Trouble Getting Video to Display right on my HDTV from PC

[nealyo777]

I have a PC with a Nvidia 7600 GT that I have hooked up to my monitor via DVI, and to my my 1080i HDTV via DVI to HDMI. The first problem is that when I set it to cloned, part of my desktop is being cut off on the TV. The next problem is that when I try to watch video, it will display fine on the PC monitor, but it won't display at all on the TV. I can get it to display on the TV by selecting full screen video mode from the Nvidia menu for the TV (second display), but then the picture on my TV appears very scrunched up (compressed in from the edge). I realize that this fullscreen thing would work great if I wasn't using a widescreen TV. Any ideas on how to get this to work?

nealyo

 

[stogez]

Try using dual view instead of cloning and selecting a WS resolution. You can also adjust the size of the display from your nvidia control panel under advanced.

 

[nealyo777]

Originally posted by: stogez
Try using dual view instead of cloning and selecting a WS resolution. You can also adjust the size of the display from your nvidia control panel under advanced.

The problem with this is that the only options available in nview are clone, single view, horizontal span, and vertical span. Additonally I have no idea where the advanced thing is, unless nview is as far advanced as you can go.

nealyo

 

[nealyo777]

UPDATE

I have now gotten video to display correctly, but I still can't get the resolution on the TV quite right, and areas are getting cut off. It looks, for some reason, like I can't adjust the resolution on just the TV. Every time I try the monitor gets all messed up.

nealyo

 

[Slikkster]

You should really get Powerstrip and visit the Powerstrip forum at http://forum.entechtaiwan.com.

Powerstrip is a shareware app. Once you've created customized resolutions that your video card will accept, you no longer need to run Powerstrip.

What you need to do is fine tune your "timings" (resolutions) you are sending the HDTV. Powerstrip can do that for you so you can adjust for TV overscan and underscan.

Read this Powerstrip Guide first to get a feel for how to set it up for HDTV, then visit the Powerstrip forum I mentioned above:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/powerstrip.html

In the Powerstrip forum (http://forum.entechtaiwan.com), there is a specific section in the FAQ forum about dealing with overscan/underscan. But read the guide from ramelectronics first so you know what you're doing.

 

[nealyo777]

Does this program allow me to adjust ONLY the HDTV and not the LCD monitor I have as well?

 

[Slikkster]

You should be seeing two monitors in your video display properties page. If you're not, you've got something amiss. You would be adjusting the output timings on Monitor 2 (your HDTV), which Powerstrip can absolutely do.

 

[nealyo777]

Ok, great! I will give this a shot and let ya know how it goes. Hopefully I don't screw something up terribly (which I have a propensity for).

nealyo

 

[Slikkster]

Here's a user guide for Nvidia forceware drivers. Look at the guide starting with page 100 (see the page numbers on the bottom). I'm talking about where it says "100 of 180".

http://download.nvidia.com/Windows/66.9...phics_Display_Property_Users_Guide.pdf

 

[nealyo777]

I tried doing the things that the forceware drives said to do, but I still can't get it displayed right. I am missing the top and bottom 1/2 inch and the left and right inch of my screen on the HDTV. This means that I see no task bar, and am missing the furthest left row of shortcuts on the desktop. Maybe I am missing something, but I tried overscan, underscan, everything they said and NOTHING changed at all, so I am now completely lost on what to do.

nealyo

 

[Slikkster]

Ok, you're making progress. You've got overscan issues, that's all. And your forceware drivers stock resolutions and adjustments aren't enough to deal with them. That's why you have to create "custom" resolutions (called "Timings"), and that's where Powerstrip comes in.

Exactly what model HDTV do you have? Brand name and model number, please.

Also, in the mean time, download this from the makers of Powerstrip. It's a freeware application that will query your HDTV to find out EXACTLY what timings it expects to see from any video source. Make sure when you run it to toggle to your HDTV information vs. your pc monitor. It will say which monitor its reporting on on the title bar, and will allow you to toggle between them.

http://www.entechtaiwan.com/files/moninfo.exe

Copy and paste the info from this Monitor Asset Manager (moninfo.exe) program for your HDTV back here.

 

[nealyo777]

I have the westinghouse 32 inch LCD HDTV, which I believe supports both 1080i and 720p. The exact model number is LTV-32w6 HD.

Here is the info from that program.

Monitor
Windows description......... Westinghouse Monitor
Manufacturer description.... LTV-32w6 HD
Manufacturer................ Westinghouse
????????????????????????????
Plug and Play ID............ WDE3253
Serial number............... 3610 (163903610)
EDID data source............ I2C bus (real-time)
????????????????????????????
Manufacture date............ 2006, ISO week 39
EDID revision............... 1.3
Display type and signal..... Digital
Sync input support.......... n/a
Screen size................. 710 x 400 mm (~34")
Power management............ n/a

Color characteristics
Display gamma............... 2.20
Red chromaticity............ Rx 0.652 - Ry 0.330
Green chromaticity.......... Gx 0.274 - Gy 0.592
Blue chromaticity........... Bx 0.143 - By 0.063
White point (default)....... Wx 0.281 - Wy 0.286

