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This is a bad and hardly structured review with a focus mainly on video playback. This is not a full review, and there's more things I want to test (and probably info I will post) for the future. It is also 4 AM, so don't expect any literary gymnastics.
So, I've had the (Euro) HDMI dock for a few weeks now (as well as the black leather sleeve, which is nice) but hadn't really gotten around to testing it. Primarily because I hadn't gotten around getting a mini-to-normal HDMI cable - yes the dock has a mini-HDMI output. The cable in question is commonly known as an HDMI "A<->C" cable with male ends on both sides.
Let's get the details you all know already out of the way. We're talking about the ECR-D980, more info here.
The dock itself comes packaged with nothing. No extra USB cable, no HDMI cable (or even converter plug), nothing. Keep in mind that these up the total cost of ownership for the dock quite a bit. I got the dock for about 29 euro, add about 20 euro total before you have a second SGT USB cable and a mini-to-normal HDMI cable. So that's 50 euro or about $70 US minimum cost at the time of writing, significantly more if you don't search a bit to find the cheapest deals. You don't strictly need the extra USB cable, but it becomes annoying in most setups if you don't have it - you'd be switching the cables location a lot.
The dock itself feels like a solid piece of equipment, much like the Tab itself. It features a 3.5mm audio out, mini-HDMI out, and 30-pin Samsung "PDMI" USB / power connector (the same connector on the Tab itself).
I started out testing at a friend two weeks ago, using his Sony soundsystem (several HDMI ins & outs) and his 42" high-end-4-years-ago Philips LCD. We were however completely unable to get it to work. Having no clue which component the problem was, we gave up after a bit. Note that his LCD doesn't do 1080p, but max 1080i (at time of purchase, even 1080i was rare). So I borrowed his cable, and today I tried it (with his A-C cable) in my home, on my Samsung 6-series 37" LCD that does do 1080p, without any special soundsystem. Note again that I used a converting cable, not an A-C converter plug. I know people have reported problems using those.
As soon as I plugged everything in, I immediately had display on my screen. We still don't know what the issue was at my friend's house, but keep in mind that it may be a requirement that the display device supports 1080p. The signal received by the TV was 1080p30. I think this is the maximum the device will do, as my TV does support both 1080p50 and 1080p60 as well (and I regularly use both those modes).
Immediate snags:
(1) First, the dock needs to be connected (via the USB cable) to a power, or HDMI will not work. I actually used an old HTC adapter instead of the Samsung one, that delivers 1a instead of 2a, and that worked fine. Connecting it to a computer USB port (0.5a) reportedly does not work, but I have not tested this myself (yet).
(2) Second, the Samsung USB cable you got with your Tab is really short, using an extender cable is almost certainly necessary for most situations.
(3) Third, the 3.5mm audio out does NOT work while HDMI is connected (reported by others, not tested myself)
(4) Last, the backlight will NEVER go off when connected over HDMI. Not even using the power button.
So, when you have it all connected, you will see one of two things: a really narrow output of your portrait screen, or a screen-filling output of your landscape screen. I advise everyone to put the device in landscape mode and enabling the orientation lock before connecting. Note that the HDMI dock is also a really handy standard for landscape mode!
When in the normal Android UI, you can clearly see the artifacts of upscaling. You'll see whatever happens on the Tab on the TV as well, scaled up (and not using a good resampler). The Android UI does NOT suddenly see a FullHD screen (as I expected, but some may be surprised).
However, some applications that go full-screen do see and use the FullHD resolution. I have not extensively tested this on many applications. For example, the YouTube app appears to see FullHD, but I can not be certain. The stock Samsung video player does see and use the FullHD resolution, as far as I can make out.
I have tested playback of the following videos, in the stock video player:
(1) Iron_Man_2-DivXPlusHD.mkv - 81mb, 2:30, CCV1 1920x800 23.98fps, AAC 48000Hz stereo, 4.4mbps
(2) Cowboys & Aliens - Trailer.mp4 - 174mb, 2:31, CCV1 1920x816 23.98fps, AAC 48000Hz stereo, 9.2mbps
(3) v.2009.s02e03.720p.hdtv.x264-ctu.mkv - 1118mb, 41:22, CCV1 1280x720 23.98fps, Dolby AC3 48000Hz 6ch, 3.6mbps
(4) the.mentalist.s03e12.720p.hdtv.x264-ctu.mkv - 1119mb, 41:48, CCV1 1280x720 23.98fps, Dolby AC3 48000Hz 6ch, 3.6mbps
These four videos all played fine, with audio and everything. V even had subtitles, and those worked well. However I must note that the button to disable subtitles is disabled while outputting to HDMI. Not sure what that is about. DTS is still on my to-test list, but I'll get around to that when we get the setup working on my friend's soundssystem, where I can also test whether or not the output is more than stereo or always downsampled to 2-channel.
The video output is pretty good, but not without buts.
(1) First, as stated before, the backlight on the Tab will not go off no matter what you do, and you will see one of the first frames of the video as a still on the Tab. You can however still use much of the videoplayer UI (which is suddenly slightly different: amongst other things options like brightness and scaling disappear), and that UI only appears on the Tab, NOT on the TV. Now if only I could control that UI, over Wi-Fi, with my SGS ... (might be possible through DLNA, btw, a nice test for the future)
(2) When you look closely at the image produced, you will see that the postprocessing is not quite up to par to the quality you get from CoreAVC or even ffmpeg on a laptop or HTPC or whatnot. The difference does really seem to be postprocessing though, not bad decoding or scaling.
