Remote play dependant of HDMI port

Hi Christian,

My name is Aileen, and I’m an Xbox Expert and an Xbox user myself. I totally get how frustrating that is. I’ve experienced weird Remote Play quirks before, but having to physically unplug HDMI every time just to get a clean stream is way beyond what should be necessary. You’ve done all the right steps already, especially testing other TVs, cables, and doing a factory reset.

Based on what you described, here’s what I’ve learned and what might help:

This issue seems tied to how Xbox handles display initialization when HDMI is active.

A connection with the TV EDID negotiation is attempted when your console boots up with a display connected. Remote Play may inherit a corrupted resolution or display buffer if that process becomes disorganized or if the TV or monitor sends odd or delayed signals, which would result in the identical artifacted screen you are currently viewing.

Here’s what you can try to reduce or bypass this behavior without unplugging HDMI physically:

1. Use “HDMI Off” setting via Xbox Developer Mode (if available)

While not always ideal, if you’re familiar with Developer Mode, you can disable HDMI output completely. That way, Remote Play becomes the sole video pipeline.

If not, skip this step; it’s more of a niche workaround.

2. Set your Xbox to boot in low resolution by default

This is to prevent handshake issues:

Go to Settings > General > TV & display options

Under Video fidelity & overscan, try switching Auto-detect to HDMI, then manually set resolution to 720p

Reboot and test Remote Play. If it behaves better at 720p, you’ve narrowed it down to EDID scaling or resolution sync issues

3. Enable "Display with no TV connected" workaround HDMI Dummy Plug

Some users have success with a small HDMI dummy plug. It tricks your console into thinking a display is connected, providing a stable EDID handshake even without a real TV.

That way, Remote Play works normally even when you're away from the console, no unplugging required.

Search for “HDMI dummy plug for headless display.” It’s a cheap plug-and-play solution.

4. Report it directly to Xbox Devs

Since this has persisted across versions, it’s worth reporting via the Xbox Insider Hub or Feedback tool:

Press Xbox button, go to Profile & system > Settings > Feedback

Choose Report a problem, then under category, select Remote Play / Game Streaming

This helps push the issue up with detailed logs so it can get patched in future updates.

Let me know if you'd like help setting up a dummy plug or using Dev Mode, I’ve walked through that myself.

I hope that this helps.

Please let me know if you need any further assistance. Looking forward to your response.

Thank you!

Aileen

Have you tried a different HDMI cable?

Try also to select manually the HDMI port (press AV on the TV remote and select HDMI 1 or 2 depending on wah you are using).

No, use two cables each to a HDMI port on the TV and then use your TV remote to change between HDMI inputs.

Theres just a black screen on my tv when the xbox one x is shut off! It doesnt let me see the screen when i press my remotes “source” button, so I cant use the remote to switch from hdmi 1 to hdmi 2.

i have to manually unplug and then reinsert the hdmi cables into the hdmi ports

HDMI ports on laptops tend to be HDMI out only

You download the Xbox conpanon app to wireless display or if you want remote play it or cloud stream if you have gamepass ultimate

No, use two cables each to a HDMI port on the TV and then use your TV remote to change between HDMI inputs.