Australian Owners of XMC-2/RMC - Any issues with Foxtel?

[thezone]

Looking for anyone in Oz who has experienced any HDMI connectivity issues between their XMC-2/RMC and Foxtel IQ4.

I experience constant Video and Audio dropouts whilst watching 4K playback of Foxtel material routed through my XMC-2 via HDMI, particularly if it has been recorded.

I know other people have had similar issues with ATV4K however my ATV4K is rick solid and does not exhibit this issue at all but watching Foxtel is almost unwatchable as the speakers click and pop randomly with dropouts during 4K playback.

I know it's the XMC-2 as I have plugged the Foxtel box directly into my Sony A80J OLED and the issue does not exist, with smooth playback for hours. 

It's so bad I have only 3 options left available:

1) Open a warranty case with Emotiva.

2) Buy an HDFury Vrooom

3) Sell the XMC-2 and buy something that just works.   

[doc1963]

Apr 27, 2022 5:13:12 GMT -5 thezone said:

Looking for anyone in Oz who has experienced any HDMI connectivity issues between their XMC-2/RMC and Foxtel IQ4.

I experience constant Video and Audio dropouts whilst watching 4K playback of Foxtel material routed through my XMC-2 via HDMI, particularly if it has been recorded.

I know other people have had similar issues with ATV4K however my ATV4K is rick solid and does not exhibit this issue at all but watching Foxtel is almost unwatchable as the speakers click and pop randomly with dropouts during 4K playback.

I know it's the XMC-2 as I have plugged the Foxtel box directly into my Sony A80J OLED and the issue does not exist, with smooth playback for hours. 

It's so bad I have only 3 options left available:

1) Open a warranty case with Emotiva.

2) Buy an HDFury Vrooom

3) Sell the XMC-2 and buy something that just works.   

Although I don’t live in Australia and can’t speak directly to your issue, I will suggest that you might want to check some of the TiVo forums to see if there are similar issues and/or possible solutions. The Foxtel IQ4 is made by Arris who also makes TiVo’s Edge and Bolt DVRs as well as the TiVo Mini VOX and Mini LUX extenders. I’d be willing to bet that the IQ4 is based off of the same, or similar, platform as the TiVo Edge.

Personally, I have a TiVo Mini VOX (Bolt hosted) in the same system with my RMC-1L and have had no issues with it. However, here in the states, there’s very little "cable provided" 4K programming to choose from. Verizon FIOS is my service provider.

I did watch the Winter Olympics in 4K and had no problems. But that was live, not recordings from my Bolt. The video was 4K UHD with HDR-10 and the audio was DD+/Atmos. No issues whatsoever.

To be honest, that “on again/off again” dropping of the HDMI signal sounds like a cable issue. I do understand that the device works perfectly when connected directly to the TV. But when doing so, you’re also decreasing the complexity and overall length of the HDMI path. Marginally performing cables will work just fine at shorter and/or less complex distances, but will also cause either intermittent problems or totally fail when pushed to their limits.

If you haven’t already done so, I’d try a well known and trusted “certified” cable to see if that helps. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a “certified” cable that’s known to work. I’ll link two suggestions below of cables that I use in my system and highly recommend them to others seeking good cables. These cables are ultra thin, highly flexible and work phenomenally well.

ZESKIT LITE

MONOPRICE ULTRA SLIM

Lastly, you might want to double check your settings on that particular HDMI input to ensure that it is set to HDMI 2.0 and not 1.4.

To comment on your “last ditch” options…

1) Logging a service ticket with Emotiva will likely end up fruitless as there’s probably nothing to “fix” on your XMC-2.

2) If you’re not a gamer and don’t need the 40Gbps throughput of HDMI 2.1, then you really don’t need a VRROOM. A Vertex2 would do the same thing and save yourself some money to boot. Of course if you want to “future proof”, then get the VRROOM. Either would likely solve your problem if it is indeed a compatibility issue with your XMC-2. There's not a better supported HDMI product out there.

