LG C7P to New Uniti Nova via HDMI - Faulty Audio

Posted by: Mrsurr on 11 June 2018

So I've got a new Nova. It's truly an amazing piece and the sound and features are blowing me away. However, it's not without its issues. I'm hoping somebody might be able to give me some clarity here. In the above setup I've experienced the following quirks with the Nova downstream from the TV via HDMI:

Signal detected, no sound
Signal not detected (I believe this was a cable issue)
Signal detected, digital noise only (I believe this was a cable issue)
Sound plays through TV to Nova but with one-second delay to picture (Apple TV 4k)
Sound cuts out seemingly at random (Apple TV 4k)
Sound restored temporarily when unplugged and plugged back in, delay still present (Apple TV 4K)
No sound at all (Verizon Fios STB)
Sound works beautifully - Apple TV Airplay to Nova - but output needs to be set manually from Apple TV every power-on.

The AppleTV really wants to be hooked up to the tv's one ARC input but I've tested the setup in various configurations and with several different HDMI cables (including Audio Quest Pearl). The AQ Pearl did manage to get the Nova talking to the Apple TV at least, but the delay made it unwatchable.

It seems that the issue could be:

The Nova's HDMI card
The LG C7P's HDMI card
Both?

According to my findings on the interwebs, LG TVs have been plagued with subpar HDMI handling, and I'm tempted to blame the TV. But if there is any chance the Nova is faulty, I'll of course want to get that sorted via warranty ASAP.

Posted on: 12 June 2018 by Richard Dane

Mrsurr, what firmware are you running on the Nova?

If you have signal detected but noise, or signal but no sound, then this can often be because the source is outputting a multichannel bitstream digital signal rather a 2 channel PCM one. You need to ensure that the source is configured to output a 2 channel PCM signal. The Nova DAC is a 2 channel DAC so cannot understand a multichannel digital stream.

Posted on: 12 June 2018 by Mrsurr

I’m running V 2.6.2074 [@mention:1566878603942595].

Yeah I did have the output set to stereo, no dice.

Posted on: 15 June 2018 by ChrisSU

I’ve been using an Atom with HDMI input from a Samsung TV, and many of your comments are all too familiar. Firmware updates did bring some improvements, particularly in establishing the connection in the first place. The biggest problem is lip sync, which occasionally is correct, but now is nearly always so far out that it is really distracting. We no longer bother with it, so realistically, it was Ł150 down the pan.