Hi all,

I currently have a Duronic HDMI Switch which I have my PS3 and PS4 connected to.

It's worked fine, but recently the HDMI cable for the PS3 has found to be pretty loose at both ends, so I decided to buy a new HDMI cable. I get the message 'Mode not supported' when using it, so I tried two other HDMI cables and get the same issue!

All my cables are just basic cheap ones, but this one I've been using for a while which is a bit flimsy seems to be the only one that works.

I tried testing the resolution outputs on my PS3 and all cables work when outputting at all settings, apart from 1080p. I thought maybe it was the Duronic switch or something, but the other cheap flimsy cable outputs 1080p fine.

I'm confused lol any ideas? I don't know whether it's a 'v1.3 or v1.4' HDMI problem? No versions are noted on the cables. I just want to replace my PS3 HDMI cable lol but can't get any other one to work.

It's defo something to do with the switch though as all the cables work when plugged directly into the TV, I just don't understand what's going on.

Thanks

There are two standards of cable, "Standard" and "High Speed". Each of which can also have an optional ethernet channel (so four combinations in total). HDMI ver 1.3 and ver 1.4 both define "Standard" and "High Speed" cables so you can't really use 1.3 or 1.4 as an indicator of what video standards they support. HDMI ver 1.4 added the ethernet channel and ARC..

"Standard" cables are not rated for 1080p. So there is a chance the cables you have been using are "Standard" which work just about OK for 1080p direct but the extra loss via the switch and the lead from switch to TV is just enough to stop them working reliably at 1080p.

So double check the packaging and see if it says "High Speed". If not they may be "Standard". And of course they could just be cheap and nasty cables.

The one I bought is a 'high speed' HDMI cable. No problems via the PS3 > HDTV, but via the switch it won't work...

You say you have a PS3 and PS4 going via the switch. Presumably the PS4 is still working OK via the switch?

In that case have you tried plugging the PS4 lead into the switch input you were using for the PS3? If so does that work?

Similarly have you tried plugging the PS3 into the switch input the PS4 is using? Either via the cable you are using for the PS4 or any of the other cables.

Have you tried the "PS3" cables on the PS4?

That might give you some clues based on what combination of console, cable and switch input give you 1080p and which don't.

Thanks I think I have to put it down to cheap and nasty cables then.

I got an official Sony cable with my PS4 and have used that to connect the PS4 to the HDMI switch and it was fine. All the other cables I have cause me issues.

So now that I've narrowed it down, I need to work out which cables to go for as it doesn't seem to like the ones I've bought from eBay and Poundland lol I guess I got lucky with the one it seems to work with ok at the moment.

Any suggestions? All the leads I have here say 'high speed'.

I replaced a few of my HDMI cables a while ago and bought them from Cables UK, before my refit I had my PS3 connected to a Duronic HDMI switch with this cable and it worked fine.


http://www.cablesuk.co.uk/1m-HDMI-Cable-c10/

No luck, I don't get this at all....

HDTV > New Cable > PS3 = Works Perfect
HDTV > New Cable > Duronic HDMI Switch > PS3 = 'Mode/Resolution Not Supported'
HDTV > Any cable I have > Duronic HDMI Switch > PS3 = 'Mode/Resolution Not Supported'
HDTV > Cheap flimsy cable which works > Duronic HDMI Switch > PS3 = Works Perfect

What's interesting, is that with all the above methods, I reset the PS3 resolution settings and it works when I select all resolutions apart from 1080p, so 1080p is causing the above issues.

But then with the cheap flimsy cable I have, 1080p works... why won't any other HDMI cable work? I need to change the flimsy cable as the connector keeps falling out of the connection on the PS3 as it's so cheap and rubbish, but then it's the only one that works, and I'm not determined out of curiosity to find out why this is happening.

I just don't see where the problem lies in the above.

Just did a test on the PS4 this time -

HDTV > New Cable > PS4 = Works Perfect
HDTV > New Cable > Duronic HDMI Switch > PS4 = Screen flickers badly and then eventually goes black.
HDTV > Any cable I have > Duronic HDMI Switch > PS4 = Screen flickers badly and then eventually goes black.
HDTV > Any cable I have > Duronic HDMI Switch > PS4 via all resolutions apart from 1080p = All ok
HDTV > Cable that came with my PS4 > Duronic HDMI Switch > PS4 = Works Perfect
HDTV > Cheap cable whcih works ok with PS3 > Duronic HDMI Switch > PS4 = Screen flickers badly and then eventually goes black.

