HDMI connection lost when 7MC closes

[CountryBumkin]

I'm not sure if this question belongs in the Sound thread or here.

My problem is that I my HTPC drops the HDMI connection when I exit media center.

When I am in 7MC I can play all my ripped DVDs, Blu-rays, and music. But when Media Center closes (or in window mode) the HDMI connection drops off. I can see the "No Signal" messeage in the Onkyo display as soon as 7MC closes, and it reconnects again when 7MC opens. I need the connection to say active so I can have sound with NetFlix (apparently it runs outside of media Center even though I launch it in 7MC).

Any idea why my HDMI connection is dependant on 7MC running?

Win7 x64
ASROCK H67M-ITX/i3-2100T connected via HDMI to Onkyo TX-SR705 receiver

 

[Desslok]

Sounds like an HDCP issue.

 

[CountryBumkin]

Thanks for the suggestion. Any idea how to fix it?
Why would I be able to play movies through Media Center. Is there a different HDCP handshake between Win7 OS and 7MC?

 

[Desslok]

Try this, when you lose audio, change inputs to something else and then back to the PC, see if it re-connects. With your hardware, is it possible to use S/PDIF connector to your receiver and turn off HDMI audio? Sometimes that is the best solution to avoid issues like this.

 

[CountryBumkin]

Yes, I can get a connection with S/PDIF and that is what I use now until this problem can be fixed. But S/PDIF doesn't support HD audio so I want to get the HDMI working. It is not practical to change inputs between watchhing movie rips and watching Netflix streams.
I ordered one of those HDMI "EDID" boxes (HDMI Detective Plus) so if this is a HDCP issue, that should take care of it.

 

[CountryBumkin]

Try this, when you lose audio, change inputs to something else and then back to the PC, see if it re-connects. With your hardware, is it possible to use S/PDIF connector to your receiver and turn off HDMI audio? Sometimes that is the best solution to avoid issues like this.

I found out that as soon as I close 7MC (or window it) I lose the HDMI signal. As soon as I restart 7MC (full screen) the connection comes back. There is something happening in 7MC that enables my HDMI connection that is not happening when I am in the desktop, IE9, or running Netflix.

 

[CountryBumkin]

Fixed

I just wanted to post an update to my problem in case anyone searches this site for a similar issue.
It turns out the problem was becasue my receiver (Onkyo TX-SR705) does not pass audio through it when the display resoultion is set to a non-TV resolution. I had 7MC set to 1080P so it worked fine, but outside of media center, my display would default to the TVs native resoultion of 768x1360 (720P) so the sound would not pass through. i set the desktop to 1080x1920 and now everything is fine.

I'm just posting this to help the next guy.