Kodi won't stay locked to a screen

jimbob200521

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2005
4,108
29
91
So I have my main PC in my bedroom as a PC/Media Center. I have a monitor on my desk for PC duties and a 60" TV hooked up to it as well for TV duties when in the bedroom (this TV always has Kodi on and does nothing else). My problem is when I first turn the TV on, it seems like my video card is auto-detecting (evidenced by the Windows "device added/removed notification sound) the TV and both screens flash for a moment then come back on. When they come back on, Kodi is now displaying on my monitor instead of TV. This is a pain because I now have to turn on the monitor, switch Kodi back to the TV, then go back to what I was doing.

Anyone else have this issue or any possible solutions?

BTW PC specs are in my sig under Main Rig.
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,699
1,448
126
So I have my main PC in my bedroom as a PC/Media Center. I have a monitor on my desk for PC duties and a 60" TV hooked up to it as well for TV duties when in the bedroom (this TV always has Kodi on and does nothing else). My problem is when I first turn the TV on, it seems like my video card is auto-detecting (evidenced by the Windows "device added/removed notification sound) the TV and both screens flash for a moment then come back on. When they come back on, Kodi is now displaying on my monitor instead of TV. This is a pain because I now have to turn on the monitor, switch Kodi back to the TV, then go back to what I was doing.

Anyone else have this issue or any possible solutions?

BTW PC specs are in my sig under Main Rig.

YES. Anyone else HAS INDEED experienced this issue. I only vaguely remember the fix, and should explain the various experiments I tried with integrating a second "monitor" (HDTV) on my system, which sports an ASUS GTX-780 graphics card.

First, I tried to integrate an HDMI 3x1 switch on my system, coordinated with an old Belkin Omni-view 4-port KVM. This worked, except that switching from one computer to another, the switch would throw up the sound you described, and the WMC screen on the HDTV would relocate to the desktop monitor. Switching back, you get the same sound reconfiguring the HDTV, and you had to drag the WMC window over to the HDTV. So -- that was too much of a bummer to continue using.

I then discovered that you're best to cable your desktop monitor via a DVI port on the video card, as opposed to using an HDMI plug. Then you can enable the second monitor (HDTV) through an HDMI port. In my case, the KVM switch adds a degree of complexity, but I was able to cable DVI-to-HDMI cables from two computers to a monitor that has some four or five ports of its own, and an ability to switch between them (BenQ XL2420Z). But Windows 10 wrought havoc with this, and I went through many hoops getting my boot-time desktop to reappear on my desktop monitor. Very tedious and tricky.

You're probably one of the first few people with whom I've crossed paths who uses their main computer for this sort of double-duty. I've been doing it this way since before my purchase of an HDHR' triple-tuner in 2011. Getting it to work with KODI under Windows 10 will probably be a chore, since you report the same sort of problem I'd had, just to get the system to boot properly with the desktop on the desktop monitor and the HDTV as an extension of the desktop without the Windows Taskbar.

I can't guarantee it, but there is likely a fix for this, and it may simply be a matter of choosing the right ports on the graphics card for cabling the respective monitor and HDTV.
 

Kartajan

Golden Member
Feb 26, 2001
1,264
38
91
Throwing out a swag on this. I would guess that in order for the behavior to be as desired (TV as primary), that (a) TV must be on before PC, and (b) TV must be set as "Primary" display (Display # 1 in properties), with the monitor as an extension of the TV.

The thing about HDMI being a "2-way" interface is that it communicates it's state via CEC. Great for some things and crappy for others. DVI does not work the same way, so setting a display up via DVI is more persistent since it isn't as "talkative" as HDMI.
 

jimbob200521

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2005
4,108
29
91
Thanks for the replies guys, always good to know that you're not the only one having an issue.

I would also like to clarify that I have my HP 23" primary monitor hooked up via DVI and have absolutely zero issues with that. The HDTV is hooked up via HDMI and it almost acts like it has to redetect the HDTV every time it is powered on (but nothing changes when I power it off). Funny how such simple things can wreak the most havoc hah
 

Kartajan

Golden Member
Feb 26, 2001
1,264
38
91
try this:

In the TV.
Disable HDMI control from the New Device Found screen or from the Inputs > HDMI Control menu.

(from a Mitsubishi 738/ 838 series manual; you didn't say which Mitsubishi you were using, I am guessing model number...)

If you started with it disabled, try it enabled to determine if the behavior changes positively..​

 
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jimbob200521

Diamond Member
Apr 15, 2005
4,108
29
91
try this:

In the TV.
Disable HDMI control from the New Device Found screen or from the Inputs > HDMI Control menu.

(from a Mitsubishi 738/ 838 series manual; you didn't say which Mitsubishi you were using, I am guessing model number...)

If you started with it disabled, try it enabled to determine if the behavior changes positively..​


Thank you for the suggestion and I checked it out. I see the option you are talking about as far as HDMI control but it won't let me select it :-/