Aura and HDR-FOX T2 Setup.

F

frenchscottie

Member
( See previous post :- https://hummy.tv/forum/threads/connecting-t2-and-aura-to-second-tv.11088/)

I have received my Aura, it had been out of stock everywhere until 19th March. I have installed the Aura and connected it to the HDR-FOX T2 through the HDMI Splitter.
I have taken the RF connection from my 1 to 3 RF amplifier/splitter all is connected as planned. But I'm getting a totally black screen on living room TV and if I switch the selector switch to get the Aura on my kitchen TV I get vertical colour bars on that TV. Before I start mucking about with the cables, if the RF has no signal would I still get a display from the Aura setup etc.

Also is the RF in and out just a loop with nothing overlaid etc.? On the Aura and the HDR-Fox and if it is can I take the RF out from the HDR fox to the In on Aura then the RF out on Aura to TV?
 
frenchscottie said:
I have received my Aura, it had been out of stock everywhere until 19th March. I have installed the Aura and connected it to the HDR-FOX T2 through the HDMI Splitter.
I have taken the RF connection from my 1 to 3 RF amplifier/splitter all is connected as planned.
But I'm getting a totally black screen on living room TV and if I switch the selector switch to get the Aura on my kitchen TV I get vertical colour bars on that TV. Before I start mucking about with the cables, if the RF has no signal would I still get a display from the Aura setup etc.
Click to expand...
Does the Aura provide a signal to the TV if connected directly via HDMI without the switch?
Also is the RF in and out just a loop with nothing overlaid etc.? On the Aura and the HDR-Fox and if it is can I take the RF out from the HDR fox to the In on Aura then the RF out on Aura to TV?
Click to expand...
Yes nothing is overlaid so you can do what you describe.
 
MartinLiddle said:
Does the Aura provide a signal to the TV if connected directly via HDMI without the switch?

Yes nothing is overlaid so you can do what you describe.
Click to expand...
Thanks for reply, I should of waited until I tried that before posting Sorry, going to try that tomorrow plus the RF. I'll post tomorrow how I get on.
 
Surely you should get the Aura working in a standard set-up first, before complicating things with split/chained RF connections and HDMI switches.

frenchscottie said:
I have installed the Aura and connected it to the HDR-FOX T2 through the HDMI Splitter.
Click to expand...
That's impossible, I assume you mean the Aura and the HDR-FOX are connected to a HDMI selector switch. A splitter takes one input and sends it to two outputs.

frenchscottie said:
Also is the RF in and out just a loop with nothing overlaid etc.?
Click to expand...
Yes of course it is. Remodulating onto a spare UHF channel (good old VCRs) went out when digital TV came in, partly because of the complexity/cost of generating a digital mux.
 
Black Hole said:
Surely you should get the Aura working in a standard set-up first, before complicating things with split/chained RF connections and HDMI switches.


That's impossible, I assume you mean the Aura and the HDR-FOX are connected to a HDMI selector switch. A splitter takes one input and sends it to two outputs.


Yes of course it is. Remodulating onto a spare UHF channel (good old VCRs) went out when digital TV came in, partly because of the complexity/cost of generating a digital mux.
Click to expand...
That would be the easy way for you experts but as a novice and one that just wanted to try it the way it was going to be set up and positioned as it isn't that complicated. Also it isn't an HDMI switch it's just a splitter as per drawing from my post from the link.

I don't know why I said "connected it to the HDR-FOX". I'm only taking the RCA connections from the FOX to a switch.