(3) There is some shift in framespeed. Not traditional suttering you might see when the player cannot decode fast enough, though, the speed seems to be fine. I think this has to do with the fact that first the Tab has to scale 24fps to 30fps, which is probably done with some pulldown scheme, and then my TV has to scale that to 100hz, again with some pulldown scheme. I'm sure the videophiles amongst you will understand what I am talking about, even if the jargon is not correct. If you're not following, you are probably someone who wouldn't even notice it. Also note that I have all video-enhancing features on the TV itself turned off (as always). Enabling the 100hz motion interpolation mode makes the issue mostly disappear, but I really hate the "homevideo" effect you get when doing that. All in all, when watching a 40 minute show, you don't really notice it anymore after a few minutes, but if you're like me you know it's there and see it. If it were 1080p25 instead of 1080p30, the issue would probably not exist.
All in all, it does look good and works pretty well. Unfortunately, though most of these individual issues are small, together they are big enough to prevent this from being more than a casual playback device. It comes close, but not close enough to being a home-theater device. However, who knows maybe XBMC can be ported and we'll get past a number of these problems.
I won't make any claims as to whether the HDMI dock is worth the money or not. You know the price, and you have a bit of information here, and more in other reviews online. You have to decide for yourself it it's worth it. Hope this is helpful and/or interesting to someone.
For me the dock was totally worth it. The framespeed issue you describe is definitely there, but I do not notice that unless I am consciously looking for it. I have watched a lot of movies quite comfortably using the dock on Full HD TV.
And yes, if TV is not 1080p, for example just HD Ready and not Full HD, the video output is not HD at all. I think it's the same as Tab's screen: 1024x600.
"Connecting it to a computer USB port (0.5a) reportedly does not work, but I have not tested this myself (yet). "
USB from my computer (Kies drivers installed) works fine with the Dock. I have an HDMI capable computer monitor and this also works fine with the dock.
Thanks for the review!
For those who purchase movies through MediaHub, you will not be able to play back through HDMI dock to TV. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/ECR-D980BEGSTA-reviews
GeorgijSapkin said:
For me the dock was totally worth it. The framespeed issue you describe is definitely there, but I do not notice that unless I am consciously looking for it. I have watched a lot of movies quite comfortably using the dock on Full HD TV.
And yes, if TV is not 1080p, for example just HD Ready and not Full HD, the video output is not HD at all. I think it's the same as Tab's screen: 1024x600.
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Have you tried movies with DTS ? And on a surroundl soundsystem ? If so, can you share the details ?
Re: 1080p, you are saying even if the TV does not support 1080p, you do still get output ? Would mean that 1080i is not the problem on my friends' system, as we got no output at all.
(good info on this dock is hard to find )
specmac said:
"Connecting it to a computer USB port (0.5a) reportedly does not work, but I have not tested this myself (yet). "
USB from my computer (Kies drivers installed) works fine with the Dock. I have an HDMI capable computer monitor and this also works fine with the dock.
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I meant using the computer as power source for HDMI. Do you get HDMI output when the USB cable is connected to a computer ? I read on some other reviews people did not get that to work.
quattr0 said:
Thanks for the review!
For those who purchase movies through MediaHub, you will not be able to play back through HDMI dock to TV. http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/galaxy-tab-accessories/ECR-D980BEGSTA-reviews
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That is really silly ...
Yes, dock connected to my computer via usb and connected to my monitor via hdmi. Outputs to the computer monitor just fine with this configuration.
Sent from Samsung Galaxy Tab
Dock but no audio
I have this dock but I get no audio what so ever... Have you had to do anything at all to enable it?
gsjurseth said:
I have this dock but I get no audio what so ever... Have you had to do anything at all to enable it?
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Worked out of the box for me, through HDMI. Haven't tried 3.5mm jack. Have heard that complaint before though.
Nice review its a bit dissapointing for me that they chose the mini HDMI standard as there is plenty of space to have included a normal size plug.
Maybe I'm just annoyed because I have HDMI cables laying around but now need to buy a mini HDMI cable
Ghostwalker9 said:
Nice review its a bit dissapointing for me that they chose the mini HDMI standard as there is plenty of space to have included a normal size plug.
Maybe I'm just annoyed because I have HDMI cables laying around but now need to buy a mini HDMI cable
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100% agree
YouTube is great when you're docked. You can flip through videos and playlists on the tab while a YouTube clip continues to pay fullscreen on your TV - nice! It's a shame you can't play HD though.
I stripped the DRM off all the free movies that came with my Tab so I can play them directly through the dock. Inception looks great! You're right though, post-processing looks a little rough at times.
The dock is pretty overpriced for what you get but I'm happy with it all-in-all. If it came with a mini HDMI cable it would be perfect.
are you using a stock rom or custom rom? wondering if that will matter in regards to dock performance, i am on the rotohammer jme v4 and love how fast it is compared to the stock roms.
thanks for the notes/review!
Chainfire said:
Have you tried movies with DTS ? And on a surroundl soundsystem ? If so, can you share the details ?
Re: 1080p, you are saying even if the TV does not support 1080p, you do still get output ? Would mean that 1080i is not the problem on my friends' system, as we got no output at all.
(good info on this dock is hard to find )
I meant using the computer as power source for HDMI. Do you get HDMI output when the USB cable is connected to a computer ? I read on some other reviews people did not get that to work.
That is really silly ...
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My projector is 1024x768 and the dock work well with it, so 1080p is not necessary for it to work, and as a power source I use an external battery rated 500mh, so I guess a computer usb port should be able to power it.
My problem is that my projector doesn't have an audio out jack, and when the hdmi cable is connected all the audio port of the tab get disabled, INCLUDING bluetooth audio. This is why I now use this dock as an overpriced charging dock
Sent from my Galaxy Tab
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=236523&t=2611349
Just an FYI. $37 Shipped.
