# Mini won't come on w/o unplugging



## joehornback (May 6, 2015)

I just installed a new Tivo OTA and a mini in my bedroom. All is setup correctly. I previously had a mini from the cable company on a MOCA network working fine. Now my OTA is networked via CAT5 cable. 

Every time I turn on my TV (the input is already set to the correct HDMI port), I always have to unplug my mini and plug it back in to get the TV to see it. Or I can also unplug the HDMI and re plug it back in and I can see the picture, otherwise the TV screen saver just stays on and the TV does not receive the mini signal. 

What could this be? It's very frustrating.


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

joehornback said:


> I just installed a new Tivo OTA and a mini in my bedroom. All is setup correctly. I previously had a mini from the cable company on a MOCA network working fine. Now my OTA is networked via CAT5 cable.
> 
> Every time I turn on my TV (the input is already set to the correct HDMI port), I always have to unplug my mini and plug it back in to get the TV to see it. Or I can also unplug the HDMI and re plug it back in and I can see the picture, otherwise the TV screen saver just stays on and the TV does not receive the mini signal.
> 
> What could this be? It's very frustrating.


Hi,
Do you have another HDMI cable to try?


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## joehornback (May 6, 2015)

fcfc2 said:


> Hi,
> Do you have another HDMI cable to try?


Yes, tried a new HDMI cable just now and still the same problem. I turn on the TV no signal. Unplug and replug the HDMI cable, and the Tivo displays on the TV screen. Turn the TV off and back on, same problem, have to go through the steps again. UGH!


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

joehornback said:


> Yes, tried a new HDMI cable just now and still the same problem. I turn on the TV no signal. Unplug and replug the HDMI cable, and the Tivo displays on the TV screen. Turn the TV off and back on, same problem, have to go through the steps again. UGH!


Hi again,
I have seen a few posts with problems doing the HDMI handshake. Sometimes a different version of HDMI does the trick. I believe there are at least 2 versions readily available, V1.3 and V1.4. Might try a different version if you can find one. 
Does the TV have more than one HDMI input? What happens if you step through the inputs or switch the one you are using?


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## joehornback (May 6, 2015)

fcfc2 said:


> Hi again,
> I have seen a few posts with problems doing the HDMI handshake. Sometimes a different version of HDMI does the trick. I believe there are at least 2 versions readily available, V1.3 and V1.4. Might try a different version if you can find one.
> Does the TV have more than one HDMI input? What happens if you step through the inputs or switch the one you are using?


Two HDMI inputs, tried both of them, same effect. I have tried 3 different HDMI cables now same thing. Something interesting though, I just put the mini on standby, then turned the TV off and back on. Hit the TIVO button and it came back up but only in 480 mode. Had to un plug and replug to get it back to 1080I mode. Frustrating. Guess I will call Tivo on this one...


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

Could be some kind of weird HDMI handshake issue between your Mini and the TV. Have you tried the Mini with a different TV to see if the problem is TV specific? Simple solutions to a handshake problem are to either get an HDMI switch to sit between the Mini and the TV, or you can get the component breakout cables to avoid HDMI altogether.


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## fcfc2 (Feb 19, 2015)

Hi again,
"I have tried 3 different HDMI cables now same thing." Were the HDMI cables all the same Version? There are 4 different versions of HDMI cables each with different capabilities. If you tried 3 of the same version, you are likely to get the same result.


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## HarperVision (May 14, 2007)

fcfc2 said:


> Hi again, "I have tried 3 different HDMI cables now same thing." Were the HDMI cables all the same Version? There are 4 different versions of HDMI cables each with different capabilities. If you tried 3 of the same version, you are likely to get the same result.


Cables are just dumb pipes for the data. The HDMI versions depend on the IC chips used at either end and each new version is backwards compatible. This isn't his issue. It is a handshake issue and happens all the time.

The OP should check to see if some form of HDMI control is turned on in the tv as well. That could cause this too.


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## HomeUser (Jan 12, 2003)

3 thoughts, what happens if you?

 Switch the HDMI inputs on the TV?
 Put the Mini into standby before shutting off the TV then wake the Mini after turning on the TV
 Use the HDUI reset Thumbs down, Tumbs Up Play Play


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## tarheelblue32 (Jan 13, 2014)

HarperVision said:


> The OP should check to see if some form of HDMI control is turned on in the tv as well. That could cause this too.


+1. TiVos sometimes don't play nicely with a TV's HDMI-CEC. Turning that off in the TV's settings is a good idea.


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## donsullivan (May 31, 2000)

joehornback said:


> I just installed a new Tivo OTA and a mini in my bedroom. All is setup correctly. I previously had a mini from the cable company on a MOCA network working fine. Now my OTA is networked via CAT5 cable.
> 
> Every time I turn on my TV (the input is already set to the correct HDMI port), I always have to unplug my mini and plug it back in to get the TV to see it. Or I can also unplug the HDMI and re plug it back in and I can see the picture, otherwise the TV screen saver just stays on and the TV does not receive the mini signal.
> 
> What could this be? It's very frustrating.


I had exactly the same thing happen to me on an older Sony TV. Whenever I powered the TV off and then back on, the Mini would do a full power on restart and boot up process which took forever.

I eventually found out that it was caused by the TV using a much older version of the HDMI protocol (TV was purchased in 2007). It's an older TV without any control over the HDMI settings at all.

The fix was to buy a really cheap and dumb HDMI switch and put it in-line with the cable between the Mini and the TV. Once I added that the problem stopped instantly and has never returned. I still have that TV active in my Guest Bedroom and it no longer triggers that condition.


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