urgent help

[mkdon]

hi guys

please go easy on my I am a complete newbie and not sure if this is even the right place for this thread. I was given a mx pro android box from a friend who no longer needed it and its in more or less brand new condition, when I connect it to my tv ( samsung ue40f6400) it causes the picture to go fuzzy and also keeps making the tv switch off and on. for what its worth i have a sky box, ps4 and now this android box connect to tv via hdmi. it is only since getting the android box the problem started. it stops if i unplug the box. is the box not compatible with my tv or is it to do with my settings?

 

[Andrew Cole]

There is only one reason that your box is behaving this way... but as none of us are at your house to try them all, we'll try to eliminate what isn't causing this problem!

First, we'll work on the hardware fixes...
If none of these work, we'll have a look at how we can force the connection to your TV through the settings.

Get the kettle on... it could be a long night!

FIRST: Does the Android TV box work with another TV in the house or your computer monitor (via HDMI)?
If you're given an Android TV box by a friend who, er... 'no longer needs it' and it's in 'more or less brand new condition', it may be a dud.

Don't be surprised by this - these devices are cheap and badly made and are very prone to faults.
If it turns out that the box is a dud, un-friend the cad and burn his house down.

NEXT: Are your devices connected to a power strip? or do they have their own direct wall sockets?
I suspect that they are all plugged into a strip... if this is the case, then get at least your TV OUT of the strip and give that plug it's own private spot on the wall.

Even better... can you test your devices when they are plugged into a UPS?
Using a UPS with my Android TV box has solved a few problems for me... one of them being that if I turn on the room lights connected to the same circuit breaker, the box no longer switches off the screen for a couple of seconds!
(I don't know why either... maybe I have ghosts!)

TVs need a lot of juice to keep going and this may stabilise the connection.

Next - can you rummage about and find some old RCA cables?
On the back of your box is an RCA connector... does the device work better when connecting to the TV this way?

Next - If a TV has 4 HDMI sockets then they should all work with different devices.
Try swapping them around and see what happens... one of the Samsung TV HDMI sockets may be a bit naff.

 

[mkdon]

thanks mate!

yes i use a strip all the devices including tv is using it, its at the end of the room where there is no sockets, tv has 4 hdmis let me try re arrange them see if it helps

cheers

There is only one reason that your box is behaving this way... but as none of us are at your house to try them all, we'll try to eliminate what isn't causing this problem!

First, we'll work on the hardware fixes...
If none of these work, we'll have a look at how we can force the connection to your TV through the settings.

Get the kettle on... it could be a long night!

FIRST: Does the Android TV box work with another TV in the house or your computer monitor (via HDMI)?
If you're given an Android TV box by a friend who, er... 'no longer needs it' and it's in 'more or less brand new condition', it may be a dud.

Don't be surprised by this - these devices are cheap and badly made and are very prone to faults.
If it turns out that the box is a dud, un-friend the cad and burn his house down.

NEXT: Are your devices connected to a power strip? or do they have their own direct wall sockets?
I suspect that they are all plugged into a strip... if this is the case, then get at least your TV OUT of the strip and give that plug it's own private spot on the wall.

Even better... can you test your devices when they are plugged into a UPS?
Using a UPS with my Android TV box has solved a few problems for me... one of them being that if I turn on the room lights connected to the same circuit breaker, the box no longer switches off the screen for a couple of seconds!
(I don't know why either... maybe I have ghosts!)

TVs need a lot of juice to keep going and this may stabilise the connection.

Next - can you rummage about and find some old RCA cables?
On the back of your box is an RCA connector... does the device work better when connecting to the TV this way?

Next - If a TV has 4 HDMI sockets then they should all work with different devices.
Try swapping them around and see what happens... one of the Samsung TV HDMI sockets may be a bit naff.

 

[mkdon]

just a quick update i think i may not what the issue is if anyone could let me know about the following. my tv has 4 hdmi slots. 1 is for stb which iv connected to my sky box, 2 says arc but nothing seems to work on that one. 3 just says hdmi which iv got my playstation 4 and the 4th one says dvi.

to use the android box do i need to take out the sky box connect? i took out the ps4 hdmi and stuck it in the android box which worked for a bit then the tv switched off, however maybe this is because i didnt switch off the tv when swapping the cable. unfortunately i dont have another tv which i can test the box on nor can i plug the tv into a socket direclty.

 

[Andrew Cole]

...and stuck it in the android box which worked for a bit then...

If, as you say, the Android TV box works for a while in another HDMI port then it seems like a wiring/cable issue.

Of course, if the Android TV box is working just fine then you can fix your connection problem easily by using the RCA cables to connect to the TV.

It's possible that the HDMI cable for the Android TV box is faulty or one of the sockets on the TV is dodgy.

The only way to be sure, is to use a cable that you know works and an HDMI port that you know works for other devices, then UNPLUG ALL other HDMI cables (for the purposes of the test) and try again.