FYI, I got this 6 foot long Samsung sync/charge cable for only $8 (with shipping) that is a great companion for the Dock because the stock Samsung cables are way too short.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300509955254
w4rmk said:
FYI, I got this 6 foot long Samsung sync/charge cable for only $8 (with shipping) that is a great companion for the Dock because the stock Samsung cables are way too short.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300509955254
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Just what I needed !
does SGT screen needs to be turned on while docked, because while streaming / watching vids i dont want to hav twin/identical display
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
erlz said:
does SGT screen needs to be turned on while docked, because while streaming / watching vids i dont want to hav twin/identical display
Sent from my GT-P1000 using XDA App
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As metioned in the first posting of this thread, unfortunately you cannot turn off the screen on the Tab when it's in the doc. When watching video's the first frame of the video stays visibile on the Tab the entire time. When your not watching videos the displays on the Tab and your TV are mirrored.
I buy the HDMI station dock and I find it no really good!
A HD photo is not so nice on the LCD, it ok buy when you see then at the real resolution with the camera, it's bad!
The only way that I can have good resolution is when i plug the tab into the PS3 like a hard drive annd the I see the same photos like they are and my videos arein real 720P or 1080P
I will returned it and wait for a new model or plug into my PS3
I just picked one of these up and was a bit disappointed with the video quality too. Videos looks great in HD on the Tab but jaggy and average quality on the TV - no better than a DVD really.
I bought one so I could connect it to the TV in my hotel room when I go on Holiday soon. Is it true that if you get no audio over HDMI, you can't use the line out at the same time? I was going to take some small speakers just in case the TV in the hotel didn't support audio (should be fine, think they're Samsung 32" LCD TVs).
I'm a bit surprised there's no settings you can tweak on the Tab other than PAL or NTSC to correct the overscan and advise on resolution and FPS.
Surprised about the quality, I loaded a webpage up in Xscope and could hardly read it on the TV, very poor. I genuinely thought it would be near HD. I could just take my 13.3" Laptop with HDMI out but that's 2.5KG.
At least I'll get lots of films on the Tab as there's no point putting HD ones on there if they don't look HD on the big screen. What an oxymoron that they look better on the Tab screen!
Anyone having an issue where the Cc is not turning on your TV when you cast content?
I set mine up the recommended way with the power adapter powering it instead of one of the USB ports on the TV. I have a year and a half of Panasonic plasma TV that supports HDMI 1.3a.
I was trying to show my wife how it worked in the demo but I instead got laughed at. Is there some other standard I should check to see if it's the TV or the Cc or a setting/config I missed?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
mikejr83 said:
Anyone having an issue where the Cc is not turning on your TV when you cast content?
I set mine up the recommended way with the power adapter powering it instead of one of the USB ports on the TV. I have a year and a half of Panasonic plasma TV that supports HDMI 1.3a.
I was trying to show my wife how it worked in the demo but I instead got laughed at. Is there some other standard I should check to see if it's the TV or the Cc or a setting/config I missed?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
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The ability to change the input is found on HDMI 1.4 and higher I believe
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
Well that sucks if that's the case. I reread the instructions and it seems that I was wrong. The recommended method is to use the USB on the TV and not the charger. I'll give that a whirl and hopefully I'll be pleasantly surprised.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
The CEC function is not HDMI version specific (it was defined in 1.0, though there have been revisions since).
Do you have the CEC feature enabled on your television set? The name varies by manufacturer (list lifted from Wikipedia HDMI article, CEC section): Anynet+ (Samsung), Aquos Link (Sharp), BRAVIA Link and BRAVIA Sync (Sony), HDMI-CEC (Hitachi), E-link (AOC), Kuro Link (Pioneer), CE-Link and Regza Link (Toshiba), RIHD (Remote Interactive over HDMI) (Onkyo), RuncoLink (Runco International), SimpLink (LG), T-Link (ITT), HDAVI Control, EZ-Sync, VIERA Link (Panasonic), EasyLink (Philips), NetCommand for HDMI (Mitsubishi).
Also, I'd guess you should power it using an external adapter unless the television provides power to ChromeCast even when on standby.
mikejr83, I have a brand new LG 47LA6200 and I have the same problem. Chromecast does not turn on the TV when I try to cast a moving or video. Simplink is on.on the LG TV and I have tested it that it works with my LG Blu-ray player.
My Chromecast does turn on the tv when I push content to it. Does it turn off when idle though? i haven't left it on and not-casting for long but if it doesn't turn off then that would really suck. At the very least it needs to kill the hdmi signal so my tv will auto-turn off. I'm testing this on the Sony Playstation TV. I will then test it on my sharp aquos in my living room to see if it works there.
hey guys, just got my Chromecast and works perfect in my 40" tv. but when I plug it into my new 60" toshiba smart tv the screen image is there but the whole picture is pink/purple. any ideas?
Sounds like you have a bad HDMI port or TV.
Hey, I'm having the same exact problem you are having. I have a 55" Toshiba Smart Tv and I originally purchased the chromecast on the first day it went on sale, came home and found everything to be in shades of Pink/purple. I returned it thinking it was a problem with the device since I've never had any problems with HDMI ports on the TVs and just got another chromecast device today and the SAME THING HAPPENED! I've tried all ports and the chromecast does not work on any (my blu-ray and other HDMI connected devices work fine on all of them ). Please let me know if you find a solution.
Thank you.
cottageboy said:
hey guys, just got my Chromecast and works perfect in my 40" tv. but when I plug it into my new 60" toshiba smart tv the screen image is there but the whole picture is pink/purple. any ideas?
