HDMI Handshake problems every 20 - 30 minutes - Color Inversion Issue

Great, Keep us informed.

the apple tv will still work on the 40EX403. i have switched my apple tv from a philips tv with this problem and my plasma many times now and the apple tv works perfectly on my plasma<3.

Thanks, that's good to know.

I know it won't be a problem, but it still makes me nervous doing this sort of thing.

OK, I've finished checking this now.

As expected, changing the HDMI lead didn't solve the problem. I have now swapped the two Apple TV's over and the result is as I imagined it would be.

When either Apple TV is plugged into by Sony Bravia 22EX302 it suffers from this problem. When either is plugged into the 40EX403 they are OK (one has been OK for days and the other for about 2 hours now).

From this test and what I have read on various forums, I think that we can be fairly sure that the problem is some sort of handshaking issue between the new Apple TV and some TV's. My guess is that if you suffer from this problem with a particular TV then changing cables or even returning the Apple TV for a replacement will have no effect because it is a software issue.

This presents those of us with the issue with real problems. We are reliant on an update coming along to fix the issue, but Apple could probably legitimately point to the fact that it works on the vast majority of TVs to say that it must be an issue for the TV manufacturer. The TV manufacturer can say that as most other HDMI products work it must be down to Apple.

To try to get some movement here, and to help Apple to identify the specific problem, I think it may be worth people noting down the exact TV they are using and whether they are suffering from the problem. The easier we make it for Apple to identify the issue the more chance there is that they can come up with a patch.

I'll start off:

Sony Bravia 40EX403U - Works fine
Sony Bravia 22EX302U - Suffers from this problem.

By the way, I do probably have the opportunity to return the TV at the moment and get a different model. However, I like the TV and it's good that both my sets have similar menus/controls etc. From peoples experience, and if anyone has knowledge of these sort of connections, what are the chances realistically of it getting sorted out? If a solution doesn't come along then I really need to try to return the TV.

Ok then,
Sony KDL-37P3600 is a problematic model 😉

KeithJenner wrote:
To try to get some movement here, and to help Apple to identify the specific problem, I think it may be worth people noting down the exact TV they are using and whether they are suffering from the problem. The easier we make it for Apple to identify the issue the more chance there is that they can come up with a patch.

This is what the technical support of Apple asked us

1) What is the make and model of you TV?

2) Your cable setup (HDMI, DVI adapter, etc).

3) Whether or not there are any inline 3rd party devices (is Apple TV connected via HDMI to receiver then from receiver to TV using HDMI).

Sony Bravia KDL26 EX302U

It would be interesting to know if the original Apple TV worked with any of these models, if they did I think we can safely say it is Apples responsibility to make this good.

I called Applecare. The engineers are aware of the problem and are looking into it.

In the mean time, if you have a Philips (mine is a 9664) try putting in to PC mode as a work around. I think this turns off the 200hz pixel engine. I have been watching for over half an hour now, and no issues.

Apple say that they will issue a firmware fix for Apple TV 2, until then this work around is not ideal, but rmoves the frustration of changing channel to cure the problem.

I spoke too soon, it happened again after 35 minutes.

Same problem here. I'm using a Sony TV. also, I can't access to my YouTube favorites and subscription. I can log in but just can't access my account favorite. Anyone got the same problem? Any solution ?

I had this same problem with my Panasonic 54 inch. I have the old appletv on HDMI 1, a hd tuner on HDMI 2 and just added the new ATV on HDMI 3. I am using HDMI to ethernet balens so that all my gear is centrally controlled in a media room. I have to provide power on the HDMI bus through a powered balen or I get handshake and HDCP issues due to my long cable runs.

So when I added the new ATV to this config and I stated getting handshake issues and HDCP messages on the new apple tv port only. HDCP errors are likely a result of the handshake issues.

I added a HDMI active equalizer ( mono price about 13 bucks small box with two HDMI inputs product ID 2849) that is designed to stabilize HDMI on long cable runs. Assuming the new ATV was not sending the required power ( 5v i think )to the HDMI port, I added this to the end of the balen and a new HDMI cable, bam it is stable and no more issues.

I would suspect that the handshake issues are a result of low power to the HDMI port and some TV's are more sensitve than others. My older samsung did not need the powered balens with the same config, the panasoic did.

If you are correct about the low power, is this cureable by firmware updates?

I've sort of decided to stick with my TV in the hope of a solution in the next update, but if it isn't going to happen then I will regret my decision.

I am no apple engineer...but I would think the amount of power to ports is a firmware controlled item as would be the handshake protocals etc. However it is possible that power to ports is also a hardware controlled function.

I would suggest you try a shorter HDMI cable and get a good one.

Just a addition...I also have the digital audio out hooked up

I sure hope for Apple it is a matter of firm- and not hardware...
My Apple TV 2nd generation is hooked up to my TV with a 50cm HDMI cable that's worth 65 euros, and still have the problem described above. So I guess cable length doesn't have anything to do with this.

Message was edited by: Kwintin