# Problem with a Vizio, whats new



## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

I just picked up a 2-3 year old Vizio M3d421Sr. This an edge lite, 3D TV with a great picture. The only problem is that it has bad HDCP issues. Blocks my bluray players and all Directv HD programming except for ESPN, go figure. SD channels are OK.  A search has revealed that Vizio is not going to correct this. They do not allow forcing firmware downloads. I have not been able to determine what the latest firmware version is for this TV. The menu shows version 3.12.14. The component input works but this TV only has one set of component inputs and my Bluray does not have component outputs. I have an older Roku HD box and it works though HDMI. Any thoughts or is this not fixable.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

lwilli201 said:


> I just picked up a 2-3 year old Vizio M3d421Sr. This an edge lite, 3D TV with a great picture. The only problem is that it has bad HDCP issues. Blocks my bluray players and all Directv HD programming except for ESPN, go figure. SD channels are OK. A search has revealed that Vizio is not going to correct this. They do not allow forcing firmware downloads. I have not been able to determine what the latest firmware version is for this TV. The menu shows version 3.12.14. The component input works but this TV only has one set of component inputs and my Bluray does not have component outputs. I have an older Roku HD box and it works though HDMI. Any thoughts or is this not fixable.


This manual says it is a Smart TV.
http://cdn.vizio.com/manuals/kb/legacy/m3d421sr.pdf

Support says that it does automatic updates to the firmware.

Do you have it connected to the internet ?


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

Yes it is connected to the internet. The integrated Netflix app works great_. It is a wireless connection._


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

lwilli201 said:


> Yes it is connected to the internet. The integrated Netflix app works great_. It is a wireless connection._


Is it possible that you have an HDMI cable in the ARC capable connection slot and it might be causing a problem ? ARC does cause some strange problems sometimes.

With only 1 item connected to the TV does it perhaps work ?

If you do a Reset of the TV will it go check for a Firmware update at that time since it will think it is a First Time Setup ?

That manual is dated 2011 and it is hard to imagine that it is not HDCP compatible.


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

Did a Reset. The version did not change. Nothing else seems to help. There may be an issue in the motherboard.


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

Now the component inputs will not work. I can get the component to work. I have the Directv receiver connected to a TV with HDMI and the problem receiver connected with component cables. When the HDMI TV is turned on the component works. Turn it off and the HDCP error returns. If I understand the process correctly the TV must return a signal to the receiver to unblock content. The good TV returns that signal and unblocks all outputs. BUT the component input should not have anything to do with HDCP. I hooked up an older Sony Bluray player via HDMI and played a Bluray disc and it work great. Is there separate HDCP chip in TV's or is the function integrated into the large HDMI control chip?


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

lwilli201 said:


> Now the component inputs will not work. I can get the component to work. I have the Directv receiver connected to a TV with HDMI and the problem receiver connected with component cables. When the HDMI TV is turned on the component works. Turn it off and the HDCP error returns. If I understand the process correctly the TV must return a signal to the receiver to unblock content. The good TV returns that signal and unblocks all outputs. BUT the component input should not have anything to do with HDCP. I hooked up an older Sony Bluray player via HDMI and played a Bluray disc and it work great. Is there separate HDCP chip in TV's or is the function integrated into the large HDMI control chip?


Sad to tell you that the problem is in the software by DTV in the receiver. If an HDMI is connected when the DTV receiver is on it must send a reply to the HDCP query sent by the DTV receiver or the DTV receiver shuts off all outputs.
You can buy a Powered HDMI splitter and plug the HDMI into it and then from there to the TV. The powered splitter should be HDCP compliant and it send the signal back to the DTV receiver, even if your TV connected via HDMI is OFF.


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

I will try a complaint splitter and see if that will correct the problem. Thanks for the help.


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

A inexpensive HDMI splitter that is HDCP compliant did the trick. Works great now. If this is a firmware problem, I can not image Vizio not dealing with it.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

lwilli201 said:


> A inexpensive HDMI splitter that is HDCP compliant did the trick. Works great now. If this is a firmware problem, I can not image Vizio not dealing with it.


Glad that worked for you.
Thanks for the update.


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

As an after thought I should have gotten an HDCP compliant HDMI switch. That way I would be able to hook up more than one HD device.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

lwilli201 said:


> As an after thought I should have gotten an HDCP compliant HDMI switch. That way I would be able to hook up more than one HD device.


Have you tried the one you have ?
You said it was HDCP compliant in your previous post ?


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

jimmie57 said:


> Have you tried the one you have ?
> You said it was HDCP compliant in your previous post ?


I got a splitter that works fine but it only has one input. With an HDMI HDCP complaint switch I could hook up more than one device to the TV.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

lwilli201 said:


> I got a splitter that works fine but it only has one input. With an HDMI HDCP complaint switch I could hook up more than one device to the TV.


Run the HDMI out of the DTV receiver and connect it to the Input of the splitter and then run one HDMI to each of the TVs.
Or just use the one HDMI to the TV and use what you have already setup for the other TV


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

Jimmie57, you are looking at it backward. He is saying he should have bought a switch so he could hook up multiple devices (think DirecTV, Blu-Ray, AppleTV, Roku, etc) all to the switch and then out to one TV.


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## jimmie57 (Jun 26, 2010)

Beerstalker said:


> Jimmie57, you are looking at it backward. He is saying he should have bought a switch so he could hook up multiple devices (think DirecTV, Blu-Ray, AppleTV, Roku, etc) all to the switch and then out to one TV.


He had 2 problems.
The HDCP did not work on the TV
and when the TV was off and did not get an answer to the HDMI, it cut off the outputs.
The HDMI powered splitter should have solved both of those problems.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

lwilli201 said:


> I got a splitter that works fine but it only has one input. With an HDMI HDCP complaint switch I could hook up more than one device to the TV.


Make sure you buy a switch that is powered not passive. In other words, it should come with a power cord that has to be plugged into a receptacle.

Rich


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## Beerstalker (Feb 9, 2009)

jimmie57 said:


> He had 2 problems.
> The HDCP did not work on the TV
> and when the TV was off and did not get an answer to the HDMI, it cut off the outputs.
> The HDMI powered splitter should have solved both of those problems.


You are right, and the splitter did solve his problem. What he is saying is that now that he knows this works he kind of wishes he would have got a switch instead of a splitter. Right now with the splitter if he wants to watch DirecTV he has to plug that into the splitter. Then if he decides to watch a Blu-Ray he has to unhook the DirecTV receiver, and hook up the Blu-Ray player to the splitter. Then if he wants to use his AppleTV or Roku he has to unhook the Blu-Ray player and hook up that device, Etc, Etc. If he would have got a switch instead it would have solved his HDCP issues, and he wouldn't have to keep swapping out devices hooked up to the HDMI splitter.


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## lwilli201 (Dec 22, 2006)

Beerstalker said:


> You are right, and the splitter did solve his problem. What he is saying is that now that he knows this works he kind of wishes he would have got a switch instead of a splitter. Right now with the splitter if he wants to watch DirecTV he has to plug that into the splitter. Then if he decides to watch a Blu-Ray he has to unhook the DirecTV receiver, and hook up the Blu-Ray player to the splitter. Then if he wants to use his AppleTV or Roku he has to unhook the Blu-Ray player and hook up that device, Etc, Etc. If he would have got a switch instead it would have solved his HDCP issues, and he wouldn't have to keep swapping out devices hooked up to the HDMI splitter.


  Could not have said it better myself.  Thanks Beerstalker.


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