Maker Denon and Marantz receivers recognizes HDMI problem retransmission 4k120 signals

The German c’t Magazine recently reported that during tests there were problems with the application of HDMI 2.1 receivers, so that a 4k120 signal was not passed to the TV. It would be an HDMI problem with the receivers. The maker of Denon and Marantz receivers confirms this.

Commenting on Forbes editor John Archer, Sound United, the manufacturer of Denon and Marantz receivers, indicated that some new gaming source devices that support 4k at 120Hz may not fully work with Denon or Marantz 8k receivers.

The company is talking about an incompatibility issue due to a mismatch of the HDMI chipset between the devices. “Once the affected system is connected to a receiver via an 8K HDMI input and set to 4k and 120Hz, and the receiver’s 4K Signal Format option is set to 8K Enhanced, users may not be able to view the video signal from the source. on their screen. And they may not hear the audio from the source as processed by the receiver. This problem is only present with a screen that supports 4k at 120Hz, “said Sound United.

Solution still unknown

The manufacturer apologizes, saying it is currently further investigating this issue and a permanent fix will be forthcoming. What that solution will look like and when it will come is still unknown. Sound United says it will soon come up with a timeline for offering a permanent solution. It is not unlikely that a solution could mean that the receivers in question have to be returned, so that at least the HDMI chipset can be replaced.

Denon AVR X2700H

Heise reported on the publication of c’t Magazine, in which the medium talks about a problem with HDMI chips from the manufacturer Panasonic Solutions, which has been taken over by Nuvoton Technology. Those chipsets would be built into many receivers that support HDMI 2.1, so these problems can occur not only with receivers from Denon and Marantz, but also with those from Yamaha and unreleased HDMI 2.1 receivers from Onkyo / Pioneer and Sony.

C’t relies on multiple industry sources. They would have indicated that Panasonic Solutions made a mistake in the implementation of the interface standard or the signal technology of HDMI 2.1, namely fixed rate link. With HDMI 2.0, this is transition minimized differential signaling. An error in the signal technology of the HDMI 2.1 standard means that a firmware update is not required. The error probably means that not the full bandwidth that belongs to the HDMI 2.1 standard is available for passthrough at the receivers.

Workarounds

According to Sound United, there are currently two workarounds if users experience the issues. The company suggests not to route the source signal to the television via the receiver, but to connect the source directly to the television. Since eARC is present with HDMI 2.1 televisions, the television can also pass lossless audio formats to the receiver via the Enhanced Audio Return Channel of the HDMI connection and with this solution the video signal goes directly to the television, without the receiver being there. is in between. Another ‘workaround’ that Sound United proposes is not to use 4k120 but 4k60 from the source for the time being. In fact, the company indicates that it currently remains within the bandwidth of HDMI 2.0.

Incidentally, c’t magazine has identified the problems with using the Xbox Series X and the RTX 3080 as sources. This console and video card support HDMI 2.1, but apparently something is going wrong in the communication or transmission of the signals via the HDMI 2.1 receivers. In the case of the Xbox Series X in combination with an LG CX or C9 OLED television and an AVR-X2700H from Denon, the images of playing Dirt 5 were not properly transmitted and a black screen was seen. Although it was a pre-production model of the Series X, that hardware is likely to match the upcoming consumer models. The same issues were encountered when using Nvidia’s RTX 3080. C’t magazine has not yet been able to determine whether the problems also occur when the PlayStation 5 is used.

Yamaha has also responded, although the company only says that it will provide users with information on its website about the compatibility of its receivers and that it will come with an update shortly. As far as Yamaha is concerned, it concerns the RX-V4A and the RX-V6A; at Denon it concerns the AVR-X2700H, AVC-X3700H, AVC-X4700H and the AVC-X6700H and for Marantz it concerns the SR5015, SR6015, SR7015 and SR8015.