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4niner said:
Hey, I'm having the same exact problem you are having. I have a 55" Toshiba Smart Tv and I originally purchased the chromecast on the first day it went on sale, came home and found everything to be in shades of Pink/purple. I returned it thinking it was a problem with the device since I've never had any problems with HDMI ports on the TVs and just got another chromecast device today and the SAME THING HAPPENED! I've tried all ports and the chromecast does not work on any (my blu-ray and other HDMI connected devices work fine on all of them ). Please let me know if you find a solution.
Thank you.
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Click to collapse
If you have an HDMI audio receiver you can also just plug it into an HDMI port there too. I have mine plugged into my sony 7.2 receiver. Works fine, CEC and all.
Toshiba 47L6200U - same problem
4niner said:
Hey, I'm having the same exact problem you are having. I have a 55" Toshiba Smart Tv and I originally purchased the chromecast on the first day it went on sale, came home and found everything to be in shades of Pink/purple. I returned it thinking it was a problem with the device since I've never had any problems with HDMI ports on the TVs and just got another chromecast device today and the SAME THING HAPPENED! I've tried all ports and the chromecast does not work on any (my blu-ray and other HDMI connected devices work fine on all of them ). Please let me know if you find a solution.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also having this issue on my Toshiba Smart TV (Toshiba 47L6200U). Wanted to add that at one point I switched from USB power on the television to the wall charger, and the Chromecast went through an update during which time the progress wheel was in full color. Once it finished the picture then changed back to purple. Unfortunately I have no other devices to try to plug it into but there does appear to be a pattern with these sets.
Unfortunately I don't have a receiver and hadn't planed on getting one for this set up. I've never been able to connect the TV to the internet to perform any firmware updates so perhaps this may help? I'm really not sure. I also have seen that once it is updating - the rotating wheel is in the normal proper colors, however once it reverts back to the setup/welcome screen - it goes back to the shades of pink. I called up google and they said they've not heard of it so it seems to be a problem solely with the Toshiba XXL6200U series TV's. Have any of y'all performed the firmware updates?
gottahavit said:
If you have an HDMI audio receiver you can also just plug it into an HDMI port there too. I have mine plugged into my sony 7.2 receiver. Works fine, CEC and all.
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4niner said:
Unfortunately I don't have a receiver and hadn't planed on getting one for this set up. I've never been able to connect the TV to the internet to perform any firmware updates so perhaps this may help? I'm really not sure. I also have seen that once it is updating - the rotating wheel is in the normal proper colors, however once it reverts back to the setup/welcome screen - it goes back to the shades of pink. I called up google and they said they've not heard of it so it seems to be a problem solely with the Toshiba XXL6200U series TV's. Have any of y'all performed the firmware updates?
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Out of curiosity did you try the HDMI extender that came with your ChromeCast in case it is a connection issue?
I have the same TV, but have not received my chromecast yet. I'm wondering if it may be hdmi cec is off or on? I read up on this more and it may be the hdmi handshake that is causing the issue. It says to swap ends, try another cable etc.
gottahavit said:
Out of curiosity did you try the HDMI extender that came with your ChromeCast in case it is a connection issue?
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zires said:
I have the same TV, but have not received my chromecast yet. I'm wondering if it may be hdmi cec is off or on? I read up on this more and it may be the hdmi handshake that is causing the issue. It says to swap ends, try another cable etc.
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I tried using the extender that came with it, and also another one I had laying around the house. Neither of them worked.
I'm not really tech savvy so not sure what CEC is or how to turn it on or off. Getting frustrated trying to do the firmware update as well. I connected a USB with the firmware update on the root menu but for some reason the TV isn't recognizing the usb.
4niner said:
I tried using the extender that came with it, and also another one I had laying around the house. Neither of them worked.
I'm not really tech savvy so not sure what CEC is or how to turn it on or off. Getting frustrated trying to do the firmware update as well. I connected a USB with the firmware update on the root menu but for some reason the TV isn't recognizing the usb.
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Cec is in the TV settings. Menu (on remote ), preferences, hdmi cec control setup, turn it on and see what happens.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 4
Same issue
cottageboy said:
hey guys, just got my Chromecast and works perfect in my 40" tv. but when I plug it into my new 60" toshiba smart tv the screen image is there but the whole picture is pink/purple. any ideas?
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Click to collapse
I have an old 2007 vintage Toshiba 37X3030DB. If you have the Chromecast plugged into HDMI-2 (Digital only port), select that as the input port, then power on the Chromecast, it completely works as expected. However, change back to HDMI-1, then back to HDMI2 using the Toshiba remote, you get a permanent blue screen - even though the Chromecast thinks it's working.
Placed a tech support call with Toshiba UK to see if updated firmware beyond 2.9 will help...
I have a 2006 Westinghouse (it was one of the very first 1080P TV available). I have had issues with Pink screen screen with various HDMI devices. Usually turning the TV off and back on will fix the pink screen, usually on the first try though not always.
With the Chromecast this seem to work, but not anymore. It may or may not have to do with the update to FW 13300, I can't say for sure. But sadly the pink screen is more persistent now.
My Chromecast is connected to my Pioneer receiver and I found that if s switch back and fourth with another input I can eventually get rid of the pink screen. I works best if I wait and let the input receive a signal and at time it does take me several attempts before it works.
So just something to try.
don't know if this is related, but sometimes when you have a loose connection on say a pc monitor you will get a pink screen, it could be that the connection to your guys tv isnt fitting all the way in, might want to take a closer look. it could be that the mini usb thats connected to the Chromecast is weighing down on the chromecast and making it loose and thus creating the pink screen, might wanna look closer at the connection.
im trying to cast from computer.. chromebrowser, has worked perfect earlier. but now the picture is pink.. sounds work good... the chromecast background pictures shows fine when not casting anything...
