Pioneer VSX-AX4ASi-S - PS3 1080p flickering

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dwightedge

Guest
Brand new setup arrived the other day. Sharp Aquos 46xD1e, Pioneer VSX-AX4ASi and Q1010 set.

PS3 > AX4ASi > TV all through 'Monster' HDMI cables.

Add the usual Xbox360, PS3 etc.. and all works sweet with the sole exception when the PS3 is in 1080p mode, some content makes the screen flick on the bottom of the display as if it's loosing sync half way down the screen for a couple of frames then back for a few seconds of perfect pic then flicks again. It's not uniform it mainly seems to flicker when a lot of data is being sent over the cable such as lots of sharp colour changes on the horizontal plus a heavy music track. (I'm presuming the signal is compressed rather than a raw uniform bitstream).

I've plugged the PS3 cables straight into the TV and all is well, it's just when it goes through the AX4ASi I get the flicker problems. 720p is fine, it's only on 1080p with certain repeatable images (i.e. Grand Turismo - car rotation screen - the game part is fine).

What I've tried:

Changed cables for fresh wallet-sucking premium cables = flicker.
Tried Shorter cables = flicker.
Tried both US and UK PS3 = flicker.
Tried other content = repeatable flicker.
Reset AX3ASi to factory settings = flicker.
Plugged PS3 directly into Aquos (with all cables) = NO flicker

I'm presuming that the problem is the AX4ASi when it handles the 1080p passthrough.

Any thoughts before I send this puppy back and buy something else? (and move to what, any suggestions?)
 
Are you setting your amp to "through" for that HDMI input?

I am not sure this will make a difference as I think that setting is for audio and not video.
 
As a best guess there are a few settings that might have something to do with it.

In the AV Parameter menu you can get at the scaling, aspect ratio and video conversion settings

You want, at a guess:

Resolution - PURE - Don't apply any scaling
Aspect - THROUGH - Don't fiddle with the aspect ratio
Digital Video Conversion - OFF - This shouldn't affect it (but worth setting anyway just to see?)

the HDMI setting is the one that routes the audio - either, AMP or THROUGH to send it to the TV, but then that shouldn't really affect the video.

Most of these settings are the defaults (with the exception of the digital video conversion, but then that shouldn't be touching any of the HDMI inputs whether it's on or off)

The only other thing I can think of is that the amp won't passthrough 1080p at 60Hz (I'm guessing that's what your PS3 is sending out), some of the Pioneer Plasmas will only deal with 1080p at 24Hz IIRC, but then you probably wouldn't get any picture at all. You'd think passthrough would be simple wouldn't you? :confused: It just has to take the signal and send it on and not do anything else to it

All I can say is have another look at the settings to make sure it is just passing the signal through and not doing anything to it, and cross your fingers, good luck.
 
Changing the throughput options makes no difference sadly. I put a video of the flickering up on Youtube so you can see what I'm rambling about. If I put my finger on the screen it's purely as a reference so you can see how much the screen shakes. Skip to the end to see the worst of the flickering.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GiXDD9HO50

.. again, putting the cable straight into the TV does remove the flickering.

I've never heard of this as a problem with the Pioneer before, this plus the missing BASS issue in another thread (which I also have) is making me look elsewhere which is a shame as it's a nice specification.
 
Well it does sound as if the amp is at fault, it is supposed to pass through a 1080p signal, so theoretically you shouldn't have any problems.

I've not got any video sources hooked up through the amp, and I don't have a 1080p display so I can't try this myself.

Perhaps someone else has tried 1080p passthrough and not had any problems which might indicate a fault with your specific amp.

It's a shame because it is a great amp, I've had mine for about 5 months and I really love it. I haven't got anything that spits out any HD sound so I've not come across the LFE problems, I was hoping the by the time I did the firmware update stuff would have been sorted out and it would be a straightforward, if annoying fix.

Also I'm not currently using the amp for any video switching duties so I've not had any problems with that either. I don't really want to have to replace my amp when I start wanting to make use of these features, very frustrating :mad:

I suppose the only other thing I can offer is make sure everything is plugged in securely, lame I know but I'm stumped. Hopefully someone else who's tried the 1080p passthru will be more help...
 
Well not quite the same amp but i have the 2016 and i do have the exact same tv the 46XD1E and a US ps3 and mine does not display that fault at all, Just waiting for the amp to come back from the LFE firmware upgrade.

If it is the amp maybe worth while taking it in for the upgrade because apparently there are issues with the HDMI ports.

Just a suggestion
 
I'd have gone for the Firmware upgrade but I sort of have a problem with paying 'that' much cash and then have to take it in for a Firmware upgrade when it's 4 days old. Current plan is to send it back until I can get confirmation that the setup works and if I can't get confirmation or get an in shop demo I'll probably swap it over for a Sony5200. Again, bit of a bummer as I really like the Pioneer on paper.
 
I have the same amp as you (and a ps3 ) and I have a flickering problem in the amp setup/config screens in that every few seconds the OSD disappears completely only to reappear automatically - its frustrating as hell trying to set a new source up but once set up it doesnt actually affect anything at all
 
I ordered one of these Amps today.

And it is coming straight to the shop from Pioneer - should it have the latest firmware on it?
 

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