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[rec head]

I am currently using the HD3000 graphics on my i3. I have issues with turning my TV on/off.

Here are common occurrences:
-I start playing music in MC and then turn the TV off - the audio gets silenced and does not come back on. Turning the TV back on and stopping and starting the music will start playing audio again.

-This is even more annoying, is that sometimes I will turn the TV on (with nothing playing) and get no picture or audio. What usually but not always works is to change inputs on my AVR and let a new handshake occur then then switch back to the HTPC input. If that doesn't work I need to restart the computer.

These problems happened with my older AVR Denon 3808 and I was hoping that my new Denon X4000 would help remedy it but it doesn't. My HTPC stays on all the time and I don't want or need a giant power hungry video card. I do have plenty of room in my case for any card. Getting a performance increase would be nice but all I really care about is getting rid of these problems.

[6233638]

I can't comment on whether this will work through an AVR, as I don't have one and HDMI/HDCP can be really awkward sometimes.

But I just tried sending audio to my TV through my Nvidia GTX 570 using HDMI, killed power to the TV, turned it back on four or five minutes later, and audio was still playing through Media Center (using WASAPI Exclusive) without any issues.

So an Nvidia card might do what you want. But I don't know if turning off the display when there's a signal passing through an AVR will kill the signal or not. It probably depends on the AVR.

[Sandy B Ridge]

-I start playing music in MC and then turn the TV off - the audio gets silenced and does not come back on. Turning the TV back on and stopping and starting the music will start playing audio again.

Yup, this is very annoying. My amp, an Arcam, used to do this. Turning the TV off lost the HDMI handshake and the music stopped. It isn't just the HTPC, but my PS3 too, so it is not the PCs fault. I'm not sure a different graphics card would fix it. Arcam issued a firmware fix to hold the EDID table and not break the handshake, so it is now OK. I had temporary relief before the firmware fix with a HDMI Detective which is a little black box that sits on the HDMI cable and 'fixes' the EDID/handshake. It didn't work all the time, but it did make the problem better. Not sure if I had a duff one though - I had to keep reprogramming it. It isn't cheap either. I haven't needed it since the firmware fix.

I've bought two NVIDIA cards since then, but since I already had the firmware fix I'm really not sure if they would be any better than the iGPU on the i3. I can't go back and reflash the amp to test since I don't have the cable anymore!

-This is even more annoying, is that sometimes I will turn the TV on (with nothing playing) and get no picture or audio. What usually but not always works is to change inputs on my AVR and let a new handshake occur then then switch back to the HTPC input. If that doesn't work I need to restart the computer.

An even quicker way might be the 'Windows key&p' shortcut trick. Hit WinKey&P and then Return. It does a 'detect display' thing, and enter gets you back to where you were.

But I just tried sending audio to my TV through my Nvidia GTX 570 using HDMI, killed power to the TV, turned it back on four or five minutes later, and audio was still playing through Media Center (using WASAPI Exclusive) without any issues.

I'm not sure this is the same thing. I think the rehandshake is triggered by a change in EDID, so if you reconnect the same TV back again the PC hasn't really noticed a change, so is quite happy to carry on as normal. Maybe try and plug a different HDMI TV/monitor in after you turn it off and see if it kills the music?!! (I only have one TV  so I can't try it here).

SBR

[jmone]

It is an EDID issue and has been around for ages and the symptoms vary between how the Graphics card Driver reacts to losing the EDID info when TV/AVR are turned off.  The typical issue is the Audio is Lost (as you have seen) or the Resolution is reset to some Windows Default like 1024x768.  Newer TV/AVRs will continue to broadcast the EDID info when in "standby" so with such equipment you don't notice the issue.  On the more modern GPU's I have found that the Intel GPUs tend to react the worst with this.  So much so I had to add back into my display chain the DVI Detector when running on a HD3000 (it keeps the EDID info being transmitted all the time - the modern version is the HDMI Detective).  My NVidia GTX660 does not seem to have the issue.  I can not comment on a modernish ATI version.

[6233638]

Newer TV/AVRs will continue to broadcast the EDID info when in "standby" so with such equipment you don't notice the issue.

I should have been more clear - the television was not on standby, there was no power connected.

Maybe try and plug a different HDMI TV/monitor in after you turn it off and see if it kills the music?!! (I only have one TV  so I can't try it here).

I would expect that to break playback. I'm not sure that would be easy for me to test.

[jmone]

Sorry - I was trying to point out one way the Intel may not show the issue - eg some AVR/TV will continue to broadcast the EDID info so you don't see it.  I've not had any issues with the NVidia at all but continue to use the DVI Detective+ as I drive two Screens, only one of while (the PJ) support 3d.  With the DVI Dective+ I'm always sending the full combined EDID info of both so the device names does not change.

Now when this was a real issue years ago there was a method to calculate and store a Detailed Timing Descriptor (DTD) so it would ignore the EDID setup.  I have no idea if it still works (but it did back then!)
- Post from the Intel Rep - http://software.intel.com/en-us/forums/topic/303998
- The AVS Thread on it - http://www.avsforum.com/t/947830/custom-resolution-tool-for-intel-graphics-easier-overscan-correction

[rec head]

Thanks, I might try an Nvidia card if returning it won't be a problem.

[apostos]

I’m using a Nvidia GeForce GTX 650Ti card in my HTPC and have this issue. I use Gefen’s HDMI Detective Plus as a solution.

I’m not sure who the culprit in my particular setup is. The AVR, the TV or the video card but the Gefen device has been the only solution I’ve been able to find for the EDID info loss when powering off the power-hungry plasma.