After many trials over that last few days, I believe Graham’s suggestion that the HDCP handshake (or HDMI handshake) is failing is at the route of the problem (see Graham’s post #2 in this thread). As I understand it, when the 4000T (or indeed any other HDMI source) is turned on, it needs to go through a High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection “handshake” with the display device. This is to ensure that the display device is or will act ‘dumb’ and can’t be used to copy the media. If the handshake fails, then no video or audio is output to the TV.

My trials revolve around a Sony KDL 32EX503 (around 4 years old – launched 2010) and a new FVP 4000T 1Tb. The consistent results I get in relation to turning on when timer recording as active are as follows:

[1] With HDMI-CEC (ie Sony Sync or Panasonic Viera Link) OFF The 4000T will turn on and output video and audio during a recording if the 4000T was turned off less than 40-45 mins before the recording was due to start.

[2] With HDMI-CEC OFF If the 4000T was turned off more than 40-45 mins before the recording was due to start, the 4000T will not output video or audio if an attempt is made to turn it on during the 20 mins period before the recording (when it is waiting for the program to start) or to turn it on when the recording is in progress. The 40-45 mins is not exact. The only way here is to (a) wait for the recording to finish, when it will then turn on or (b) abandon the recording by pulling out power cable, waiting a few secs, re-insert power cable and reboot.

[3] With HDMI-CEC ON (ie. so that 4000T can control TV on/off and TV input selection) Starting with both TV and 4000T off then, when a recording is in progress or about to start, using only the 4000T remote sometimes the 4000T and TV will both come on to display the 4000T video and audio and sometime they won’t. I haven’t yet identified a consistent circumstance that can predict a turn on failure.

[4] With HDMI-CEC ON If in addition to connecting the TV and 4000T with an HDMI cable, I have tried with the 4000T’s A/V outputs (ie. the yellow, red and white RCA sockets) connected to a scart input on the TV (with a suitable RCA/Scart cable) at the same time as the HDMI cable. In this set-up, from a TV/4000T off state but with the 4000T recording (or in the 20mins waiting before) both box and TV will reliably turn on and display video and audio. When they turn on, the TV takes its input from the HDMI and not the A/V (albeit I can manually switch to the A/V for the lower quality picture ie. 560 rather than 1080p).

So for my set-up, having the A/V connection in parallel with the HDMI (ie. both cables connected at the same time) is currently giving me a work around for the problem. Yippee – I can turn on the TV and 4000T when the latter is recording! I hope this might help others here.

I suspect the 40-45 mins I mention in [1] and [2] may be connected to the 4000T remembering a recent handshake and not requiring it to be repeated if the box has only recently been turned off (there are mentions on Google searches of turning things off for 10 mins or so where there has been a HDCP handshake failure – presumably to allow memories to clear down).

I suspect that the fact that I can get it to work with HDMI-CEC turned on (albeit only reliably with a parallel A/V connection) must be something to do with the 4000T being programmed to wait for a suitable response from the TV when the 4000T is turning the TV on itself. I am however stumped as to why the parallel connection should make a scrap of difference to the success of any HDCP handshake. But it does for me!

I suspect that without HDMI-CEC turned on, the 4000T is not waiting long enough for the HDCP handshake response from the TV and therefore prevents any video or audio output (on both HDMI and A/V). This is a pity since it is affecting Sony and Panasonic TV owners – its not as if they are obscure brands!

Just to confirm, having the composite video and left/right audio rca output sockets of the FVP (the yellow, white and red ones) connected with a RCA composite to scart cable (Google “scart to composite cable” for examples) to a scart input on the TV gets around the problem (at least for me!). The composite to scart cables can be only be used for a signal in one direction, so the switch on the cable needs to be the correct way for composite to scart (rather than scart to composite).

Yes, I can also watch the composite video (and audio) output from the FVP on the TV. I don’t as it’s at the lower video quality of 576 lines, or maybe 720p (ie. the same as the older 9200T). I also don’t need to as the presence of this parallel connection enables a working HDMI link.

There is no obvious reason why having the composite connection as well as the hdmi connection makes my system work. However over the last few days it has turned on reliably when recording – each time turning the TV on and automatically turning the TV to the correct HDMI input [note I need HDMI-CEC control (ie. Sony Sync or Panny Viera Link) switched on as part of my work round]. I can only assume this parallel connection is causing some handshake problem to be avoided.