Please Help: My Projector Cuts out for 3 Seconds a Few Times in The First 2 Hours of Use Each Time

bigballerbrand on 10/08/2018 - 15:34

The first few days of using my projector it worked perfectly as I was using a short 2m HDMI cable without my sound bar.

Eventually got around to setting everything up. Got the projector at back of the room with 10 metre HDMI (bought for like $20 bucks from MSY)

10m HDMI from projector plugs into my sound bar, then a separate 3m HDMI from my soundbar goes into my PS4.

Whenever I use the projector, in the first 10 min, it cuts out 2 or 3 times for 2 seconds (blank screen) and then works as normal.

This only happens at the start and after the initial 10 mins, there are no drop outs.

Anyone know what this could be? Could it be the 10m cable?

Could it be plugging into an old soundbar and then the soundbar having to go to the PS4?

Thanks in advance guys

Electrical & Electronics

Comments

  • apptrack on 10/08/2018 - 16:04

    Have you tried bypassing the soundbar completely and try a different HDMI source?

  • Switchblade88 on 10/08/2018 - 16:17
    +2

    10m cable is probably to blame. I get the same problems with dropouts; it's generally because the cable is usually too narrow gauge for the distance (i.e. 26AWG or higher which is too thin to work well at 10m). First few minutes are intermittently dropping out, then it usually comes good.

    I'm pretty sure it's related to the grounding 'levels' between the two devices settling out over a few minutes, which is why it settles down after a little while once the ground voltages sync up.

    You either have to fork out for a better quality cable (usually 24AWG or less; the smaller number the bigger diameter) or reduce the length. Or, just put up with it given that spending money on a new ($50+) cable may not actually solve the problem, unfortunately.

    • bigballerbrand on 10/08/2018 - 16:57

      Yeh it's not ideal Is it.

      What I am going to try is to bring the sound bar closet to the couch perhaps on the coffee tabtable and then use a 3m cable and see if that fixes things.

      Will suck having the sound bar so close but worth a try. At least then I'll know for sure that it is the 10m cable

    • outlander on 10/08/2018 - 19:32

      I'd second that guess. The length could be allowing too much EM radiation to enter, and as a result the Signal to Noise ration is too low.

      As a quick and dirty test, you can try wrapping the cable in aluminium foil and see if that improves things. If it does, you know its the cable

  • Zedsdeadbabyzedsdead on 10/08/2018 - 17:42

    "Please Help: My Projector Cuts out for 3 Seconds a Few Times in The First 2 Hours of Use Each Time"

    Start it 3 seconds later.

  • theclearout on 10/08/2018 - 20:50

    Most likely the 10m cable. Whilst the signal is digital, i.e., either there or not, a lot depends on the information you're sending on the cable. A lot of people run the comparison between the say $5 cable vs the $500 cable, and over very short distances the $5 cable can stack up.
    Over longer distances it gets a bit more interesting, especially when considering the bandwidth that your signal needs.
    720p requires less that 1080p, extra required for 3D, nowadays minimum standard for 4K is around 18Gbps. Whilst most cables will transmit the electrical component over long distances, bandwidth behaves a bit differently.
    You'll see a lot of retailers advertising HDMI ver2.x cables over different distances but most will carry a disclaimer (especially on their cheaper cables) for distances up to, or over say 5m.
    You may not necessarily need to spend a fortune if your requirement is for 1080p. A 10m cable fully compliant for 1080p 3D is around $30 from Selby Acoustics. A 10m 4K cable is around $120.
    In the long run for a few dollars more you get to keep your sound equipment where you're happiest with it.
    Return the cable to MSY and tell them it didn't do what it said it would do.

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