So again, 1080p output won't work with any cable apart from the cable that came with my PS4, so is this a switch problem or a cable problem? I'd say it was the switch, but then the PS4 cable works ok via 1080p output. Even the working cable for the PS3 doesn't work with the PS4!

CONFUSED!

But, as I posted above, have you tried the PS4 on any of these cables that don't work on the PS3? Have you tried the PS4 plugged into the switch input the PS3 is normally connected to? Have you tried the cable connected to the PS4 with the PS3? Have you tried the PS3 with any cable plugged into the switch input the PS4 is normally connected to?

That is the only way to tell if it is a problem with the cables, the PS3 or the switch. At the moment you have no real idea which of those three is the prime suspect.

Have posted more info above Chris. Thanks.

The only way to make sure whether it is the switch or the cables is to swap the switch for another one.

It might be some odd combination of switch and cable affecting the signals on the cable. It might be that with a certain combination of cable and switch the high frequency signal of 1080p is being mangled beyond the ability of the TV to decipher it. Drop down a bit to 1080i and the signal gets through well enough.

At the sort of frequencies that are involved with HDMI it doesn't take much to mangle the signal if all parts of the signal chain are not within tolerance.

You might well find that a different brand of cable works perfectly with the switch simply because of some slight difference in it's electrical characteristics compared to the ones you have.

Another thing. Does the switch have a separate power supply or is it powered by the connected devices? If it doesn't have a separate power supply that might be a factor. If it has the option to be externally powered it might be worth trying it on a separate power supply.

I recently bought the three way version of this

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/level5/mo...cpc/692337.xml
http://cpc.farnell.com/_/128-804uk/s...-ir/dp/AV23854

for work. Seems to work with just about anything OK. And not outrageously expensive either. Needs a mains socket for the PSU though. On the plus side it does have a remote so don't have to get off the sofa to change input

Ok well it's not the switch then. Received a totally different brand of switch today -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B.../?tag=ho01f-21

Same exact issue. Last resort will be the higher quality cables I have on order. Completely thrown me this!

I would have gone for a more expensive powered switch. In my and my work colleagues experience they tend to work better than the self powered type.

Oh and if the Duronic switch you had resembles the one linked to, as at least one model I saw on Amazon does, then there is a chance they are the same internally. Plenty of Chinese factories churning out exactly the same devices with just minor cosmetic changes and a different makers name on the box.

The proof will be tomorrow when my Amazon HDMI cables arrive. If they work, then it's clearly the switch not liking the cheap cables I have.

I would have gone for a powered switch, but a number of people I know have the same switch as me and have no issues!

Problem solved...

Got my AmazonBasics HDMI cables today and they work perfectly with the switch outputting at 1080p. I then tried the old cables I had and the problem was still there.

So this has proved the problem was down to cheap crappy cables which I'll now stay well away from. I have to say the image on screen looks a bit brighter too with these new cables.

placebo effect.

Nope. I've tried the cheap ones against the amazon ones and colours do seem brighter. I've already proved cheap cables are unreliable.

It is impossible for that sort of effect to happen on a digital interconnection. If two different cables deliver the same digital data equally well then the pictures will be exactly the same.

It is possible for a poor cable to corrupt the data which can lead to all sorts of artefacts like excess noise and picture disruption. But making colours brighter and blacks darker is beyond the capability of any known bit of wire.

placebo effect.
it's a digital connection, it either works or it doesn't work.
brightness of colour cannot be affected simply by changing an HDMI cable.

you may think you're seeing an improvement, but there isn't one.

Fair doos, but I have proved that cheap HDMI cables can be garbage and a waste of money at times. Call me a mug, but I'll be paying £6.99 for a pack of 2 x 2m and £4 for a pack of 2 x 1m AmazonBasics cables from now on, or Kabledirekt if they ever come up cheap.

no-one is commenting about that.
the build quality can vary between cables, and the spec can vary slightly.
but making colours brighter is not something a "better" HDMI cable will achieve.