Operation TV Swap has been a success. The improved picture is noticeable, especially for 4K content, and the sound of the basement theater has been upgraded as well with the addition of a second subwoofer and new rear channel surround speakers. The project hasn't been without its negatives, however. This has mostly been in the form of odd video gremlins.
One of the main reasons for this project was to upgrade my system so that it could handle the video output of the Playstation 5. This includes 4K video with high dynamic range (HDR) and a variable refresh rate (VRR) up to 120 hz. Not only does this require a TV that can handle such video (and in my case, a receiver as well), it also requires HDMI cables that follow the newest 2.1 standard. This all seems simple enough. Little did I know that there would be options where I have to tell the TV I want it to use VRR. I assumed if the TV could handle VRR it would do it automatically. These options are the source of some of my video gremlins, I think.
I have my PS5 and my Apple TV connected to my AV Receiver, and then it passes video from both sources via one HDMI cable to the TV. The TV has 4 options for the HDMI connection: basic, enhanced, Dolby Vision (a proprietary HDR version), and VRR. In order to take advantage of the Playstation's VRR, I have to place the HDMI option on the TV (and interestingly there's a similar option on the receiver as well) to VRR. Doing this allows for 4K HDR with a VRR and locks the TV into gaming mode. After getting the system connected, I very quickly experienced video gremlins. The most common gremlin is audio without video, and usually occurs when switching from the Apple TV to the PS5, or vice versa. What is displayed on the TV when this occurs is the default screen the TV has when you switch to an input but nothing is playing. I can hear the PS5 in the background, but the TV acts as if it isn't receiving any video. I have had a few other issues, such as playback errors from various streaming apps and the dreaded HDCP error. These have been few and far between, and honestly I think this is more of an issue with the app itself rather than an issue with my setup.
I quickly suspected the audio without video issue was related to the HDMI settings. For a few weeks I played with the various settings. Having an AV Receiver involved makes it twice as challenging to troubleshoot, because it has its own settings to adjust as well. The only setup I found that didn't cause the issue was to dial back the settings on the TV and receiver to their most basic, which allows for 4K video but not 4K HDR or VRR. I ran the setup like this for a week and didn't experience the issue once. The problem with this, however, is that it completely negates the entire reason behind the project. Thus, this was not an acceptable solution.
After messing around with this for the better part of a month, I decided to go back to the settings I wanted which is VRR in gaming mode. This takes advantage of the Playstation's capabilities while allowing me to watch movies in 4K HDR. I don't mind being locked into gaming mode while not playing games. Honestly, I think it is one of the better viewing modes on TVs. I have my upstairs TV on gaming mode as well. I occasionally experience the audio without video situation, but it has a simple enough fix: toggling between inputs on the receiver. It's a minor inconvenience that is far outmatched by the advantage of having a better picture.
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