If the Android TV box works fine with nothing else attached to the TV and you must have all your devices plugged in to the TV at the same time, then you may want to consider a cheap HDMI hub.

I use a hub because the TV in my classroom only has two HDMI sockets and I need more...
This is what mine looks like...

 

[mkdon]

hi


yesterday i tried my android box on two seperate tvs ( visited a few family memebrs) and on both occasions it worked absolutly perfectly. its worth mention both the tvs where rather old being lcd and not smart tvs. also on both tvs my box was the only thing connected unlike my own tv which has a sky box and ps4. im guessing the problem is either using a smart tv or having too many connections

 

[Andrew Cole]

Do you have an option in Display Settings to enable FORCE RGB OUTPUT.

Also... have you tried using RCA cables yet?

Or... (and we're getting desperate here!) on your Samsung TV, press Source on the remote, select HDMI4 (or where the Android TV box is connected), then press Tools button to bring up options, select Edit Name, select PC (there are other options like Cable STB, Satellite STB, Game etc.) then press OK.

Like I say... we're clutching at straws a bit, now!

 

[mkdon]

thanks for that i will give that a go now. i did disconnet all the cables earlier on with just the android box connect but again it just switched off. iv not tried rca cables yet not even sure what they are lol. il google it and see if i have any lying around

 

[Andrew Cole]

...rca cables...

Yes, the old standby!

This is what you are looking for...

 

[mkdon]

ohh i remember them i think i got one lying around the house from my ps2 days lol. il giv that a try, although was hopin i could enjoy watchin sport and movies in HD

 

[mkdon]

If, as you say, the Android TV box works for a while in another HDMI port then it seems like a wiring/cable issue.

Of course, if the Android TV box is working just fine then you can fix your connection problem easily by using the RCA cables to connect to the TV.

It's possible that the HDMI cable for the Android TV box is faulty or one of the sockets on the TV is dodgy.

The only way to be sure, is to use a cable that you know works and an HDMI port that you know works for other devices, then UNPLUG ALL other HDMI cables (for the purposes of the test) and try again.

If the Android TV box works fine with nothing else attached to the TV and you must have all your devices plugged in to the TV at the same time, then you may want to consider a cheap HDMI hub.

I use a hub because the TV in my classroom only has two HDMI sockets and I need more...
This is what mine looks like...

View attachment 112327

hi mate.

iv taken ur advice and bought a hdmi splitter. does it matter which port i connect the output too? my name has stb. dvi, arc and hdmi

i got it from amazon but it didnt really come with a user manual.

 

[mkdon]

its still switching off my tv. i have output connect to the stb slot. sky box into input1, ps4 in input2 and android box in imput3. within 2 mins of switching to android box my tv went off

 

[Andrew Cole]

Very frustrating. I feel your pain!

Time for RCA cables? Force RGB setting?

I'm out of good ideas, sorry.

 

[mkdon]

thanks i may have to or just keep it on the downstairs tv. it may be to do with the hdmi switcher i got. this is the one i bought
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0020426AG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

but when i try it on the tv downstairs which works with the box i cant switch. it only shows what is on input 1 and for input 2 it says mode not supported, however that tv is over 10 years old so maybe its not just compatitble

 

[mkdon]

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i ended up contacting samsung support via live chat and they got me to reset my tv. now its working fine. been over an hour and tv hasnt switched off. got sky ps4 and box all connected same time

 

[Andrew Cole]

Awesome!

 

[mkdon]

Awesome!

spoke to soon but i think u may be able to help. the tv and android box where working fine for over 3hrs. i then switched on my sky to watch tv and noticed the pic quality was not very good, for example i was on pointless and the faces kept fuzzing and jerking when they spoke. so i went back onto the samsung live chat and he got me to disconnect and and turn tv off. when i switched the tv back on the pic quality was fine but within 2 mins the same issue happened.

now as i look closely my tv is not actually off. the screen is just gone all black as if its switched off. reason i know this is because when the tv goes off the standby light at the bottom turns on. im trying to press buttons on the samsung remote the tv recognises im pressing somethin but not responding. also when it was working the samsung remote reacts very slowly with the tv ( possible interferance with the infrared from the android)

does this sound like a problem you have ever encountered? unfortunately the samsung live chat people have closed now so cant do anything. i know if i was to disconnect the hdmi from android the tv will come back on n work fine.

only thing i can think of now is trying out 3 new hdmi cables perhaps one is fault or plug tv directly in socket as u suggest right at the beginning. at he moment im using an extention lead connected to an extension lead.

 

[mkdon]

on a side note. how do i do an update for my box? whenever i try i get a message saying 'check your ota servier argent' i spoke to samsung again they asking if my android is upto date perhaps thats why its causing tv to turn off

 

[Andrew Cole]

... How do i do an update for my box?

If the box is working fine, don't!

 

[mkdon]

If the box is working fine, don't!

cool. got off the phone to samsung they said i should perhaps buy a new hdmi. they saying it sounds like a conflict between my tv and the android box. i thought all hdmi cables were same