Applies to: Apple TV or Google streaming hardware connected to a TV with more than one documented compatible HDMI input.
The useful distinctions
- Apple lists trying another TV HDMI input as a black-screen check.
- Google also lists a different HDMI input for its streaming devices.
- Diagnostic inference to test: Different results require checking each input’s capabilities and settings before declaring damage.
Select comparable ports
Two sockets on one television need not offer identical features. The manual is part of this test: use a mode both documented inputs accept, and note any input-specific signal setting. Otherwise, success on one port may simply show that it supports a format the other does not. Write down both physical labels rather than relying on remembered input numbers.
Read a difference carefully
A repeatable change localises the investigation toward an input or its configuration, but does not yet establish a damaged socket. The player may renegotiate after the move. A loose plug can also become firmly seated during the comparison. Checking the actual output and returning to the original port makes these alternative explanations easier to discuss.
Use the finding to choose the next check
If both ports behave alike, stop repeatedly moving cables and consider a different boundary, such as a known-working cable or a second source. If only one port fails at a shared supported mode, collect its retained settings and model documentation. Keep the original symptom separate from an unsupported high-format experiment so the manufacturer can reproduce the relevant case.
A focused way to proceed
- Choose two TV ports documented to support the selected source mode.
- Record the source output and the first port’s failure using one clip.
- Move the same cable to the second port and select that input.
- Verify that the source output has not changed, then repeat.
- Return to the first port to check reproducibility.
Worked example · synthetic
Hypothetical example: a player works on HDMI 1 and HDMI 3 at the same supported SDR mode, but fails on HDMI 2 each time. This directs attention to HDMI 2’s configuration and hardware; it does not establish a universal port preference.
When to stop or ask for help
Escalate reproducible port-specific failures with the common tested mode. Skip comparisons that would require forcing an undocumented mode.