# Occasional Black Screen for about a second



## deadbob

While watching either live tv or recorded tv everything looks good then out of the blue the screen will go black and the sound will cut out for about a second. Then the picture and sound will come back. This continues for how ever long I'm watching TV.

Tivo Edge Cable
Samsung UN43MU6300 (Software: T-KTMAKUC-1270.3, BT-S)
Verizon FIOS (Motorola CableCard)

Any one else experiencing this issue? Any Ideas what I can check?

Thanks


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## ovittocs

I get the black screen/no-audio for almost two seconds, but this is usually associated with a remote control button press - Info, Top-Right-Arrow, TiVo, Advance, Replay, etc. It happens often, meaning, many times in an evening.


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## deadbob

ovittocs said:


> I get the black screen/no-audio for almost two seconds, but this is usually associated with a remote control button press - Info, Top-Right-Arrow, TiVo, Advance, Replay, etc. It happens often, meaning, many times in an evening.


Mine is only when viewing. No button pushing.


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## rbronco21

Does it happen at the start or end of commercials or something like that? Sounds like maybe your TV is changing resolutions. I would think a channel would be the same resolution all the time and mine have never changed, but I have no idea if that is universal.


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## deadbob

rbronco21 said:


> Does it happen at the start or end of commercials or something like that? Sounds like maybe your TV is changing resolutions. I would think a channel would be the same resolution all the time and mine have never changed, but I have no idea if that is universal.


It's random, most of the time during the show and not around commercials. I'll check the settings again on the TV when I get home tonight.


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## Wigohwt

Possibly not it, but you could try making sure your video settings are not on the "Auto" setting. Pick the resolutions your TV can handle.


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## ovittocs

I recorded an instance of screen blanking. The exact moment of blanking happened a tiny fraction of a second into a commercial with DD2.0 audio (as reported by preamp) after leaving the previous commercial with DD5.1 audio (as reported by preamp).


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## rbronco21

deadbob's issue doesn't make sense so I'd suspect the Tivo and try on another TV. Is it repeatable? Happens at the same time if replayed?

I think ovittocs' issue could be anything in the chain that might be switching. You mention it blanking when switching audio. Check your Tivo's audio settings and maybe try skipping any AV equipment and see what happens if you go straight to the TV?

I'm not a specialist in any of these components, but I do have a ton of troubleshooting experience on a bunch of random hardware. These are just the steps I'd try to narrow it down. Hopefully something helps and someone else can step in with an answer when we gather enough info. Or you'll have some answers if you talk to Tivo support.


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## ovittocs

Yep, I agree with rbronco21. Could be something else in the chain, however, the blank is recorded and still shows in slow motion. In other words, once it shows up, it's recorded and can't be undone.

Currently the EDGE is going through prepro then out to an old plasma (1080P) I brought out for the last week while I transition from projection to new Sony 85" panel. After the new panel is up I'll test all 3 screens for any variation in operation. Tabulating new occurrences with the other screens connected the same as now, or connecting EDGE directly to each screen, or not if no future blanks are seen, will be interesting to discover.


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## deadbob

Well, I went through and double checked everything and the settings were correct. The one thing I didn't think would be the problem was the HDMI cable. Swapped it for a HDMI 2.1 cable and the issue has gone away. 

Thanks for the all ideas.


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## Mikeguy

deadbob said:


> Well, I went through and double checked everything and the settings were correct. The one thing I didn't think would be the problem was the HDMI cable. Swapped it for a HDMI 2.1 cable and the issue has gone away.
> 
> Thanks for the all ideas.


Thanks for the report back--a good thing to keep in mind.


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## TiVo_Ted

Please make sure you are using a "high speed" HDMI cable. It needs to be rated for 18 Gbps or you may see drop outs or HDCP errors due to low signal strength at the TV if you're running at 4K with HDR turned on. The HDMI cable that comes with Edge is a certified, high-speed cable. You can try turning HDR off in settings or lowering the resolution to see if your cable might be causing an issue.


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## JxxAxxY

I have seen the black screen too. It seems to happen when a recording starts maybe when one ends and the next starts. I am also using the cable provided in the box.


