HDR on a Pioneer VSX-933


Screenshot showing how to change the HDR setting on a VSX-933.

I bloody hate hardware manufacturers. I wanted to use HDR on my PlayStation 5. The console supports it, my TV supports it, my amp supports it, my cables support it. Yet it wasn't working. I tried everything - updating firmware, replacing cables, and even reading the manual. Nothing. And then I stumbled on the answer thanks to a random forum post. Perform the following procedure when the unit is on. 1. While pressing DIMMER on the main unit, press AUTO/DIRECT to display the current…

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Review: WAVLINK DisplayLink - Dual HDMI/DisplayPort adapter


Output device with four ports.

The good folk at WAVLINK have sent me their Dual-Screen USB-C adapter to review. Plug it in to a USB-C socket and you now have two extra monitor ports. It'll even work on a USB-A socket, if it is USB 3.0. But is it any good? No. Not really. Hardware It's a fairly chunky hub, with a tragically short USB cable. The USB cable has a dongle which converts it from C to A. That's handy if you don't have enough C ports. But the cable being so short means it is sort of awkward to place. If you're …

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Bug report: 4K iPlayer on the Amazon Fire Stick


BBC video with debug information on it.

Technology never works right. And video technology never works right even harder. The Amazon 4K Fire Stick is a pretty cool bit of kit. It's an Android device which can push 4K HDR video with surround sound to your TV. But, like any technology, it's buggy. Here's the bug report I've tried to send to Amazon and the BBC. They haven't answered - so I'm publishing it here as well. BBC iPlayer supplies 4K video - but the app doesn't switch to 4K mode, it stays at 1080p. Amazon debug To turn on…

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HDCP is ridiculously annoying - DRM sucks for consumers


TV showing error message.

I decided to treat myself to an upgraded home cinema experience. But mandatory copy-protection has meant I've spend the weekend trying and failing to get things working, rather than watching glorious 4K HDR 10 bit movies. Here's the problem: Why am I getting the error "This content can not be displayed because your TV does not support HDCP 2.2."? I have four pieces of kit in the mix, all of which claim to support HDCP's Digital Restrictions Management: Amazon Fire TV Stick - the new 4K…

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This Photo Symbolises Everything Wrong With The N8


So much has already been written about the N8's atrocious software. It's a popular (and fair) stick to beat Nokia and Symbian with. One thing that is always mentioned is how amazing the hardware is. I disagree. The hardware is as poor as the software. I think this picture symbolises that problem. N8 and HDMI lead The N8 has an HDMI port. A mini HDMI port. The image is of a full sized HDMI plug trying to fit into the mini port. It won't fit, of course. But what you can see is that…

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