If I use the built in cast option in youtube.com it was great.. but not when casting the whole page in chromebrowser..
i have a really bad connection at home, but it has worked on that before
cowsick said:
im trying to cast from computer.. chromebrowser, has worked perfect earlier. but now the picture is pink.. sounds work good... the chromecast background pictures shows fine when not casting anything...
If I use the built in cast option in youtube.com it was great.. but not when casting the whole page in chromebrowser..
i have a really bad connection at home, but it has worked on that before
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This is my exact issue.
It isn't the HDMI port, it isn't faulty, or else every device would show the pink hue. The dongle itself isn't broken or else everything would be pink and not just tabs that are cast, like cowsick said, Youtube casts perfectly, just any other tabs.
Kinda blows, worked fine previously, an no one anywhere seems to be addressing the issue.
andrew2163 said:
This is my exact issue.
It isn't the HDMI port, it isn't faulty, or else every device would show the pink hue. The dongle itself isn't broken or else everything would be pink and not just tabs that are cast, like cowsick said, Youtube casts perfectly, just any other tabs.
Kinda blows, worked fine previously, an no one anywhere seems to be addressing the issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Green, gray or magenta are often the sign of decoding "nothing" meaning the data didn't reach the destination in time.
I would look to network latency caused by network congestion between the PC and Chromecast (on a bandwidth-limited connection, or are there other network transfers going on in the background?) and to transcoding latency on the computer casting to Chromecast (how busy is the CPU?). Try reducing the resolution via the Cast extension settings.
For direct casting to Chromecast via native apps, Chromecast can buffer and negotiate connection speed as necessary. When it's getting a tab casted over, there's a constant stream of frames being generated, compressed and sent over that need to be decoded - all in reasonable sync with the PC.
For example, in the case of MPEG-2 for DVD, there are Presentation TimeStamps (PTS) and Decode TimeStamp (DTS). PTS determines when a frame should be display (ie, 0:09;13 should be displayed 9 seconds, 13 frames in) while DTS determines when the frame's data need to be retrieved and decoded. If a frame can't be retrieved by the decode time (for example, because of a disc read error) usually the player will simply hold the previous frame, so you'll see a pause. But if the player actually tries to decode the data (for example, in a video editing program), you can see a frame of mainly or solid green, gray or magenta - an empty frame caused by decoding "nothing."
RojasTKD and BurnOmatic are right that a similar effect can be seen if HDCP handshake is broken or interrupted - there's a "garbage" screen that appears until HDCP re-synchronizes, but as andres2163 and cowsick say, if that was the case it should happen for any Chromecast output, not just tab casting.
Fix: disable hardware accelaration
Disabling hardware acceleration fixes the issue.
For detailed instructions, go to:
HTML:
learnhill.com/technology/fix-pink-screen-when-casting-tabs-with-chromecast/
My Chromecast is plugged into an HDMI input on my home theater receiver (Yamaha RX-V673) and powered externally from the wall. The HDMI output goes to my TV (6-yr old Samsung LNT4042H). I am streaming a browser tab (playing Grooveshark audio) to my home theater. Everything works fine, but I don't want to leave my TV on since I'm only listening to music. But when I turn the TV off, the audio stops too. Very perplexing, I'm not even sure whether or not to blame the Chromecast or the receiver, but I'm leaning toward the former (still no clue how to fix it though).
Any ideas? Thanks!
Weird. Dotés the TV INPUT to the hometheater ?
Sent from my X506-3G using xda app-developers app
grosmouton said:
Weird. Dotés the TV INPUT to the hometheater ?
Sent from my X506-3G using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. Weirder still, if the TV is already off when I start casting, it will cast successfully for a little while, but eventually the audio will cut out. If I then turn TV on, audio will come back.
The111 said:
My Chromecast is plugged into an HDMI input on my home theater receiver (Yamaha RX-V673) and powered externally from the wall. The HDMI output goes to my TV (6-yr old Samsung LNT4042H). I am streaming a browser tab (playing Grooveshark audio) to my home theater. Everything works fine, but I don't want to leave my TV on since I'm only listening to music. But when I turn the TV off, the audio stops too. Very perplexing, I'm not even sure whether or not to blame the Chromecast or the receiver, but I'm leaning toward the former (still no clue how to fix it though).
Any ideas? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have the USB plugged into the TV??
Sent from my Eclipsed Galaxy S4
mjdavis871 said:
Do you have the USB plugged into the TV??
Sent from my Eclipsed Galaxy S4
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Click to collapse
Nope, powered externally from wall as mentioned in OP. Although admittedly I did add that in an edit so even though you quoted it, perhaps you read before I added it. :angel:
Another weird observation... if I put my TV to another input, it works fine. This is almost a perfect workaround since if I put TV to a dead input, it is almost as good as being powered off. Not quite though.
The111 said:
Nope, powered externally from wall as mentioned in OP. Although admittedly I did add that in an edit so even though you quoted it, perhaps you read before I added it. :angel:
Another weird observation... if I put my TV to another input, it works fine. This is almost a perfect workaround since if I put TV to a dead input, it is almost as good as being powered off. Not quite though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like either your receiver is "noticing" that the TV is off and going into some power save or something (check for input detection or options on a particular input), or your TV is doing the audio decode and feeding it back to your receiver via Audio Return Channel (ARC).
The latter is less likely simply because you get some audio at the start when the TV is off.
I tried looking in your receiver's manual, but it seems pretty complex (and powerful).
This page will let you download the manual without registering for a Yamaha account:
http://download.yamaha.com/search/product/?category_id1=16445&product_id=1645661
mjdavis871 said:
Do you have the USB plugged into the TV??
Sent from my Eclipsed Galaxy S4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bhiga said:
Sounds like either your receiver is "noticing" that the TV is off and going into some power save or something (check for input detection or options on a particular input), or your TV is doing the audio decode and feeding it back to your receiver via Audio Return Channel (ARC).