3) Unfortunately, “just works” doesn't seem to apply to anything that doesn’t carry a Denon or Marantz moniker. I read all of the user threads created by owners of competing products (under $8K) on a daily basis and none of them are functionally perfect. Many of the same issues you'll find here. Some may perform better than your XMC-2 (as it is today) and others might be simply trading one problem for another. These days, it seems we all just pick our own poison. Let's hope that the forthcoming firmware delivers something worth waiting for.

[webmst007]

Rmc1 + Foxtel + fetch box + NVIDIA Shield Pro + Oppo 203 + Epson Projector.
All work together.
👍🙂💯👌
Check settings and change out HDMI first.
Cheers

[Gary Cook]

As I am on cable (not satellite) I have an IQ2 and an IQ3 and there has been zero issues with connecting to the XMC-2. I have ordered an IQ5 so it will interesting to see how that goes.
FWIW the ATV4K is also trouble free, ditto the Sony SACD & 4K BDP.

Cheers
Gary

[webmst007]

To clarify - I use a Foxtel IQ4 box on satellite with a RMC-1
No problem 👍

[thezone]

Thanks everyone, and extra thanks to doc for your extra detailed response. I have been using the HDMI cable that came with the Foxtel and all my other ones I bought from Jaycar so I'll try a different one as per your suggestion. Aside from this issue there is also the issue of the XMC-2 constantly distorting the sound in the surround speakers (which other's have confirmed the same issue here) which need s a reboot to fix. On top of this there are some other handshake issues which exist between devices and it is difficult to identify what is causing the issue, whether its devices not turning on in the right order or whether its juts the XMC-2 just blocking the signal, the reason I suspect the XMC-2 is causing the issue is that after a full reboot it "Usually" fixes the problem.

The Vertex2 might be a good option to try, I notice they also sell HDMI cables would these be worth a try?

[webmst007]

I saw from an earlier post you had issues with Atmos from a NVIDIA Shield.
One tweak is to check display settings in the Shield.
Eg - in Disney+ ( Mandalorian Series)
If the setting is 50 or 59 fps the setting will show DD in the app and.in the G3P OSD.
If you change the Shield display to 25 ( or 23. Something) HDR+ display setting and reopen Disney - it will now display Atmos and the G3P OSD will also show Atmos.
Cheers 👍👌💯

[ttocs]

Listen to your cables, they know what they cannot do.

Just today, I thought I'd test a couple cables I've had for a while which are longer than the 15' Zeskit cable I use in my current configuration. The old cables are both Monoprice, one is 6 meters long and the other is a 15 meter active cable. I use the cable checker in the Apple TV to test, and both cables could only muster 4K SDR, which was all I needed when they were purchased.

I wanted to find out if maybe the 6 meter cable could work so I could move some components to another location, but no.

thezone you might try this with the cable you use with your Foxtel IQ4 and compare with the cable you're using with the ATV.

[thezone]

Apr 27, 2022 18:50:13 GMT -5 ttocs said:

Listen to your cables, they know what they cannot do.

Just today, I thought I'd test a couple cables I've had for a while which are longer than the 15' Zeskit cable I use in my current configuration. The old cables are both Monoprice, one is 6 meters long and the other is a 15 meter active cable. I use the cable checker in the Apple TV to test, and both cables could only muster 4K SDR, which was all I needed when they were purchased.

I wanted to find out if maybe the 6 meter cable could work so I could move some components to another location, but no.

thezone you might try this with the cable you use with your Foxtel IQ4 and compare with the cable you're using with the ATV.

Thanks ttocs I have tested my cables using the ATV cable testing function and this is the result:

When the test is performed with the XMC-2 in between the ATV and my Sony OLED all of my HDMI cables fail the test and the screen goes purple.

When I connect my ATV directly to the Sony OLED all of my HDMI cables pass the test according to the ATV.

During the testing procedure the screen goes black, when the XMC-2 is in the path I have to switch inputs on the XMC-2 and back again in order to get a picture which as I stated earlier is purple with an apple warning advsing that the test fails.

This leads me to believe that:



1) May HDMI cables are sufficient for 4K playback

2) The XMC-2 HMDI board is buggy.

[ttocs]

Apr 27, 2022 20:13:29 GMT -5 thezone said:

Apr 27, 2022 18:50:13 GMT -5 ttocs said:

Listen to your cables, they know what they cannot do.

