Sound United says it is working hard to fix the previously reported HDMI 2.1 bug and offers interim assistance.
Sound United sent us more information about the HDMI 2.1 bug we wrote about the day before yesterday. Some new game consoles that support 4K/120Hz output may not fully work with Denon or Marantz 8K AV receivers (AVR). You may discover this incompatibility due to an HDMI chipset mismatch between the two devices. If the game console in question is connected to the AV receiver via an 8K HDMI input and is set to output at 4K/120Hz, and the AVR’s 4K signal format option is set to “8K Enhanced”, you may not see the game console’s (source) image on the screen and may not hear (source) audio from the game console being processed through the AVR. This problem is only present when using a display/TV that supports 4K/120Hz,” says Sound United.
FAQ
For convenience Sound United(website here, by the way) put together a FAQ, which we will take over literally below:
- Q1: I do not have a 4K/120Hz compatible game console, but I have other non4K/120 compatible game consoles or media player, 4K blu-ray player, setup box, CD player, and I want them all connected to my AVR and using these devices on a daily basis. I also want to use ARC or eARC functionality to make the best use of the TV audio app through my AVR. Has my situation (or setup) been affected by the problem described. Answer 1: No, your setup is not affected by this problem. At this time we have not confirmed any other problem than the one described in question two with some new 4K/120Hz compatible game consoles.
- Question 2: Is there a problem passing 4K/120Hz HDR (*1) content through the 8K input of my AVR to my 4K/120Hz compatible TV? Answer 1: Yes, a problem has been found passing 4K/120Hz HDR video game content from some 4K/120Hz compatible game consoles through the AVR’s 8K input. A black screen may occur, without audio through the AVR if the video output is set to 120Hz refresh rate in the game console settings menu and “8K ENHANCED” is selected for “4K/8K signal format” in the AVR settings menu. (*1) of 4K/120Hz RGB signal (8-bit, 10-bit, 12-bit) confirms that this problem occurs. Other 4K/60Hz and 4K/120Hz YCbCr 4:2:0 signals (8-bit) are confirmed to work without a problem.
- Question 3: What can I do to still experience a 4K/120Hz HDR image with my game console? Answer 3: You can connect your game console directly via HDMI to your 4K/120Hz capable display and use the display’s ARC/eARC functionality to restore native audio to the AVR using the connected HDMI cable between the AVR and display. This allows users to decode the original audio format sent from the source. This method requires the display’s CEC/ARC option to be enabled, as well as the AVR’s HDMI control and/or the AVR’s ARC option. In the AVR, this option is located in the GUI under “Video – HDMI Setup”.
- Q4: What if I would prefer a higher bit depth than 120Hz refresh rate for my 4K gaming experience? Answer 4: Keep 60Hz for the refresh rate in the setup menu of your gaming console, allowing you to choose up to 12bit for the bit depth. Connect your game console via the AVR’s 8K input and enable “8K ENHANCED” for 4K/8K signal format in the setup menu of your AVR.
- Question 5: Do I get an image when I connect my new game console directly from the box via my AVR to the TV? Answer 5: Yes, the problem does not occur unless you configure the game console and AVR setup menu to support 4K/120Hz HDR as described in question 1. If you do not have an 8K or 4K/120Hz compatible display and only have 4K/60Hz (or lower) display connected to your AVR, none of these problems will occur. Even if you have a 4K/120Hz display and have enabled all of these settings to allow 4K/120Hz HDR as described in question 1, all systems will automatically return to supporting 4K/60Hz so that the display can get an image.
- Question 6: Will the problem be solved in the future? Answer 6: We apologize for this inconvenience and are working hard to provide a permanent solution so that you can enjoy a 4K/120Hz experience from the latest sources with your AVR. We will soon share an update regarding the timeline of a permanent solution. We appreciate your patience. If you already own or plan to purchase one of our AVRs, please register your AVR so we can reach you when a solution is available. Here is the link for your Denon (or Marantz) product registration.Denon: https://denon.custhelp.com/Marantz: https://www.us.marantz.com/en-US/owners/productregistration
Looking for permanent solution
Sound United concludes: ‘We apologize for this inconvenience. We’re working on a permanent solution so that you can enjoy the 4K/120Hz experience of the latest generation of consoles with your AVR. We’ll be providing an update on a permanent solution shortly. Thank you for your patience.