Third point, "Yes of course it is", well you would know that as you are the expert. If I new all that what you said I wouldn't be on this forum.
 
frenchscottie said:
That would be the easy way for you experts but as a novice and one that just wanted to try it the way it was going to be set up and positioned as it isn't that complicated.
Click to expand...
Except that you've proved it is (complicated). Is it only an expert who would take the sensible precaution of testing a new item of gear before doing anything unusual with it? I suggest it's just common sense.

frenchscottie said:
Third point, "Yes of course it is", well you would know that as you are the expert. If I new all that what you said I wouldn't be on this forum.
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You'll get a lot more sympathy if you do a bit of thinking for yourself. Have you known any home video gear output UHF in the post-VCR era?

frenchscottie said:
Also it isn't an HDMI switch it's just a splitter as per drawing from my post from the link.
Click to expand...
If you think we're going to read back through the thread to find out what you're talking about, you are very much mistaken. Be clear, be precise, be self-contained.

frenchscottie said:
I don't know why I said "connected it to the HDR-FOX".
Click to expand...
Well there you go then – garbage in, garbage out.

I'm only having a dig because you got shirty.
 
frenchscottie said:
as per drawing from my post from the link.
Click to expand...
I only see two drawings in that thread, one by BH and one by me, both of which were suggestions. You really need to post a diagram here of what you have actually got now or we'll be going in circles for days.
 
Also it isn't an HDMI switch it's just a splitter
Click to expand...
OMG. I should know better than reply to cr@p like this, but he's got a splitter wired backwards in the forlorn hope it's going to work as a switch, which of course it can't. And how would the input be selected. But hey, "it isn't that complicated" :roflmao:
MikeSh said:
we'll be going in circles for days.
Click to expand...
Just quit now. It's a lost cause.
 
MikeSh said:
I only see two drawings in that thread, one by BH and one by me, both of which were suggestions. You really need to post a diagram here of what you have actually got now or we'll be going in circles for days.
Click to expand...
I went with yours as that was my thinking also.
prpr said:
OMG. I should know better than reply to cr@p like this, but he's got a splitter wired backwards in the forlorn hope it's going to work as a switch, which of course it can't. And how would the input be selected. But hey, "it isn't that complicated" :roflmao:

Just quit now. It's a lost cause.
Click to expand...
That's not very helpful, I thought this forum was to help people.
The splitter isn't wired backwords and it's not acting as a switch. I suggest you have a quick look at my original post in the link I provided and if you look at post 32 by MikeSh to see what I am doing.
 
For clarity can you give names/part numbers/web page links for the three intermediate devices, so we can better understand how they should, or perhaps should not, operate.
 
I think for clarity OP should establish what works and what doesn't, as multiple items have been introduced. Also describe in detail the setup, as I think the diagram in #12 may be inaccurate when you take into account of
frenchscottie said:
..I have installed the Aura and connected it to the HDR-FOX T2 through the HDMI Splitter.
Click to expand...
Is there an item just before the TV for both pvrs?
Or is the HDR Fox HDMI connected directly to the lounge TV (as per the diagram) and it works fine?
Does the HDR Fox RCA also work fine to the kitchen via the new switch(es)?
Also did the Aura work without issue when connected directly to TV, as queried in #2?
 
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Instead of multi quoting I will answer all here.
The setup is exactly as per drawing, there is really no change in connections for the HDR Fox except the RCA going through the manual switch and the HDR Fox is still working fine.

The reason I connected it all as per drawing instead of connecting the Aura straight to TV to check it was working, is because of time restraints and it's not that much extra work and I wasn't sure when I would get a chance to alter it.
Anyway today I did manage to try connecting the Aura straight to TV and it worked fine. It was the HDMI splitter that is at fault, which I was surprised at, as I thought
it was more likely to be an HDMI cable.
I will return it and get a replacement and the setup will be fine.

We will be able to view either the Aura or HDR Fox at a press of a switch in the kitchen and living room when she is going about her housework etc.
This is all because we have a lot of stuff on the HDR Fox still to see and which we will only be used for watching not recording, and she will be doing any recording on the Aura.
Once we have watched all from HDR Fox it will be retired with the RCA switch.

Thanks to all for your help.