Just today, I thought I'd test a couple cables I've had for a while which are longer than the 15' Zeskit cable I use in my current configuration. The old cables are both Monoprice, one is 6 meters long and the other is a 15 meter active cable. I use the cable checker in the Apple TV to test, and both cables could only muster 4K SDR, which was all I needed when they were purchased.

I wanted to find out if maybe the 6 meter cable could work so I could move some components to another location, but no.

thezone you might try this with the cable you use with your Foxtel IQ4 and compare with the cable you're using with the ATV.

Thanks ttocs I have tested my cables using the ATV cable testing function and this is the result:

When the test is performed with the XMC-2 in between the ATV and my Sony OLED all of my HDMI cables fail the test and the screen goes purple.

When I connect my ATV directly to the Sony OLED all of my HDMI cables pass the test according to the ATV.

During the testing procedure the screen goes black, when the XMC-2 is in the path I have to switch inputs on the XMC-2 and back again in order to get a picture which as I stated earlier is purple with an apple warning advsing that the test fails.

This leads me to believe that:

1) May HDMI cables are sufficient for 4K playback
2) The XMC-2 HMDI board is buggy.

Sorry, then try to do this manually.

Change the Video Format setting in Video And Audio in the ATV to a low resolution, like 1080p/SDR/24Hz, and back out of the menu to make the change "stick".
Now the video should look normal ok for 1080P.

Next, go back into Video And Audio and scroll down to select Other Formats, and scroll all the way down to the bottom to start selecting progressively higher formats. Try 4K/SDR/24Hz, and if successful try 4K/HDR/24Hz, then 4K/Dolby Vision/24Hz, etc. And don't forget about the 24Hz(23.976Hz) settings like I did. I just tried these and was able to lock in 4K/HDR/23.976Hz with my 15M cable, and this is the highest it would go.

So then I switched to my 6M cable and tried again and now see that it goes up to 4K/DV/23.976Hz. This is enlightening. I hadn't tried the 23.976Hz settings before. And when I try the 24Hz DV it failed on one attempt and passed on another, so I think this is the limit for this cable.

Basically what this is pointing out is that the ATV can be used for limited diagnostics.

[thezone]

Apr 27, 2022 21:37:47 GMT -5 ttocs said:

Apr 27, 2022 20:13:29 GMT -5 thezone said:

Thanks ttocs I have tested my cables using the ATV cable testing function and this is the result:

When the test is performed with the XMC-2 in between the ATV and my Sony OLED all of my HDMI cables fail the test and the screen goes purple.

When I connect my ATV directly to the Sony OLED all of my HDMI cables pass the test according to the ATV.

During the testing procedure the screen goes black, when the XMC-2 is in the path I have to switch inputs on the XMC-2 and back again in order to get a picture which as I stated earlier is purple with an apple warning advsing that the test fails.

This leads me to believe that:

1) May HDMI cables are sufficient for 4K playback
2) The XMC-2 HMDI board is buggy.

Sorry, then try to do this manually.

Change the Video Format setting in Video And Audio in the ATV to a low resolution, like 1080p/SDR/24Hz, and back out of the menu to make the change "stick".
Now the video should look normal ok for 1080P.

Next, go back into Video And Audio and scroll down to select Other Formats, and scroll all the way down to the bottom to start selecting progressively higher formats. Try 4K/SDR/24Hz, and if successful try 4K/HDR/24Hz, then 4K/Dolby Vision/24Hz, etc. And don't forget about the 24Hz(23.976Hz) settings like I did. I just tried these and was able to lock in 4K/HDR/23.976Hz with my 15M cable, and this is the highest it would go.

So then I switched to my 6M cable and tried again and now see that it goes up to 4K/DV/23.976Hz. This is enlightening. I hadn't tried the 23.976Hz settings before. And when I try the 24Hz DV it failed on one attempt and passed on another, so I think this is the limit for this cable.

Basically what this is pointing out is that the ATV can be used for limited diagnostics.

OK thanks, I'll go through this test manually. Assuming I should connect the ATV directly to the TV to avoid the XMC-2 interfering with the test?

Also, I assume the XMC-2 should be able to support all video frame rates and resolutions that the ATV is capable of?

