Help with DHCP problem please

[Tony Foster]

I have a 7 year old LG flatscreen on which I want to view movies. A year ago I was given an Apple TV which connects fine. My problem is when I download a select a movie from apple it downloads but will not run. I get a DHCP notice telling me to check my HDMI cable/connection as DHCP is not available. Apple say it is due to the TV not meeting Apple specifications.

The same thing happens if I connect to Netflix.

I have read about DHCP and understand the basics. I concluded that if the LG TV would not support the ‘handshake’ with Apple or Netflix movie security data, perhaps I can use a splitter to act as a stripper. I have purchased two strippers said to meet this requirement but they do not appear to strip out the security signal as the DHCP notice continues to pop up.

I have checked my cabling connections and am confident they are set up properly. I have two questions:

1. Is it possible the actual HDMI cables (which are recently purchased) are to blame in any way. Do HDMI cable have different capabilities or are they all the same?

2. Other than buying a new TV, can anyone suggest a solution to this problem please?

[Bluecube]

You mean HDCP not DHCP. My understanding is that the cables won't make any difference as they're just a transmitting medium. If your TV won't handshake properly with the Apple TV then that's that - you need a TV that uses the HDCP protocol. One thing to ensure is that the Apple TV is plugged into the correct HDMI socket on the TV. Some early TVs didn't have HDCP on all the HDMI sockets.

[DanceswithUnix]

If you can borrow an AV surround sound receiver with HDMI inputs and put that between the TV and the device then it *might* help.

I say borrow, as this is rather clutching at straws and a decent receiver is £200 which is a significant part of the cost of a new TV.

[abaxas]

Why not try a different HDMI port?

[shaithis]

What model TV is it?

Sometimes AV equipment do not like being switched from one source to another with HDCP enabled and will fail the handshake. Might be worth turning everything off, then turn the AppleTV on, then the TV.

You can buy HDCP strippers but last time I looked (which admittedly was a while ago!) they were quite pricey.

[ceejays88]

Definetely try a differnt HDMI port.

We had this issue with a Sony TV and Roku box. We had 4 HDMI ports and only 2 of them passed the image through, the rest only passed sound.