The latter is less likely simply because you get some audio at the start when the TV is off.
I tried looking in your receiver's manual, but it seems pretty complex (and powerful).
This page will let you download the manual without registering for a Yamaha account:
http://download.yamaha.com/search/product/?category_id1=16445&product_id=1645661
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does seem to be the receiver at fault, since I've tested and it happens with other HDMI sources. Went through the entire manual and tried changing every option that seemed like it might be related... no luck. Will continue my search elsewhere since this does not seem to be Chromecast related. Thanks anyway. :good:
The111 said:
It does seem to be the receiver at fault, since I've tested and it happens with other HDMI sources. Went through the entire manual and tried changing every option that seemed like it might be related... no luck. Will continue my search elsewhere since this does not seem to be Chromecast related. Thanks anyway. :good:
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Click to collapse
Probably something that can keep the HDMI connection alive, like Dr. HDMI or HDMI Detective might work, though I'd see about borrowing or trying one before spending money on it if possible.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
bhiga said:
Probably something that can keep the HDMI connection alive, like Dr. HDMI or HDMI Detective might work, though I'd see about borrowing or trying one before spending money on it if possible.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe that would work, but so does the complete opposite (killing the connection 100%). I've found that if I totally unplug my TV, then it works fine. The problem is that when the TV is "off" it is actually in standby mode which must still draw some power, and the receiver is aware of this via the HDMI connection, and for some dumb reason chooses to stop the audio stream because of it. If I unplug the TV, then the receiver loses awareness of it entirely and decides to play the audio again. Very stupid, but solvable for $10:
www.amazon.com/Woods-Extension-Switch-Remote-15-Feet/dp/B000KKND86/
I currently manually push the TV power button to turn it off... now I just have to use that button instead to totally cut it off from power.
I believe the receiver is to blame... but easier to spend $10 than try to make Yamaha fix a problem.
The111 said:
If I unplug the TV, then the receiver loses awareness of it entirely and decides to play the audio again. Very stupid, but solvable for $10:
www.amazon.com/Woods-Extension-Switch-Remote-15-Feet/dp/B000KKND86/
I currently manually push the TV power button to turn it off... now I just have to use that button instead to totally cut it off from power.
I believe the receiver is to blame... but easier to spend $10 than try to make Yamaha fix a problem.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can find an IR-triggered power cut off and you have a learning remote, you may be able to teach one of your remote buttons the signal and avoid getting up (yeah, I'm lazy).
Reminds me of the joke "if you lend someone $20 and never see them again, it might be $20 well spent."
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
This is a very LONG SHOT and most likely NOT the problem...
But with most Amp to TV setups the Amp requires the TV to be on to get it's HDCP validation as the amp merely acts as a passthrough device.
Like I said it is a longshot but it is possible that some services may require HDCP to operate....
More likely though it is CEC sending a shutdown signal to the amp.
Or the Amp is timing out because it believes the Chromecast is a Video device and requires a monitor regardless of the fact that the Chromecast can do Audio Only as well.
The Amp itself really has no clue what is plugged into it...All it knows is HDMI gets sent to a Monitor and in your case it doesn't have a destination so shuts itself off.
Asphyx said:
The Amp itself really has no clue what is plugged into it...All it knows is HDMI gets sent to a Monitor and in your case it doesn't have a destination so shuts itself off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fact that totally cutting the power to the TV (at the wall) fixes everything would seem to disprove that statement (and the earlier one that HDCP from the TV might be required for it to work). But I really don't know for sure.
It could *possibly* be HDMI CEC messing with it.
death2all110 said:
It could *possibly* be HDMI CEC messing with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep!
Because Pulling the plug means no CEC command gets sent!
Thats what it is!
Asphyx said:
death2all110 said:
It could *possibly* be HDMI CEC messing with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep!
Because Pulling the plug means no CEC command gets sent!
Thats what it is!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. This CEC is new to me. I wonder how long it's been around... my TV (and the connecting cable) is from 2007.
No options in TV or Receiver anywhere to disable it, although the receiver specs do say that it has CEC. If it is CEC causing my issue, I wonder if something like this might help?
http://www.pulse-eight.com/store/products/110-cec-less-hdmi-cable.aspx
Of course it's only a foot long so I'd need a F-F connector to tack it onto the end of my existing cable.
The111 said:
Interesting. This CEC is new to me. I wonder how long it's been around... my TV (and the connecting cable) is from 2007.
No options in TV or Receiver anywhere to disable it, although the receiver specs do say that it has CEC. If it is CEC causing my issue, I wonder if something like this might help?
http://www.pulse-eight.com/store/products/110-cec-less-hdmi-cable.aspx
Of course it's only a foot long so I'd need a F-F connector to tack it onto the end of my existing cable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CEC = Consumer Electronic Control
It's meant to help with the IR control and switching of inputs on Consumer devices
It was Introduced with the HDMI 1.2a Spec and expanded when HDMI 1.3 came out.
It's basically a control network for all the devices in a Home Entertainment system. Your supposed to be able to use one Remote to control everything....Works in Theory but most people have no clue how to get it to work! LOL
If you set your TV to your TUNER it should tell the Amp to switch to the Optical TV input automatically. And when you select BlueRay that goes through the amp the Amp should switch to that input and automatically change the input on the TV to see the Amp.
That Cable probably lifts pin 13 from connecting (isn't wired) which would take a particular device off the CEC Network.
But I would check both the Amp and TV settings first because by adding that cable you will have to switch inputs if you use the tuner on the TV and not just a set top box.If everything you own and watch goes through the amp the cable won't cost you any functionality other than TV remote working to change volume on the amp.