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## Mikeguy

TiVo_Ted said:


> Please make sure you are using a "high speed" HDMI cable. It needs to be rated for 18 Gbps or you may see drop outs or HDCP errors due to low signal strength at the TV if you're running at 4K with HDR turned on. The HDMI cable that comes with Edge is a certified, high-speed cable. You can try turning HDR off in settings or lowering the resolution to see if your cable might be causing an issue.


Thanks for the word and education, Ted. After years of "Monster hype" on HDMI cables, I've become a bit immune to it all and have never really understood that there _can be_ a difference between cable types (apart from the hype).


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## JxxAxxY

Ultra HD High Speed HDMI cable is on the market now. The specs are 8K 48 Gbps speed also known as hdmi 2.1. However a lot of them are not certified yet and they are a little pricey. Also lengths over 6 ft are hard to come by.

When they come down to earth I will be upgrading to them even though I have 4k.


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## rbronco21

Or just go to monoprice for all your cable needs! I swear I need a cable shipped every couple months. I do colors so I know all my orange cables are the latest spec. If I need newer ones for 16K, 4D, or Smellovision, I'll get another color.


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## JxxAxxY

They have the new ones but they are even asking 201.99 for a 20 ft one that does 48Gbps. That is what I mean about still being expensive.

Monoprice SlimRun AV Dynamic HDR Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable - [email protected], Dynamic HDR, 48Gbps, Fiber Optic, eARC, AOC, YCbCr 4:4:4, 50ft, Black - Monoprice.com

It is Monoprice brand.


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## rbronco21

JxxAxxY said:


> They have the new ones but they are even asking 201.99 for a 20 ft one that does 48Gbps. That is what I mean about still being expensive.
> 
> Monoprice SlimRun AV Dynamic HDR Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable - [email protected], Dynamic HDR, 48Gbps, Fiber Optic, eARC, AOC, YCbCr 4:4:4, 50ft, Black - Monoprice.com
> 
> It is Monoprice brand.


Wow, that's crazy. Guess I didn't look at the latest ones. I just got a few older 10ft skinny ones to route through a cable cover for cheap.


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## konnerth

I have this same problem with new Edge Cable, Onkyo TX-NR616 receiver. Although I think the black video is less than a second (and audio continues). Happens with recordings, live cable and streaming (Tivo+). I've tried two cables (Tivo 4K cable in the box and the old Monster cable that worked fine with my Roamio), and Tivo just RMA'd the Edge. Same problem. Any other ideas? I'm really frustrated.


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## shoek

konnerth said:


> I have this same problem with new Edge Cable, Onkyo TX-NR616 receiver. Although I think the black video is less than a second (and audio continues). Happens with recordings, live cable and streaming (Tivo+). I've tried two cables (Tivo 4K cable in the box and the old Monster cable that worked fine with my Roamio), and Tivo just RMA'd the Edge. Same problem. Any other ideas? I'm really frustrated.


I have the same issue, and have had it since being part of the Edge beta. I reported it then, but still no resolution. Its not an HDMI/HDCP drop-out since it only lasts a second or two.


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## konnerth

I went through another round of troubleshooting with Tivo Support, and they want to send a third Edge receiver. Meanwhile, I am testing connecting the Edge directly to my Panasonic TC-P60, and using ARC to send the audio back to my Onkyo. Any thoughts on this approach? Seemed OK, but screen completely blacked out while I was typing this, but came back when I used the remote.

I could also order an HDMI 2.1 cable if folks think this would help. Thank you!


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## ckelly33

I see this black screen as well - it usually happens when I FF through commercials but sometimes it happens without touching anything. It isn't recorded because I can rewind back through it and it isn't there. For me, it happens on completed recordings, recordings that are in progress and live TV.

I have a TiVo Edge (obviously 4K) connected to a Yamaha Receiver (also 4k) and then to a Panasonic Plasma (1080p). 

When I first got the Edge it would sometimes have HDCP 'handshake' issues with the plasma (I guess due to the 4k->1080p thing(?) so I cranked down the resolution to 1080p at the Edge and the receiver. This fixed my handshake issues but I don't think it had anything to do with the blackouts - otherwise the streaming apps would have the blackouts as well, since they start at the Edge and go through the same process (I pay for Netflix 4k because it comes with more simultaneous viewing screens - and my son has a 4k TV)


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