Any more problems and I'll be back.
 
frenchscottie said:
...It was the HDMI splitter that is at fault, which I was surprised at, as I thought
it was more likely to be an HDMI cable.
I will return it and get a replacement and the setup will be fine.
..
Click to expand...
Great news that you've found the fault.
One thing (because I didn't see you mention it specifically on last post) - make sure the Aura works via the HDMI to RCA converter to the other bits to the kitchen TV. Just in case there is another faulty item.
 
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Something to consider is the nature of HDMI splitters – I know they exist, but I don't know how they work. Ditto HDMI matrix switches. It seems obvious on the surface that all they do is take the HDMI signal and send it to two places, but there is a reverse channel to consider, which handles display identification, display capability, and HDCP negotiation. Clearly you can't send two lots of negotiation to the sender. HDMI was intended to be point to point only, and I doubt there is a specification for how to split HDMI between two destinations, not least because of protected content delivery.

What I'm saying is it would not surprise me if implementations vary. The cheap way to do it would be to have a master output and a slave output, so that the master output handles all the negotiation, and the slave output only sends out the actual RGB data without returning any negotiation to the sending device. Alternatively, it would be possible for the ports to be symmetrical and whichever destination gets switched on first to become the master. Or perhaps the splitter handles negotiation with the source locally, and then renegotiates with each of the destinations, but it still has to work out what to tell the source (perhaps the highest common capability).

The consequence is that the overall result might vary according to which output you use for what, or even the order in which devices get switched on. The output from the slave port might stop entirely if the device on the master port is switched off. The output on the slave port might be incompatible with the slave device if the master device has negotiated a higher resolution than the slave device is capable of.

I'm not saying it can't work, just saying it might require some experimentation and that experience might vary by specific splitter (and HDMI to RCA converter) used. The result would be more predictable if a HDMI 1-to-2 port switch were used rather than a splitter (but that would result in the Aura only being viewable in one place at a time).
 
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Black Hole said:
Something to consider is the nature of HDMI splitters – I know they exist, but I don't know how they work. Ditto HDMI matrix switches. It seems obvious on the surface that all they do is take the HDMI signal and send it to two places, but there is a reverse channel to consider, which handles display identification, display capability, and HDCP negotiation. Clearly you can't send two lots of negotiation to the sender. HDMI was intended to be point to point only, and I doubt there is a specification for how to split HDMI between two destinations, not least because of protected content delivery.

What I'm saying is it would not surprise me if implementations vary. The cheap way to do it would be to have a master output and a slave output, so that the master output handles all the negotiation, and the slave output only sends out the actual RGB data without returning any negotiation to the sending device. Alternatively, it would be possible for the ports to be symmetrical and whichever destination gets switched on first to become the master. Or perhaps the splitter handles negotiation with the source locally, and then renegotiates with each of the destinations, but it still has to work out what to tell the source (perhaps the highest common capability).

The consequence is that the overall result might vary according to which output you use for what, or even the order in which devices get switched on. The output from the slave port might stop entirely if the device on the master port is switched off. The output on the slave port might be incompatible with the slave device if the master device has negotiated a higher resolution than the slave device is capable of.

I'm not saying it can't work, just saying it might require some experimentation and that experience might vary by specific splitter (and HDMI to RCA converter) used. The result would be more predictable if a HDMI 1-to-2 port switch were used rather than a splitter (but that would result in the Aura only being viewable in one place at a time).
Click to expand...
Pardon? :o_O:. I won't pretend to understand most of what you said. All I know, or think I know is you give the splitter a source and a 5V supply and you then get 2 identical outputs to plug into projectors, monitors or tv's etc. Another one (different make from previous one) is arriving tomorrow, hopefully I'll have time to install it.

Link to purchase :- https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07NW3GB34/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
frenchscottie said:
you then get 2 identical outputs
Click to expand...
What BH is saying is that HDMI is not a one directional connection. At a minimum the content protection (for HD) requires negotiation between source and display, so a splitter has to account for that ... somehow. It can't just throw duplicates out willy-nilly unless it's only dealing with standard definition (ie. no HDCP).
 
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