  

[thezone]

I have done much testing on this, and I am convinced that the XMC-2 HDMI Board is buggy. If I plug in any of my HDMI cables directly from the ATV4K to the Sony TV I can select any of the 4K formats, but as soon as route them through the XMC-2 the sh*t show begins.

At this point the XMC-2 has given up altogether and refuses to pass any signal through to the TV from the ATV at all. I have unplugged and rebooted, switched sources etc and I cant any picture at all now. Such a pia.

On a side note, the Foxtel box does a test when you turn on to see if your TV is 4K ready, and randomly sometimes I get a fail when routed through the XMC-2 and can not watch the F1 in 4K at all because its says my TV is not 4K capable. Of course when I plug the Foxtel box directly into the TV this does not happen.

So........... back to my first post above : )

[ttocs]

May 1, 2022 2:37:59 GMT -5 thezone said:

At this point the XMC-2 has given up altogether and refuses to pass any signal through to the TV from the ATV at all.

This is most likely due to the ATV being set at a higher Res/Color than will work when being passed through the processor. Connect direct to tv, set to lowest common denominator, like 1080P, before reconnecting to processor.

When I went full 4K HDR/DV with the XMC-1  I had to play with cables and settings to get everything to work. I also had to move my components close to the tv to achieve success, because, at the time I couldn't find an 8 meter cable that would work which would let me keep the components where I had them. I actually had to buy really short cables to verify that full DV @60hz could work. This is when I came across Zeskit Cables. The short cables I had ordered didn't go to waste, because I used them for the source to processor connections and got a longer one for the processor to tv, but I ordered several longer lengths to experiment with which is how I stumbled across the 4.5 meter (15') cable that's been in use ever since. Longer wouldn't work.

So now, since I'm once again attempting to move my components away from the tv, farther than they were a few years ago, I ordered a 10 meter fiber HDMI cable to see if it'll pass full DV from across the room. Up to now it's only been possible through a cable which only allows placement of the processor to be between the front speakers. It's a crapshoot. The cable arrives today, I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm trying to point out that for us consumers, it's trial and error unfortunately. For me, I've had to wait for cable technology to catch up to my needs. Connecting devices directly to the tv will always work better than splicing other components in-between. Connecting a processor between a component and tv if more than twice the connections, it's twice the connections plus circuitry.

[ttocs]

thezone
FWIW I just received the RUIPRO 8K HDMI Fiber Optic Cable CL2 Rated 10 Meter 48Gbps 8K60Hz 4K120Hz Dynamic HDR eARC HDCP2.2/2.3 cable.

I connected without the power adapter first because, "usually the USB power adapter is not required", but in my case it's needed. The picture was black without the USB power adapter. But as soon as I plugged it in a picture emerged. I am using a Apple USB power adapter. I bought several of these because they are very good quality and don't emit the noise which many walwarts can emit. There is a not included with the cable which warns about plugging the USB power for the cable into anything with a GPU, so, since I'm not certain what RUIPRO means by this, and since I don't know if a GPU is involved in the processor or tv, I take no chance and use the Apple external power adapter. It works, I'm happy!

I switched to the ATV4K and video was present. I ran the HDMI cable checker and it confirms that all is ok with 4K DV @60hz. So, full DV, no problems.

Right now I'm watching the 4K DV content via the ATV4K with no issues. The cable isn't cheap, but it performs as advertised from what I can perceive.

[thezone]

May 1, 2022 8:37:46 GMT -5 ttocs said:

May 1, 2022 2:37:59 GMT -5 thezone said:

At this point the XMC-2 has given up altogether and refuses to pass any signal through to the TV from the ATV at all.

This is most likely due to the ATV being set at a higher Res/Color than will work when being passed through the processor. Connect direct to tv, set to lowest common denominator, like 1080P, before reconnecting to processor.

Thanks for your multiple detailed response I appreciate the help!

Ironically without doing anything it just fixed it self again. 

After reading your posts maybe it's worth me trying different cables, before I hurl the XMC-2 out the window. But My longest HDMI cable run is 3m from the XMC-2 to the TV al the other are much shorter.