EDIT I don't suggest getting a Female to Female connector to barrel two cables together...
Better to get an extension HDMI cable that has a Female to Male cause every connector and connection can add noise and kill signal quality.
I have a opposite problem, chromecast keeps turning my TV on My Chromecast is connected to my Yamaha RX-A830 and I have a Samsung E8000 with 2013 Evolution kit. Every time I start playback on Chromecast, the TV is turned on. If I turn the TV off, the playback continues, but after some time (seems random to me) it turns the TV on again. Maybe that's when the playback stops for you? Because your TV does not support CEC and Chromecast thinks that there is no need to play anymore?
poisike said:
I have a opposite problem, chromecast keeps turning my TV on My Chromecast is connected to my Yamaha RX-A830 and I have a Samsung E8000 with 2013 Evolution kit. Every time I start playback on Chromecast, the TV is turned on. If I turn the TV off, the playback continues, but after some time (seems random to me) it turns the TV on again. Maybe that's when the playback stops for you? Because your TV does not support CEC and Chromecast thinks that there is no need to play anymore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, I'm pretty sure I've ruled out the Chromecast, since it happens with Wii U in the same way. But it is still possible it could be as you describe, and the exact same thing is happening with the Wii U too.
poisike said:
I have a opposite problem, chromecast keeps turning my TV on My Chromecast is connected to my Yamaha RX-A830 and I have a Samsung E8000 with 2013 Evolution kit. Every time I start playback on Chromecast, the TV is turned on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's how it's supposed to work.
If you don't want the TV turning on, you'll need to disable CEC on your TV, or if it has an option, disallow CEC power on.
poisike said:
Because your TV does not support CEC and Chromecast thinks that there is no need to play anymore?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chromecast doesn't care. It's still playing as turning the TV back on results in audio.
Really sounds like Yamaha thought it would be smart for the receiver to automatically switch off if the attached display is turned off.
My Sony sound bar has an auto-off feature too that has the annoying feature of turning off if I have my TiVo paused too long, so I turned off the sound bar's auto off and turned on my TV's option to turn off attached devices when powering off.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.
Wii U does not support CEC.
My TV CEC is on and Power sync is disabled. Yet still Chromecast turns it on...
Yamaha receivers turn off when they get CEC command to do so. My Chromecast has never turned my Yamaha receiver off. I have Yamaha set to HDMI control "On" and Standby sync "Auto" which should accept CEC power down command only when the current source sends it.
I've just bought a Chromecast device and I'm trying to
setup it. The problem is that when I plug it to the tv, a message appears
saying "Starting chromecast" and then the Chrome logo. After that, black
screen. Nothing appears. The setup program in my pc can find the device but
I can't see anything on the TV.
My TV model is LG 32LE5500
I tried rebooting the TV by unplugging everything and nothing changed.
Also I tried the Chromecast devide in another TV and it worked there, but it's not my TV and I need it to work in the LG one.
I've tried all hdmi ports and it's the same in all of them. The chrome logo and then black.
The last thing I did is to configure the device from the other TV and then plug it on the TV that doesn't work. I realized that the audio does work, I launched the YouTube app from my cellphone and I could hear the video, but again, black screen.
Could it be that my TV has a resolution of 1900x1080 and not 1920x1080?
Please I will appreaciate any kind of help, I really wanted to use the device and it's useless for me right now
According to LG, that's a normal 1080p screen.
http://www.lg.com/levant_en/tvs/lg-32LE5500-led/technical-specifications
More likely there's a router setup issue. This may help as a starting point -
https://support.google.com/chromecast/table/3477832?hl=en
santi.marro said:
I've just bought a Chromecast device and I'm trying to
setup it. The problem is that when I plug it to the tv, a message appears
saying "Starting chromecast" and then the Chrome logo. After that, black
screen. Nothing appears. The setup program in my pc can find the device but
I can't see anything on the TV.
...
Could it be that my TV has a resolution of 1900x1080 and not 1920x1080?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your TV is 1080p, so it's 1920 horizontal.
IIRC the boot logo sends 480p, then Chromecast negotiates with the TV as to what resolutions are supported.
Your TV might not be playing nice in the negotiation process.
So, try booting Chromecast without it connected to the TV.
Disconnect power from Chromecast
Disconnect Chromecast from TV
Reapply power to Chromecast
Wait for it to boot (wait until LED goes solid steady white)
Turn on TV if it is not already on
Set TV to Chromecast input
Plug Chromecast into TV input
bhiga said:
Your TV is 1080p, so it's 1920 horizontal.
IIRC the boot logo sends 480p, then Chromecast negotiates with the TV as to what resolutions are supported.
Your TV might not be playing nice in the negotiation process.
So, try booting Chromecast without it connected to the TV.
Disconnect power from Chromecast
Disconnect Chromecast from TV
Reapply power to Chromecast
Wait for it to boot (wait until LED goes solid steady white)
Turn on TV if it is not already on
Set TV to Chromecast input
Plug Chromecast into TV input
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it and it's the same, a black screen. It works with a monitor that I have and another TV, but, sadly, I need it to work in the LG TV
EarlyMon said:
According to LG, that's a normal 1080p screen.
More likely there's a router setup issue. This may help as a starting point -
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The chromecast device works, I checked it and configured it in another TV, but I need it to work in the LG one.
santi.marro said:
I tried it and it's the same, a black screen. It works with a monitor that I have and another TV, but, sadly, I need it to work in the LG TV
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very strange. Almost sounds like an HDCP handshake problem.
Try the HDMI extender in case it's just not plugging in quite right.
Other than that, you can try disabling HDMI CEC (LG calls it SimpLink) and see if that makes a difference.
