PS4 video takes a long time to show up over HDMI

monitorps4technical-issues

So I bought a PS4 maybe 2 weeks ago. Everything works fine except one weird thing: My PS4 is plugged to a Toshiba 720p TV, and when I turn on my PS4,then switch my TV input to PS4 , the screen flicked from Signal(black) to no signal(blue) for approx. 20 seconds(the time vary a lot-sometimes 8 seconds,sometimes more than 40 seconds),a nd after that the PS4 screen shows up correctly. This also happens if the PS4 is on,and then switch input to regular TV,and then switch back to PS4,screen flicker again but for a shorter time(5-8 seconds approx.). This happens even when PS4 wakes up from sleep mode. I had a Chromecast plugged in this HDMI port before and everything was fine – no screen flickering. My PS4 is set to display at 720p (not automatic). I tried automatic, 1080p, but to no avail. I doubt it would have caused this issue, but when I installed my PS4, I made this quick and plugged AC cord BEFORE HDMI when the instructions said to plug HDMI first.

EDIT:I tried to disable HDCP and now its works like a charm,no delay before PS4 screen showing up,I immediatly see the PS4 logo 🙂 But I mean I guess its better to enable it? The screen still show up if HDCP is enabled,it just takes more time; and the time vary alot(very random); for example,I tried it this afternoon with HDCP enabled and it took maybe 3-4 seconds and the screen showed up,while yesterday it took 20+ seconds.Its really random. But if the screen show up after some time,it means that the TV ended sending a "response" to the PS4? Because if I go in the settings of PS4,HDCP is enabled.Screen just show up instanly when HDCP is disabled,while when enabled it takes a little bit more time.For information purpose,my TV is a 2007 Toshiba,model 32HL57 with 2 HDMI port an apparently this TV is HDCP enabled(I searched my model on the web).Maybe that 8ms response explain the little delay before the screen show up when HDCP enabled? Or else I guess it would be better to let HDCP enabled even if screen takes time to show up? At least now we know that its because HDCP.

Best Answer

Plugging in power or HDMI first doesn't matter, the instructions are there for the people who cannot figure it out themselves.

This sounds to me like an HDCP issue. Essentially, the PS4 wants to use HDCP via a "handshake", so it opens the HDMI connection, sends the HDCP info to the TV and waits for a response. The PS4 gets no response, shuts off the connection, and tries again. Likely after x number of tries, it disables the HDCP and proceeds that way.

You may be able to disable it manually by going to Settings -> System -> and turn off HDCP. Do note that without HDCP, certain apps won't work, such as most video apps.

I'm not 100% sure if the PS4 will still attempt an HDCP connection on bootup even if this is disabled, but it's worth a shot.

I would also suggest making sure that the HDMI cord is HDMI 1.4 compliant. The cord that came with the PS4 is, so try that if you're still using an older HDMI cord.

Finally, I would try another TV if this is still causing an issue.

If you do isolate it to an HDCP issue, then you have several choices:

  • Certain powered HDMI splitters can essentially "strip" the HDCP. I purchased one last year for ~$30 which allowed me to record PS3 gameplay over HDMI.
  • Many audio receivers can "strip" the HDCP. Getting an audio system with such a receiver may be a worth-while upgrade anyways.
  • Getting a new TV that supports HDCP would also be a good idea.

EDIT: It is odd that the TV claims to be HDCP-enabled. The 8ms response time has nothing to do with it. This sounds to me like a possible defect in the TV or PS4 in how the devices handle HDCP.

One thing that I read online is that some PS4s have a slightly deformed HDMI port:

Later in the day, I got a call from Sony. They'd examined our unit and they figured out the problem. A piece of metal in the system's HDMI port was supposed to have been flush with the bottom of the port but instead had been bent upward, obstructing some of the pins in the port. It had been hard to see, though I imagine we would have noticed if we'd examined the unit more closely and not given it back. Nevertheless, we were told that that PS4 had been fixed. The Sony employee testing our unit used a pin to push the small piece of metal back down. They then plugged an HDMI wire into the unit and it worked. They even brought the unit to our office so we could see for ourselves.

The obstructing piece of metal in the formerly-broken PS4 had actually knocked some of the "teeth" out of the HDMI wire—the one bundled with that PS4—that we'd originally plugged into the unit, the Sony folks told us. We checked two other HDMI wires that we'd used during our brief bit of troubleshooting, and sure enough, they were missing the same teeth, too.

At this point, I would try connecting the PS4 to another HDCP-enabled TV (with HDCP turned on of course) and see if it works that way. If it doesn't show any issues, then the problem is your TV. If it does show up as an issue, then the problem is with the PS4.

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