[doc1963]

May 2, 2022 2:24:11 GMT -5 thezone said:

May 1, 2022 8:37:46 GMT -5 ttocs said:

This is most likely due to the ATV being set at a higher Res/Color than will work when being passed through the processor. Connect direct to tv, set to lowest common denominator, like 1080P, before reconnecting to processor.

Thanks for your multiple detailed response I appreciate the help!

Ironically without doing anything it just fixed it self again. 

After reading your posts maybe it's worth me trying different cables, before I hurl the XMC-2 out the window. But My longest HDMI cable run is 3m from the XMC-2 to the TV al the other are much shorter.

Since your longest cable is less than 12 feet, I can't see where going the "active" or FO cable route would be of any meaningful benefit. Any "quality" copper HDMI cable that has been properly tested and officially certified should work reliably at that length. If your needs were beyond 12 feet, then I highly recommend using hybrid FO as I do so myself.

If you want to eliminate problems with your cables, or to just ensure yourself that you're using high quality cables, then I'd recommend trying the Zeskit Maya series cables for the longer link between your processor and display and the Zeskit "Lite" series cables for your shorter (less than 2m) device links.

HERE is an Amazon link for the 3m Zeskit "Maya" series cable.

HERE is an Amazon link for the Zeskit "Lite" cables.

FWIW, I seriously believe that there must be some "magic" in using these thinner cables for short HDMI runs. Don't be put off by their thinness. They do work extremely well where cables of conventional thickness fail miserably. Give this a try...

[Gary Cook]

One of the advantages of the Samsung Series 9 with the One Connect Box is the 5m fibre optic cable. All of my HDMI cables are now only 500 mm or 750 mm in length.

FWIW I uses HDMI cables from Selby Acoustics www.selby.com.au/cables/hdmi-cables.html


Cheers
Gary

[thezone]

May 2, 2022 12:09:15 GMT -5 doc1963 said:

HERE is an Amazon link for the 3m Zeskit "Maya" series cable.

HERE is an Amazon link for the Zeskit "Lite" cables.

Thanks doc, I have ordered some of these cables. I'll post back here with the results. 

[thezone]

May 2, 2022 23:10:10 GMT -5 Gary Cook said:

One of the advantages of the Samsung Series 9 with the One Connect Box is the 5m fibre optic cable. All of my HDMI cables are now only 500 mm or 750 mm in length.

FWIW I uses HDMI cables from Selby Acoustics www.selby.com.au/cables/hdmi-cables.html


Cheers
Gary

I dunno, some of those cables are Ugly. 

[thezone]

May 2, 2022 12:09:15 GMT -5 doc1963 said:

May 2, 2022 2:24:11 GMT -5 thezone said:

Thanks for your multiple detailed response I appreciate the help!

Ironically without doing anything it just fixed it self again. 

After reading your posts maybe it's worth me trying different cables, before I hurl the XMC-2 out the window. But My longest HDMI cable run is 3m from the XMC-2 to the TV al the other are much shorter.

Since your longest cable is less than 12 feet, I can't see where going the "active" or FO cable route would be of any meaningful benefit. Any "quality" copper HDMI cable that has been properly tested and officially certified should work reliably at that length. If your needs were beyond 12 feet, then I highly recommend using hybrid FO as I do so myself.

If you want to eliminate problems with your cables, or to just ensure yourself that you're using high quality cables, then I'd recommend trying the Zeskit Maya series cables for the longer link between your processor and display and the Zeskit "Lite" series cables for your shorter (less than 2m) device links.

HERE is an Amazon link for the 3m Zeskit "Maya" series cable.

HERE is an Amazon link for the Zeskit "Lite" cables.

FWIW, I seriously believe that there must be some "magic" in using these thinner cables for short HDMI runs. Don't be put off by their thinness. They do work extremely well where cables of conventional thickness fail miserably. Give this a try...

Just an update to this I purchased a 3m Zeskit "Maya" series cable to run from theXMC-2 to my Sony OLED and 2 x 1.5m Zeskit "Lite" cables one from my ATV4K and one for my Foxtel to the XMC-2 and there is no difference whatsoever. I will post this in a separate thread as this no longer is an issue with Foxtel.