Picture loss/dropout on one or more displays when using MHUB
Your MHUB is similar to a central heating system in that there are many components that all need to come together to deliver a working system. An intermittent or full loss in picture on one or more displays can be down to a number of things.
- HDMI cables going into MHUB and from the display receivers to the displays
- Your network cabling infrastructure, the termination quality, the distance of the cable run and the number of times that cable runs through patch panels or wall plates.
- The physical output port on the MHUB
- The display receivers
- The actual source devices (more common than you think!) and the AV they are outputting (4K, 1080p, surround sound, HDCP format etc)
Unfortunately, there is no fast way to determine this. To do this test correctly you will need to test for several days to ensure the results are accurate and your system is stable.
If dropout occurs on one display in your property…
The first thing to do is disconnect all sources and outputs from MHUB so you are left with 1 source (preferably the source you notice picture loss on) and 1 output (preferably the display you notice picture loss most frequently on).
Grab a piece of paper and log the following outcomes when you test the following:
- If picture loss is happening only in one location in your property then take a display receiver (and the HDMI cable going into the display) from a known working location and swap it in the area you’re noticing picture loss.
- If you still experience picture loss then run freshly terminated Cat 6 cable from the MHUB to the display receiver point-to-point (no breaks in cable) and check again.
- If you are still having a problem then connect your new Cat 6 cable to another output port on MHUB.
- If #3 doesn’t resolve the problem then disconnect your source from MHUB (and the HDMI cable) and plug it directly into your test display using the same HDMI cable.
- If the picture is stable then take the source and the HDMI cable back to MHUB and plug it into another HDMI input and test for picture loss on your display.
- Finally, drop the resolution on your HDMI source to something you know the display will accept easily (something like 1080p Stereo)
If dropout occurs on all displays in your property…
Start by disconnecting your source from MHUB (and the HDMI cable) and plug it directly into a test display using the same HDMI cable.
Grab a piece of paper and log the following outcomes when you test the following:
- If the picture is stable then take the source and the HDMI cable back to MHUB and plug it into another HDMI input and test for picture loss on your display.
- If you still experience loss in picture then drop the resolution on your HDMI source to something you know the displays will accept easily (something like 1080p Stereo)
- Remove all outputs from MHUB until you’re left with only one output connected, it could be any port but we recommend starting with A. Check for a stable picture and repeat for each output port individually.
- If all ports passed the test in #4 then start connecting additional outputs back to MHUB starting B (so you should have A + B now), if the picture is stable add output C and so on.
If you log any problems or positives with each test then let us know and we can assist you further.