Zektor Palladia™ 8X8 - Manual (Page 21)

HDA800(V2) User Guide, Version 1.3, 9/12/13 21
Using The HDA800(V2)
Using The HDA800(V2)
Functional Overview
The HDA800(V2) is functionally divided into two switches, an HDMI switch and an AUDIO switch.
These two switches function as two unique, and separate, switches, with numerous internal connec-
tions.
The HDMI switch, is a full featured HDMI switch with audio breakaway capabilities. It caches EDID
settings and HDCP keys. The audio breakaway options allows the displaying of video from one HDMI
source, while playing audio from another HDMI source, or from the AUDIO switch.
The AUDIO switch is a full featured DSP based audio switch with format conversions between optical
and coax S/PDIF, and between Analog and PCM stereo formats. It includes volume and tone settings,
input and output gain settings, and input and output lipsync delay settings. The sources to the audio
switch can be the standard audio inputs on the back of the switch, or S/PDIF audio extracted from the
inputs of the HDMI switch.
The HDMI Switch
HDMI has many issues associated with its distribution. It was originally designed to connect a DVD
player to a TV, with a few tweaks to the specification to allow for limited distribution.
HDCP Keys
HDMI allows for encrypted audio/video streams to be sent over the HDMI cables. To do this, each
receiving TV or monitor must be issued its own decryption key. This forces each HDMI cable to send
a different stream of encrypted data, even if it’s the same program being sent to two different monitors.
This prevents a simple splitter from working, since a simple splitter would send the same stream to two
different monitors.
This also allows the source (DVD player, Cable Box, etc) to determine the number of simultaneous
monitors allowed to view it’s content. Some cable box manufacturers only supplied a single HDCP
key, while some Blu-ray players supplied a very limit number (like 3). Even today there are manufac-
turers that limit the number of HDCP keys, in their Blu-ray players to 9.
To work around this problem, the HDA800(V2) will cache keys from sources and generate keys when
needed, to supply up to 24 HDCP keys.
When a source runs out of HDCP keys (there are more monitors attempting to view a source than there
are keys), it can do a number of undefined things. Video can go blank, or it can flash on and off, or in
some cases the source could even lock up and need to be power cycled.
If you suspect an HDCP problem, you can verify this by:
• Turning off the HDA800(V2)
• Turn off all TVs and monitors connected to the HDA800(V2)
• Turn on the HDA800(V2) and set all zones to point to the source with the suspected HDCP
problem.
• Now start turning on zones. If the display starts flickering or blanking after you turn on a zone,
then the source most likely has one less HDCP key that the number of zones you have turned
on.
• To remedy the HDCP problems, see the section on setting the number of HDCP keys. (See:
“Adjusting HDCP key counts” on page 17).