 10 meters and over , and thats being conservative , most would say 15 meters and over.

Also , HDMI to CAT5/6 converters wont work at that distance , its two short believe it or not , you should be 15 meters or more away for those to work.

In line repeaters that dont have their own power supply steal it from the HDMI interface itself , and essentially that means they dont work , HDMI is not designed to power external devices like that , you would only need such a device if you were having trouble , and if you were having trouble stealing power from the interface is the last thing you want to do.

If the Alba worked over 1 meter , it should have worked over 6 meters with no issue , did anything else change in the setup or did you hotplug at any time ?

Hotplugging is removing/ inserting HDMI cables with the units powered up. They dont like that at all and it can damage the interface electronics.
 
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Humax is a good box , so Ive heard anyway.
 
Westlander, how about the Technika STBHDIS2010 Freeview HD receiver for around £20 "re-furbished" from Tesco Outlet on E-Bay? I have one and can say its the best Freeview receiver i've owned. Search for it on AV Forums or elsewhere. For the price its a bargain.
 
I use a 30M HDMI cable (from e-bay) with a 1920 x 1080 HD camcorder using a bitrate that's around 3 x that used by broadcast TV. This connects to my AV amp which then has a further 10M cable to the TV. Works without any problem.
 
I've just got that Humax, it is very good, plus you can attach an HDD to record as well. Only one tuner though, just to warn you in case that's an issue.
 
Oh, and while I think of it - when you get it and are upgrading the firmware the instructions aren't _that_ clear, if you're using a USB stick to do it you need to power off the unit, put the stick in, and power it up again using the power button on the Humax box - ie not the remote.
 
Oh, and while I think of it - when you get it and are upgrading the firmware the instructions aren't _that_ clear, if you're using a USB stick to do it you need to power off the unit, put the stick in, and power it up again using the power button on the Humax box - ie not the remote.

With the box in sby and the TV on. Insert the usb stick and hold down the power button on the actual box until the splash screen indicates updating in progress.

You can record one HD channel and view live any other HD channel even though the box only has one tuner.
 
To repeat what others have said:

If you want a box you can convert to a single tuner recorder and/or use it to access Youtube, Picassa or internet radio (when it returns) or to use it to stream photos, music and video from USB or your networked computer; get the HD Fox T2.

If you want an excellent and very reliable box with a version of BBC iPlayer that displays subtitles at a real bargain price, go for a £20 refurbed Technika STBHDIS2010 from Tesco Outlet on eBay (note the IS bit). If it arrives without the version 225 or 226 software that enables iPlayer, ask pretty please on here and someone will contact you to send you the necessary update. The price varies quite illogically and sometimes the £20-£24 includes postage and sometimes not. Ignore any suffix like A or HY, they are the same box but a later batch. They usually the next working day if you order by noon or shortly after and Tesco will replace a rare faulty one very easily and usually do not ask you to send the faulty one back.

I have both these boxes and if anything the upscaled SD picture quality on the Technika is better than on the slightly larger Humax. The Humax has the extra bells and whistles I mentioned but is three or four times the price (you could get a Technika and a base level Roku unit for less but would not be able to add a HDD)
 
Any chance of someone sending me a link to the 225 or 226 software for the Tecknika STBHDIS2010.

Thanks
 
20ft should be no issue as long as your cable isn't a cheap Chinese aluminium piece of junk. I have a 7 and 10m cable in use. As I didn't want to take any risks, I bought a QED cable but that way probably overkill. Don't listen to all the digital is digital drones on deal web sites, most cables should work, but the £1 CCA rubbish with stupid AWG values are pushing your luck too far.
 

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