I have a HTPC going into the 990. From the 990 to my projector is a 30ft DVI run to my JVC HX2 projector. I am running the HTPC at a pixel perfect reolution of 1400x788 to my projector.

My problem is that when I run the HTPC through the 990's switch, it introduces these blue sparklies on the screen....and the longer it runs through the 990 the worse the sparklies get.

To make sure it is the 990 introducing the sparklies, I have tried different cables to no avail.... and also I ran the HTPC directly to the projector using the 30ft run and it gives a solid picture with no sparklies.

Is there anything else I can try? The 990 works fine on all other sources, like my oppo dvd player and my moto hd cable box. Is there a limitation on the resolution (or freq, sync polarity, sinc width, bp, fp) that can be fed to the 990? I am using exact resolution data from JVC to dial in the pixel perfect picture. I know I have read that the 990 is only a switch and should not introduce any artifcating, but I think it is a problem in my case.

Thanks for any help.

Lou

Lou Corsino

A 30' DVI cable is twice as long as the DVI standard allows for; I suspect that's the underlying culprit in the mix, although the added complexity of a switch in the signal path is apparently exascerbating the problem. The "sparklies" you describe are commonly associated with cable issues (in fact, I saw this very issue mentioned in association with Anthem's processor development in this HDMI cable review .

Thats the first thing I thought of but there are absolutely no artifacts or sparklies when I go from HTPC to Projector with the 30 ft run. Apparently something is being done or maybe just the signal is weakened in the switch when i run the htpc through the 990?

The cable I am using is actually a HDMI cable with Monster HDMI to DVI converters on both ends.

I might have to buy an outboard switch and see if it happens with another switch. I only have one DVI input on my projector so i need to be able to switch between sources reliably. Before I buy a switch I want to make sure there is nothing wrong with my 990.

If I understand correctly, the DVI switching on the 990 works correctly with the Moto cable box and Oppo, but not when connected to the HTPC?

If the first two work but not the third, then it would seem that everything is working and that no one component, itself, is causing the problem. Rather, it has to be something in the combination of the cable length and the signal output by the HTPC.

Well, it certainly wouldn't hurt matters any to give Outlaw a call or e-mail to get them in the loop on the issue. Do you use the HDMI-DVI converters when runnings straight from the HTPC to the projector?

Podboy -
I think I eliminated a potential cable length factor and signal output problem buy running the HTPC directly to the projector with no sparklies. As soon as I put the 990 between the two...I get sparklies. The only other cable it could be is the one that I run from the HTPC to the 990. I tried using two different cables (1 m each) and both produced the same results. The cables work fine with all my other DVI sources and the 990.

gonk -
I will email outlaw to see if they have any ideas. And yes, I did use the HDMI-DVI converters when running straight from the HTPC to the projector.

Thanks for responding...

Lou

Sorry we couldn't offer more. One thing that may be necessary with the cable length and a switcher (whether the 990's internal switching or an external box from somebody like Gefen) is a signal booster, but if you're like me you're keeping that as a last resort.

exactly...

thanks...i'll see what outlaw has to say...if anything significant comes out of it...I will post the update here.

I would recommend the cable from Ethereal availiable from Digital Connections. It is much fatter and as anyone familiar with loss in cables, loss is inversely proportional to volume so a big fat cable will be lower loss than a skinny one. They are selling them for $109. I am using it althogh I am not driving it with the 990 but with the 1 in 2 out amplifer that they sell. My projector is old and I find this solved another problem I had but it may also help drive the long cable.

Well, "big and fat" doesn't always mean what you think. For example, a lot of "big and fat" speaker cable simply has a thicker jacket (cough Monster Cable cough). 30' is a LONG way for a DVI cable without an inline signal booster.

Cheers,