# Ruined 3 HDMI cables in 6 weeks



## david_norman (Jan 14, 2011)

In the last 6 weeks, I've gone through 3 HDMI cables connecting my VIP612 to my television. There's no abuse or vibes going on, just I have picture and quality and then I don't.

After speaking with Dish CSRs, we've replaced my receiver once, and that hasn't solved the issue (the third HDMI cable went out today). they're sending a new one, but this has me stumped.

i guess it could be my tv (Philips 47"), but it hasn't damaged anything else (BluRay or Wii).

NOTE: I had an electrician check the voltage output and it's normal on that outlet. 

Got any wisdom for me? What's my problem?

Thanks in advance...


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## brucegrr (Sep 14, 2006)

How about the HDMI port itself on the TV? Is it loose, dirty,corroded?

How did you determine it was the cable that was bad as opposed to the DVR or the TV?

Just my personal opinion here...........if you have had three defective cables in a row, either an entire lot of cables are defective or something else is causing your problem.

A continuity test on the cable would be in order BUT I am not sure how or if that can be done without a tester specifically made for the task.


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## SayWhat? (Jun 7, 2009)

How are you determining that the cable is actually bad and you don't just have a bad connection? Are you testing the cable with an ohmeter? Have you tried the cables on other devices? Have you tried unplugging the cable from both ends and then reconnecting it? Maybe swapping it from end to end?

To my knowledge, there are no chips or electronics within the cables. They should just be hardwired pin-to-pin, so I don't see what could go bad in normal usage.


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## david_norman (Jan 14, 2011)

brucegrr said:


> How did you determine it was the cable that was bad as opposed to the DVR or the TV?


i tried the same hdmi cable (the one that's defective) from my bluray player to another hdmi port on the television with no luck.

i had an hdmi cable running great for 6 months until a move. the problem has only come up since moving and the only noticeable difference is that I do not have access to a grounded outlet.

but would that cause this sort of issue?


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## brucegrr (Sep 14, 2006)

You would have to test the cables to make certain the cables are defective. Perhaps someone with an electronics background can give the specific details of how to test the cables.

Statistically it is highly unlikely to have 3 defective hdmi cables unless they were from the same manufacturing lot. I ahd a problem with some computer motherboards, all of them were defective, all from the same manufacturing lot.


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## tampa8 (Mar 30, 2002)

Your mention of not having a grounded outlet would make me wonder about your electrical system and it's effect, and/or the TV HDMI port.....

An HDMI cable can go bad (whatever that means) it has happened to me. Also, sometimes a particular brand of an HDMI cable has not worked, simply changing to another brand did, I don't mean going to an expensive one, just a different one. But three going bad after working fine to me does not indicate a cable problem.


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## david_norman (Jan 14, 2011)

tampa8 said:


> Also, sometimes a particular brand of an HDMI cable has not worked, simply changing to another brand did, I don't mean going to an expensive one, just a different one. But three going bad after working fine to me does not indicate a cable problem.


it wasn't the HDMI cables, all three were different brands.

Consequently, last night (about 24 hours after the most recent problem), I tried the HDMI cable again in a different port... and the dang thing worked.

So as best as I can figure, it would appear to be a port issue on the television (possibly from the move). after about a week, the port recognizes a problem and shuts hdmi input (or at least that one) for roughly 24 hours.

I have a service tech coming next week to check out the television port and DishNetwork is sending a new HDMI cable at no cost (after some work on my part - they originally wanted to charge me for the cable).

Maybe that will resolve the issue.

Thanks for all the input guys. This forum is what prompted the thought of checking the cable _again_ (even though it hadn't worked within hours of originally going out).


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