Do you know what firmware build it has? (Chromecast app will tell you)
bhiga said:
Very strange. Almost sounds like an HDCP handshake problem.
Try the HDMI extender in case it's just not plugging in quite right.
Other than that, you can try disabling HDMI CEC (LG calls it SimpLink) and see if that makes a difference.
Do you know what firmware build it has? (Chromecast app will tell you)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just tried the device with the extender and SimpLink deactivated and it's the same again
Here I leave a screenshot of the Chromecast app attached
santi.marro said:
I've just tried the device with the extender and SimpLink deactivated and it's the same again
Here I leave a screenshot of the Chromecast app attached
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice names.
Well, you're on the latest firmware build (15250) so either Google broke something in the newest update, or your TV is finicky.
Since your TV is Smart, it might have a firmware update available.
Wait... The specs say "TruMotion 100Hz" - is your TV PAL? It might not support NTSC input...
bhiga said:
Nice names.
Well, you're on the latest firmware build (15250) so either Google broke something in the newest update, or your TV is finicky.
Since your TV is Smart, it might have a firmware update available.
Wait... The specs say "TruMotion 100Hz" - is your TV PAL? It might not support NTSC input...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HDMI doesn't care about PAL vs NTSC frequencies by design, exactly why so many in the UK were able to adopt early last year.
EarlyMon said:
HDMI doesn't care about PAL vs NTSC frequencies by design, exactly why so many in the UK were able to adopt early last year.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I agree that it shouldn't matter in this day and age, they still exist separately in the EDID data because of the differing pixel clocks.
It's possible (though ill-advised) for a modern display to reject an input signal based on it being 50/100 Hz or 60/120 Hz.
I deal with a lot of AV stuff and have run into this issue from time to time.
Well, TIL then.
EarlyMon said:
Well, TIL then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm learning every day... sometimes the hard way.
Traditionally European TV sets have been more forgiving than their US counterparts, accepting NTSC "nudged" into PAL-60 or NTSC 4.43 in the analog realm.
While the transition to HD did unify the display resolutions and pixel aspect ratios (everything's square, yay!), the differences in refresh/sampling rates remained.
One day my friend, one day... everything will be 600 Hz or better so 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps content will all be supported and play without judder or needing interpolation. :cyclops:
So back to the topic at hand, it's possible the OP's TV doesn't know what to do with a 30/60 Hz input from Chromecast, though that would be quite silly of LG to impose such a restriction. Still, silly happens more often than you think for all kinds of reasons (gray market sales due to varying exchange rates and import/export laws often is a concern, as we burden on regional support that got no revenue from the foreign sale).
TBH, I don't know for certain whether Chromecast is capable of 25/50 Hz output, it might be. But being that Google isn't selling it outside of US/Canada yet, I doubt they've tested it.
>> Anybody in Europe, can you confirm me whether Chromecast outputs 720/50p, 1080/50i or 1080/50p to your TV? <<
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Thank you for all your replies,
For what I know, my TV accept NTSC but I'm not 100% sure. I am from South America by the way, in theory electronics here are NTSC.
kDnZP said:
Sent from my Nexus 10 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That TV in the picture you posted is very similar to the one I have. Did you have any problem using the chromecast device?
The link I gave was from the Eastern Mediterranean, I was more curious about verifying your resolution at the time. There's a 60/120 Hz (NTSC) version of your set, same model number, popular in several South American countries.
I apologize for adding the confusion.
santi.marro said:
That TV in the picture you posted is very similar to the one I have. Did you have any problem using the chromecast device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not any problem with LG 26LE3300 (1366x768 native resolution).
santi.marro said:
Thank you for all your replies,
For what I know, my TV accept NTSC but I'm not 100% sure. I am from South America by the way, in theory electronics here are NTSC.
That TV in the picture you posted is very similar to the one I have. Did you have any problem using the chromecast device?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, should work.
Worst-case, since you have other displays that Chromecast does display properly on, you could try this: (it worked on 13300, haven't had need or opportunity to try it on 14975 or 15250)
Locate working monitor and LG TV in close proximity
Connect Chromecast to working monitor and wall power
Once Chromecast is booted, unplug Chromecast from monitor only
Plug Chromecast into LG TV
Likely this will not survive a Chromecast reboot though...
I've got a Sanyo DP50740, and my Chromecast is now showing this same behavior. It used to work fine, but I think that the update to firmware 15250 broke something with hdcp in some TV's.
I filed a bug with Google, but the end result was that the google helpdesk can't tell what was updated in the latest build.
I suggest you file a similar bug with Google, so that they see that this is happening with multple TV models.
Until they fix this I'm stuck with a paperweight.
AustinMartin said:
Until they fix this I'm stuck with a paperweight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It won't sync up even if you hot-plug Chromecast HDMI after it's already booted?
bhiga said:
It won't sync up even if you hot-plug Chromecast HDMI after it's already booted?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, tried that. The only thing I haven't tried is to boot up plugged into another device then plug in. Don't have any portable monitors with hdmi input. It might be that they fixed this glitch in the latest firmware.
This is the annoyance of allowing google to update firmware at will. They can break your device, and there's then nothing you can do except wait for the next release. That's why I encourage the original poster to file a bug with them. That's their only window into what's happening.
AustinMartin said:
Nope, tried that. The only thing I haven't tried is to boot up plugged into another device then plug in.
...
They can break your device, and there's then nothing you can do except wait for the next release. That's why I encourage the original poster to file a bug with them. That's their only window into what's happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The no HDMI and different HDMI scenarios should be different, they have been in my case at least, but understand not having a practical means to try.
Agree. That's the danger of forced updates.
Sent from a device with no keyboard. Please forgive typos, they may not be my own.