Pulpit HDMI Input and iPad Lightnight / HDMI adapters

We've had problems using iPad Lightning to HDMI adapters with the HDMI input at the pulpit. The video drops every few seconds like it's trying to renegotiate. It was especially embarrassing when a Seventy was visiting for a conference and had planned to show a video.

Other devices work fine on that input.

Has anyone run into similar issues and found a solution?

Not all systems are created equally. That applies to church buildings as well as lightning to HDMI adapters.

To start with, are you using the official adapter?

Yes, they appear to all be using the official Apple adapter, but I will double-check that. It's possible they have convincing knock-offs.
As to the system at the building, if it helps this is a system that was installed around 5-6 years ago if I recall correctly. It's this Extron input on the bottom left of this photo.

andrewjorgensen wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 8:44 am Has anyone run into similar issues and found a solution?

Yes, we've been experiencing a similar issue with our Extron HDMI inputs. Feeding into the pulpit jack can sometimes work, but if you unplug the HDMI cable and plug it back in 10 seconds later, it fails most of the time. The indicator light goes green for a few seconds (indicating a good input), then amber for a few seconds (indicating a bad or missing input). All the while, my notebook PC (with a direct HDMI output) goes nuts as it switches between 1 screen and 2. When it's working, I can select almost any resolution on-the-fly and it instantly locks on. When it fails, it doesn't matter what resolution I select, it won't latch onto anything,

Also tried the HDMI input jack at the rear of the chapel, but can't get anything to work there.

Later today I'll be turning in a trouble ticket in FIR. Our system was installed earlier this year and I believe is still under some sort of warranty.

BTW, are you able to feed audio into the 3.5mm jack on the Extron plate, or do you use the jack in the top-center of your pic?

Mikerowaved wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 12:58 pm BTW, are you able to feed audio into the 3.5mm jack on the Extron plate, or do you use the jack in the top-center of your pic?

I prefer the jack in the beige top-center plate because it doesn't require switching to the "Media" setting for the chapel and it's easy to adjust the volume quickly if it's too loud or too quiet. But we've used both, and we've even just used HDMI audio (when HDMI works at all).

Mikerowaved wrote: Tue Nov 02, 2021 12:58 pm Later today I'll be turning in a trouble ticket in FIR. Our system was installed earlier this year and I believe is still under some sort of warranty.

Ours is definitely out of warranty, but I've also filed a FIR in hopes that it can be fixed. Please let me know if they are able to solve it!

We've got this problem at our building. Did you find any resolution with filing a trouble ticket?

Not yet. They sent a tech over who tested with some other device, reported that that worked, and closed the issue. I tried to arrange to meet the tech there, but couldn't manage it because I also had to arrange to have someone with an iPad there.

I'll try again if I can make those arrangements.

Someone else in another thread reported an issue with the pulpit HDMI output that turned out to be a weak signal due to the long cable run.

You might want to try running the signal though an active splitter to act as an amplifier. I doubt mobile devices are designed to drive a long cable run.

In this case that shouldn't help. The input takes HDMI from a short cable and changes it to Cat5 for the long run. It's designed for exactly that kind of environment and it works with other devices.

It's a good thought though. And I do wonder if a splitter would solve the problem for other reasons, so I'll give that a try next chance I get.

andrewjorgensen wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 2:38 pm In this case that shouldn't help. The input takes HDMI from a short cable and changes it to Cat5 for the long run.

Is that an active conversion, and if so, where does it get it's power?

I'm thinking that for whatever reason, the device just isn't delivering a strong enough signal to make it though what it has to go though.

russellhltn wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 5:05 pm Is that an active conversion, and if so, where does it get it's power?

It is. The power comes from the Extron video switch in the AV cabinet.

harperrg wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:35 am We've got this problem at our building. Did you find any resolution with filing a trouble ticket?

Yes. A tech came out, ran some tests, then cut off the ends to a couple of cables and re-dressed them. This was done both at the pulpit and the rear of the chapel. All is good now.

Obviously, this might not be the solution for others, but it fixed our HDMI problems for both inputs.

Mikerowaved wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:23 pm A tech came out, ran some tests, then cut off the ends to a couple of cables and re-dressed them. This was done both at the pulpit and the rear of the chapel. All is good now.

Probably some kind of network cable test, not just some "it works on my laptop" test.

Mikerowaved wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:23 pm

harperrg wrote: Sun Jan 09, 2022 7:35 am We've got this problem at our building. Did you find any resolution with filing a trouble ticket?

Yes. A tech came out, ran some tests, then cut off the ends to a couple of cables and re-dressed them. This was done both at the pulpit and the rear of the chapel. All is good now.

Obviously, this might not be the solution for others, but it fixed our HDMI problems for both inputs.

Curious. I wonder if actually they also did other things, like updating the firmware on the input boxes.

andrewjorgensen wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:46 pm Curious. I wonder if actually they also did other things, like updating the firmware on the input boxes.

That I don't know. Our system is still under warranty, so I wouldn't think it would need FW updating yet.

If I plug an Apple TV into the HDMI input directly the HDCP kicks in and the Extron switch shows green video. We overcome this by using a U9 four port HDMI splitter. This is a good practice anyway since you can feed the source video into a projector and building HDMI input at the same time. If I would like to use a Blackmagic Design ATEM switch I need a second U9 splitter on the output of the Extron switch as well.

When troubleshooting look for the HDCP indicator LED on the Extron switch.

In our case the Apple TV is running some NDI software so over Ethernet I have a way to get video to the rostrum independent of the building video distribution system.