Computer won't display in 4K on 4K TV

[MTLKing]

Hi,

So I've read other thread about this and I'm wondering if the issue is not my computer.

I have a 4K TV and a brand new HDMI 2.0 cable so I know those 2 are not the issue.

I have a computer connected to the TV and I can't get the resolution to 4K.

Is it because the computer is not strong enough? (It could well be that since its an older computer.)

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Let me know!

Thanks

 

[PrinceXizor]

That's a pretty old laptop.
First, your cable being HDMI 2.0 doesn't mean you are outputting HDMI 2.0 to your TV. That laptop has HDMI 1.4 which does not support 4K.
If that's how you are connecting, that is problem #1.
Likely the GPU and or chipset does not support 4K output either.

For example, my Z77 Pro 4 motherboard has HDMI 1.4 which only supports 1080P. The VGA connectors can do more, but still not 4K. I don't know of any modern TVs that would have a VGA connector anyway.

 

[VirtualLarry]

First, your cable being HDMI 2.0 doesn't mean you are outputting HDMI 2.0 to your TV. That laptop has HDMI 1.4 which does not support 4K.

That could be a ("the") problem, ya think?

To break it down: A video chain is only as strong as the weakest link. Running a 4K UHD display off of HDMI 2.0(a/b), requires:
1) An HDMI2.0 (optionally, 'a' or 'b') source port.
2) An HDMI2.0-compliant (18Gbit/sec) cable
3) A display that is capable of accepting a 4K UHD signal (@60Hz) over HDMI2.0.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

HDMI 1.4a does support 4k, but only at 30Hz. The GT 650M supports the res too. It may be an out of range issue. I would try to change it in the nvidia settings. If it does not appear in the list, create it as a custom res. I have not looked at what the last driver release for that gpu was though, so ymmv.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Hmm...your saying the spec supports it? Interesting.
In any implementation I saw, the HDMI was limited to 1080P and anything more than that required output through DVI or VGA. The specs I saw though didn't quote refresh rate but gave a "max resolution". I supposed there's also a difference between "supported' and "possible".

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Hmm...your saying the spec supports it? Interesting.
In any implementation I saw, the HDMI was limited to 1080P and anything more than that required output through DVI or VGA. The specs I saw though didn't quote refresh rate but gave a "max resolution". I supposed there's also a difference between "supported' and "possible".

Perhaps you saw the limitations for 3D? Here is the spec https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_1.4

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, somehow, my GT630 (Kepler, same as GT730) card's HDMI 1.4b ports DO support 4K UHD @ 30Hz, in newer NV driver packages, but at a reduced color depth (4:2:0, I believe).

Edit: As a matter of fact, I just ordered some gt730 gddr5 2GB cards off of ebay, just (primarily) for display duty, but if the can play LoL, Roblox, and maybe even Fortnite and Minecraft, so much the better.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Perhaps you saw the limitations for 3D? Here is the spec https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI#Version_1.4

I'm certain I was mistaken. I learned something new. It appears the HDMI 1.4 spec supports 4K but as is common certain actual hardware implementations didn't officially implement or support it. The official docs for my motherboard when using an IGPU only allow 1080P over HDMI and a higher resolution but not 4K over VGA.
Digging a little deeper on the internet now that I have a direction, it appears (for my hardware) that a custom resoluton at 24Hz may actually output 4K from the HD4000 with my i5-3750K. At least one person is claiming they mad that work on their hardware.

 

[mindless1]

You can sometimes coax HDMI 1.4b to go a little higher than 30Hz, on one system with a GTX750TI I got it up to 38Hz on a custom res. in NV control panel, stable long term. YMMV, might depend on the particular monitor, HDMI cable, and GPU, +/- a few Hz.

 

[mindless1]

Well, somehow, my GT630 (Kepler, same as GT730) card's HDMI 1.4b ports DO support 4K UHD @ 30Hz, in newer NV driver packages, but at a reduced color depth (4:2:0, I believe).

This is something I've wondered about. That GTX 750TI I mentioned in my prior post, I've since had a chance to look more carefully at the 4K TV connected to it, and based on a test image, it's not in 4:2:0, at least 4:2:2 at 38Hz/4K over HDMI1.4

Looking at the examples on rtings (for Samsung UN55JU7100 middle of page), it looks more like 4:4:4 than even 4:2:2, nothing like 4:2:0.

Chroma Subsampling: 4:4:4 vs 4:2:2 vs 4:2:0

What is Chroma Subsampling and where is this visible? Chroma subsampling is a type of compression that reduces the color information in a signal in favor of luminance data.

www.rtings.com

At the same time, I'm led to believe 4:4:4 is impossible given HDMI 1.4 bandwidth limitations, yet it sure looks like it's doing it anyway.

For example the following test image, seems to get scaled funky when I view it in firefox, but loading that in an imaging app at 1:1 scale, there isn't the blurring or missing pixels many sites (like rtings above) show on example pics, nor does it look like a different 4K TV-as-monitor I'd tried previously a few years back, that definitely did look like it was 4:2:0, with text blurred on the blue on red or red on blue background test, running 4K, 30Hz, on HDMI 1.4, same video card.

https://linustechtips.com/uploads/monthly_2016_11/TextTest_4k.png.8fc940e703b15b869281af8c8d22f67e.png

Driver ver. 451.48, though I recall NV drivers were supporting 4K over HDMI 1.4b at least back as far as 2015.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

That thing doesn't even have Displayport so I wouldn't even think of attempting to get 4K/anything out of an 8 year old laptop to run 4K on a 4K display.