Tivo V6 RF Modulator with the V6

DeanRandall · 27-04-2018, 17:13

Just replaced our old TiVo box with the V6 and having both a good and bad time with it.

Performance wise, the new V6 is great and not experienced any of the slowness we were getting with the old TiVo box!

Downside, the set up we have in the house to get the signal from the (now V6) box to the other TVs around the house doesn't seem to be working properly any more. Currently in a state of some audio but no visual.

Due to the lack of scart out on the V6 box, the set up is a bit convoluted, but roughly looks like this:

V6 > HDMI Splitter > HDMI to Scart > RF Modulator > RF AMP > Other TVs around the house.

Equipment in use:
Splitter - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MYH5WW9/
HDMI to Scart - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01GFPCHYA/
Modulator - https://www.amazon.co.uk/mercury-350...dp/B000M6SMKW/

After a little bit of tinkering and testing at various points around the house, it seems that a signal of-sorts is getting through the setup, just not both audio and visual.

With "V6 > HDMI Splitter > HDMI to Scart > Scart into TV", I get both the digital channels from the TVs tuner and also the picture and audio from the current channel being watched on the V6 box. This is exactly as I'd expect and what we are aiming for on the rest of the TVs around the house. Also seems to indicate that both the HDMI Splitter and HDMI to Scart boxes are working correctly.

If we then try "V6 > HDMI Splitter > HDMI to Scart > Scart into RF Modulator > RF Modulator into TV", we still get the digital channels from the TV tuner but for some reason we only get the audio of the current channel being watched on the V6 box, the visual is just a blank. Slightly different from the snow storm when the TV is unplugged, so definitely something getting through.

For reference, this audio and no visual is now also the same thing I'm getting from the TV in the kitchen when the RF Modulator is connected to the RF Amplifier/Splitter box that feeds the rest of the house.

The main TV in the house, which sits next to the V6 and is connected directly to the HDMI splitter, works fine as well.

Any thoughts/help would be greatly appreciated

nomadking · 27-04-2018, 18:46

HDCP version issues?

Quote:

Splitter
Output Support Full HD 3D 1080P HDMI 1.4 HDCP
...
Note: This device can only support 4k@30Hz and HDMI 1.4 ,can't support 4K@60Hz and HDMI 2.0, please check your device's Hz/HDMI version carefully before ordering!!!

HDMI to SCART
HDCP 1.3 Version】Compliant with HDMI 1.3 Standard, Converts the High Quality of the HDMI Signal to Normal SCART Signal(Note: Not Compatiable with Fire TV Stick and Amazon Fire TV as the HDCP Version is Version 1.4.)

First try it without the splitter.

It might be a copy protection issue. The HDMI to SCART has copy protection and so might introduce the analogue Macrovision copy protection signal which the TV can deal with but the RF modulator can't. VHS recorders(unless they're very old) can't deal with the Macrovision system. That is what it was designed for, ie to stop copying.

DeanRandall · 27-04-2018, 18:59

Thanks for your thoughts, nomadking.

Funnily enough, last night I was beginning to wonder if it may have something to do with HDCP.

Interesting, I checked the settings on the V6 box this morning and (perhaps misleadingly) it actually says HDCP is disabled, so I wasn't quite sure.

If I cut the splitter out (which I'll probably try first thing tomorrow morning), is that still going to cause HDCP version issues going from the version the V6 box uses, through the Scart converter and into the Modulator?

(Good spot on the converter version info by the way, sorry I completely missed that before)

nomadking · 27-04-2018, 19:20

I don't a V6, but I doubt you can turn off HDCP. That's not allowed by the HDMI licensing rules. All HDMI devices are supposed to enforce HDCP.

I have an HDMI splitter that removes the HDCP. Not sure if those sort are available nowadays.

DeanRandall · 27-04-2018, 19:46

Perhaps "setting" was the wrong word there. Buried somewhere in the "about" section of the box it lists a bunch of the version information etc... and one of the entries is HDCP.

So not something you can actually change, but next to it, it does say disabled which seemed odd.

Anyway, will tinker some more tomorrow and try the set up without the Splitter to see if it makes any difference and report back!

nomadking · 27-04-2018, 20:16

Mine says enabled. But when I bypass the HDMI splitter, as expected (it goes into an HDMI capture device) I lose the TV picture, but I get "HDMI Status: HDCP not enabled" in the System Info pages. Same symptoms as you're having.

spiderplant · 27-04-2018, 20:48

I don't think this is anything to do with HDCP, because if it was you'd also lose picture on the main TV. I also can't see any way that swapping the device at the far end of the SCART could influence HDCP.

Instead I suspect a video format compatibility problem. Try experimenting with various Video Output Format settings on the V6.

DeanRandall · 27-04-2018, 21:35

That was my initial thought a couple of weeks back, spiderplant.

So I tried swapping the video output to 1080p, all the way down to the lowest setting of 576p (I think that's the lowest). Needless to say, same resulting problem all the way down the scale

pip08456 · 27-04-2018, 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeanRandall

That was my initial thought a couple of weeks back, spiderplant.

So I tried swapping the video output to 1080p, all the way down to the lowest setting of 576p (I think that's the lowest). Needless to say, same resulting problem all the way down the scale

Format settings not resolution settings. 1080p etc are resolution.

DeanRandall · 27-04-2018, 22:20

Apologies if I've misunderstood. I don't recall there being any other output settings, but I'll double check tomorrow.

nomadking · 27-04-2018, 22:32

The HDCP disabled/not enabled message indicates that it's refusing to display a copy protected channel/recording. The HDCP message may look odd as it is saying it will only display non-copy protected content. It will still display all the menus, EPG etc as they're not copy protected. If you have a blank screen and bring up the mini EPG or a menu and it displays that part, then it is an HDCP issue.

HDMI devices can be fussy about changes to resolution etc. It can be an idea to power off/on any device to reset its internal settings of valid formats/resolutions.

spiderplant · 27-04-2018, 22:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeanRandall

Apologies if I've misunderstood. I don't recall there being any other output settings, but I'll double check tomorrow.

You have already tried the settings that I meant.

Taking a different tack, do you have another device with a SCART output, such as a DVD or VCR, that you can use to check that the RF modulator is still working? It could even be something as simple as a SCART plug not fully inserted.

nomadking · 27-04-2018, 22:53

This is from the VM forum.
Link.

Quote:

I am no longer able to run the V6 through the AV Receiver because I receive an on screen message saying:
"The content can not be displayed because your tv does not support HDCP 2.2".

DeanRandall · 27-04-2018, 23:06

Glad to hear I didn't get my wires crossed with the format point. Does seem like it is pointing more and more towards an HDCP issue.

This morning when I was playing with some resolution changes, the TV that was connected directly to the splitter did actually behave in the way you mentioned with a black screen but the menus working. Had to reboot everything and then it was OK again, suggesting very tempremental.

Dingbat · 28-04-2018, 01:10

Have you tried changing the RF channel? I had a similar setup with my old Sky box, and had to find an RF channel sufficiently distant from the terrestrial channel signals to avoid interference.

As an aside, I channelled our CCTV into a Scart input on our old VCR and then out via RF to the distribution amp A lot cheaper than that RF modulator!