I just read through a bunch of threads regarding HBO and DirecTV.

I got a call from a client today asking me if I could meet the DirecTV Service Tech at his house to help troubleshoot the problem. When I arrived the Tech began telling me everything he had done so far to try and figure out why the TV (new XBR - Couple months old) would flash the picture (go black for a half a second)
It looked like a very short HDMI handshake kind of thing that would happen in no specific pattern. Sometimes every couple seconds and sometimes every five or ten minutes.
This all started when the customers original DirecTV receiver took a crap and they installed 2 new HR-24s in his house a couple weeks ago.
The tech switched those boxes and the box with the problem acted fine on the older TV while the box from the older TV picked up doing exactly what the other one was doing.
I removed everything from the system except for the HR-24 to the TV direct via the Existing HDMI cable and the problem continued. I then switched to a new input on the TV and used a new HDMI cable that passed Bluray 1080P without problem only to find the problem continued.
HR24 has the latest update and the XBR firmware is current.

Happens on all resolutions and resolution is currently locked on 1080i.

Any Ideas????

Oh and Brent is on East coast time and old so probably in bed before California beer thirty!
Sorry Brent! (Thats what you get for not answering your phone) ;)

Brent is at Morrison's Cafeteria for the early bird special!!

Survey says...

It's the TV!

Well,,, that would be the assumption but keep in mind its only HBO and it only started when the HR24 was brought in.

(He doesn't have showtime or any of the other premiums to test)

I see. I didn't see in the original post that it was only happening on one channel. I do see that you mentioned HBO in the subject, so I guess that was the inference.

In that case, it's definitely...

The TV!

;)

In all seriousness you've got a doozy. However, from all the described symptoms, its the TV in combination with something being sent from DirecTV; most likely something relating to Premium channels or HBO specifically. Basic troubleshooting states change DirecTV or change the TV. Since I have no further technical insight in this regard, I will leave it to others.

I feel for you though.

Don't forget that HBO has gotten all "picky" about HDMI. The set needs to be capable of handling the security measures in HDMI, or you will have a problem. I had a neighbor with a similar issue, and I believe the set was putting up a message that you needed to switch to Component, as the set didn't handle certain security issues correctly, but the message was only output in 1080p, even though the input was only 1080i, so you couldn't see the message "insert face palm here! - DirecTV firmware engineers, WAKE UP". Switched them to a component cable, and no more issues.

HDCP my friend!

My thought too but this is a Sony XBR-65HX929.
We waited 4 months for for this set.
Its a bran New High End TV and everything but HBO is beautiful on this thing.

Actually HBO is beautiful too. Just a tad annoying with whatever it is doing.

I cancelled HBO moments after I heard of this.
I didn't figure that it would work out of the chute and didn't feel like messing with it at my own house!

I would bet this has something to do with an error in the roll out from HBO.

In other words, everyone that posted is partially correct. Its the TV, Its HBO, its HDCP.

Maybe HBOs HDCP key is not recognizing your new Sony TV and shortly a firmware update will fix it (either from Sony or DirecTV)

Last I heard the official fix from DTV is to connect via component video. Aren't you glad you played the game by their rules and talked your client into HDMI?

I've grown tired of waiting on "shortly" and "soon" when it comes to firmware updates.

That's why I got rid of the problem at the source!
Bye Bye HBO.....
It's been fun but,we can live without you!

The fact that the set is brand new means nothing. Every other channel works fine except for the one who has enabled hdcp. It is a problem with hdcp. The tv, the sat box, I don't know. But I do know it is hdcp.

I can't find where I read about it, but directv recently enabled HDCP on HBO (the date they were mandated to came) and there are somepeople with new, HDCP compliant TVs having handshake issues. Typically the receiver will put up a message saying the content is blocked because of the TV is non-HDCP compliant, or some such. I bet your issue is the same, the timing fits. 

Since the most recent update on my DirecTV receiver I have gotten a couple of weird HDMI (HDCP) issues. DirecTV box is a HR22, AV receiver Marantz SR7005, TV 50" Kuro.

Not sure if it was only HBO but during channel changes I have had some black screen blinking issues then a message will pop up about the TV not supporting the copy protection then the receiver changes the resolution output to SD. But then the DirecTV box would see that my TV was in fact HD capable and would change the resolution back to native.

It has only happened a couple of times with my setup but clearly there is something going on with the copy protection scheme currently running on some of the movie channels.

To test the theory on the Sony TV you might try and change the resolution to SD (by holding down the exit button for several seconds on the DirecTV remote) this may deactivate the new copy protection. If that clears up the problem id say the new DirecTV "feature" is the culprit.