Date: February 7, 2020
By: Jeroen Caeyers – Wavepart

Introduction

In the past I have worked with Quantum Data HDMI analyzers to troubleshoot HDMI issues. This time I got the opportunity to test the Fox & Hound Testing and Troubleshooting Kit from Murideo, an AVPro Global Holdings brand. Special thanks to Eddie Hooiveld – Maas CPS for supplying the equipment.

In this review I will tell you about my experience with this HDMI testing and troubleshooting kit. And of course I will compare it to the
780BH Quantum Data HDMI Analyzer I know.

Note #1: From now on I will abbreviate “Fox & Hound” as “F&H”

Note #2: Scratches visible on the display are from the protective foil, not the display itself

Specification F&H Generator

Specification F&H Analyzer

First Impression

The first difference between the F&H and the Quantum Data is that the F&H has a separate Generator and Analyzer instead of a single device that incorporates both. Very useful is you are testing a system with input and output far apart.

The F&H comes in a nice carrying case and the devices looks rugged. I like the fact that it’s battery operated, both Generator and Analyzer seem to last quite long on a charge.

The F&H is easy to operate, no complicated settings. The only thing that confused me a bit was the HDCP (Copy Protection) LED on the Analyzer. I thought it indicated an incoming encrypted HDMI signal. But it only indicates that HDCP support is activated, it doesn’t say anything about the actual signal coming in.

There are two versions of HDCP. HDCP 1.x is let’s say the traditional DVD / Blu-Ray copy protection. The latest version is HDCP 2.2, it is used mainly for 4K (and higher) content. It’s beyond the scope of this review to explain where HDCP is being used. But it’s more than just (UHD) Blu-Ray and Netflix.

Testing

I have been doing HDMI (troubleshooting) training for quite some time. In those years I have learned that most HDMI problems are related to: EDID, HDCP, TMDS (Bandwidth) and and Hot Plug Detect.

As a user, there’s not much you can do when it comes to Hot Plug Detect. Disconnect and reconnect the HDMI cable or change the order in which devices are powered up.

EDID, HDCP and TMDS are things you can, more or less, control if you have the right tools. As long as you know what’s going on. And this is where the F&H comes in. After doing lots of tests, I have found the F&H especially useful in the following situations:

1- Examine the HDMI signal that a source is supplying: what’s the resolution, framerate, color space? Does it use chroma subsampling (4:2:2 / 4:2:0) and is the source HDCP encrypted (1.x / 2.2)? As an example I connected a Chromecast (first generation) and a Chromecast Ultra (HDR streaming) to the Analyzer. The results are below.

2- Check if a source or display is 1.x / 2.2 HDCP compliant: set the appropriate HDCP support settings in Analyzer or Generator. You can choose HDCP 1.x, HDCP 2.2 or both.

3- See if a system can handle a certain bandwidth. Generate a signal with the Generator at the input of the system. Use the installed display or the Analyzer to see if the signal is getting through. You can change the following parameters:

• Resolution: separate SD (Standard Definition), 720,1080, 4K and VESA (PC resolutions) menus
• Colorspace: RGB, YUV
• Chroma subsampling: 4:4:4, 4:2:2 and 4:2:0
• Color Depth: 8, 10 and 12 bit
• HDR (High Dynamic Range): HDR10 and HLG
• Auto: all settings optimized based on the EDID of the display

4- EDID checking: check the EDID that the HDMI source is “seeing”. Especially with setups with distributors, switchers and extenders this not always obvious.

I expected to find this EDID checking feature on the Generator, but I couldn’t find it at first. So I checked the Analyzer. It takes a few steps to see the EDID: connect Analyzer to screen, “EDID Copy”, “Select copied EDID”, “View Selected EDID”.

But it turns out it can be done with by pressing a single button on the Generator as well: the “Auto” button. The “Auto” mode lets the Generator read the EDID of the display to send an HDMI signal optimized for that particular display (resolution, framerate etc.). Pressing this button also shows the EDID of the display.

5- Cable test: use both the Generator and Analyzer to work together and do a cable test. Choose the desired bandwidth (resolution, framerate etc.) and see if the cable works without bit errors.

I took the cheapest 7.5m HDMI Cable I could find and hooked it up to the F&H to do a cable test. The maximum cable length depends on the bandwidth. Higher bandwidth means shorter cable. This is exactly what we measure: HDMI at 9Gbps works perfectly with this cable but at 12Gbps it fails completely. This is what we call the Cliff Effect.

Verdict

For me, The Fox and Hound has proven to be a valuable tool for troubleshooting HDMI problems including finding cable issues. In the HDMI “problem areas” being EDID, HDCP and TMDS (Bandwidth), it really makes the difference between guessing and knowing.

The F&H supports the full HDMI 2.0 18Gbps bandwidth, has High Dynamic Range (HDR) and selectable HDCP 1.x / 2.2 support. And most of all, its user interface is very easy and the battery life is excellent. The audio and video confidence monitor is nice to quickly find out if you have the desired audio / video.

The F&H is lacking a lot of functionality of the the
Quantum data 780BH, especially when it comes to detailed HDMI handshake, DDC and CEC analysis. But you have to be a specialist to be able to understand and use these functions, maybe a developer of some kind of HDMI device.

The F&H on the other hand can be used in the field by a an average technician and is more affordable than the Quantum Data 780BH (something like one-third of the price). And I didn’t mention yet that the 780BH does not support the full 18Gbps HDMI 2.0 bandwidth. The fact that the F&H has a separate Generator and Analyzer is an advantage in setups were input and output are far apart.

This doesn’t make the F&H perfect, there are some things that could be improved. A 2 inch display is small, I would have liked a slightly bigger display. There’s only a small portion of the EDID that can be examined on the F&H. A software PC tool with EDID management would be a nice addition. I have been told that the Murideo SIX-A / SIX-G, the bigger brother of the F&H, has this feature. And finally, an “HDMI loop-through” on the analyzer would allow you to see the HDMI signal parameters without effecting the system.

But overall I am very happy with the Fox & Hound, it allowed me to pinpoint HDMI issues very quickly. It’s a real time saver in the field.