Timing characteristics
VESA GTF support............ Not supported
Horizontal scan range....... 15-48kHz
Vertical scan range......... 49-76Hz
Video bandwidth............. 80MHz
Extension blocks............ 1
Timing recommendation #1.... 1920x540 at 60Hz
Modeline................ "1920x540" 74.250 1920 2008 2052 2200 540 542 547 562 +hsync +vsync
Timing recommendation #2.... 1280x720 at 60Hz
Modeline................ "1280x720" 74.500 1280 1344 1472 1664 720 723 728 748 -hsync +vsync
Timing recommendation #3.... 720x480 at 60Hz
Modeline................ "720x480" 27.000 720 736 798 858 480 489 495 525 -hsync -vsync

Standard timings supported
640 x 480 at 60Hz - IBM VGA
720 x 480 at 60Hz - Westinghouse
1280 x 720 at 60Hz - Westinghouse
1920 x 540 at 60Hz - Westinghouse

Raw EDID base
00: 00 FF FF FF FF FF FF 00 5C 85 53 32 1A 0E 00 00
10: 27 10 01 03 80 47 28 78 0A 26 91 A7 54 46 97 24
20: 10 48 49 20 00 00 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 01
30: 01 01 01 01 01 01 01 1D 80 18 71 1C 16 20 58 2C
40: 25 00 C5 8F 21 00 00 1E 1A 1D 00 80 51 D0 1C 20
50: 40 80 35 00 C5 8F 21 00 00 1C 00 00 00 FD 00 31
60: 4C 0F 30 08 00 0A 20 20 20 20 20 20 00 00 00 FC
70: 00 4C 54 56 2D 33 32 77 36 20 48 44 0A 20 01 66

Raw EDID extension (CEA-861)
00: 02 03 16 71 43 85 04 02 23 09 07 07 83 01 00 00
10: 65 03 0C 00 10 00 8C 0A D0 8A 20 E0 2D 10 10 3E
20: 96 00 C5 8F 21 00 00 18 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
30: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
40: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
50: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
60: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
70: 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 C6

EIA/CEA-861 Information
Revision number............. 3
DTV underscan............... Not supported
Basic audio................. Supported
YCbCr 4:4:4................. Supported
YCbCr 4:2:2................. Supported
Native formats supported.... 1
DTV formats supported....... 3

CE standard timings supported
1920 x 1080i at 59.94/60Hz (16:9) - HDTV (Native)
1280 x 720p at 59.94/60Hz (16:9) - HDTV
720 x 480p at 59.94/60Hz (4:3) - EDTV

Display adapter
Adapter description......... Auxiliary port
Adapter device ID........... 0x039110DE
Display settings............ n/a

User/computer information
Registered user name........ nealyo
Registered organization..... n/a
Network user name........... HP_Administrator
Network computer name....... DESKTOP
Windows version ............ Windows XP
Windows build .............. 5.01.2600 Service Pack 2
Installation date .......... 11/16/2006 12:00:00 PM

Thanks for all the help so far, and I do think I am making progress.

nealyo

 

[Slikkster]

Sorry for the delay in responding. Ok, some good info here. Now here is where you need Powerstrip.

Remember, it's shareware. You will get a "Tip" box that comes up when you run it that will count down after a few seconds. That's really the difference between the shareware and registered versions. You don't get that "nag" screen when you buy it, but you don't have to buy it to use it. They are both fully functional.

Here's Powerstrip:

http://www.entechtaiwan.com/files/pstrip.exe

If you look at what you posted in the copy/paste section using the Monitor Asset Management tool (moninfo.exe), you will see three "Recommended Timings". Those same timings will already be incorporated into Powerstrip in a special section.

Those are the ones you want to try.

Here's how to find them. Open Powerstrip. Let it countdown and then get rid of the tips box.


When I say "Open Powerstrip", it will put a multi-colored monitor-shaped icon in your task bar tray (near the clock). It's got an orange stripe on it for easy identification.

You want to RIGHT-CLICK on that icon. Choose "Display Profiles". Then, click on "Configure". On the title bar in the configuration page, it may very well be set for your PC monitor. You want to click on the arrow to the right of that to make sure it shows your Westinghouse set. So, choose the Westy.

Now, once you see that Powerstrip is showing you the Westinghouse monitor, click on the button that says "Advanced Timings".

A new box will come up. Click on the "Custom Resolutions" button. You'll see a bunch of pre-set custom resolutions on the left. But what you want is to click the circle next to "E-EDID". These are the resolutions your Westinghouse monitor says it is looking for.

There should be three of them in there.


1920x540
1280x720
720x480

You really want the first one, as it is the equivalent of 1080i. But the second one is 720p, which isn't bad, either. The third one is a 4:3 aspect ratio (not widescreen).

So, highlight the 1920x540, and then click the "Add Resolution" button on the lower right. You'll either get a message that the display driver has accepted the new resolution, or that you will have to reboot to see if it has accepted it ok. If it has accepted it, you will be prompted to try it out. Remember, you should be working in Powerstrip where it's showing you that it's adjusting the Westinghouse monitor, not your pc monitor.

If the resolution is accepted and you have to reboot, you will then see that in your Nividia display properties, you will be able to set the output for 1920x540. Again, make sure you are setting it for Monitor 2 (your Westinghouse). See what it looks like on the Westinghouse.

Now, if it still needs adjusting, there are some things you can do. I will refer you to a Powerstrip page for that.

This is to be done AFTER you've set the Westinghouse for the custom Powerstrip timing/resolution.

http://forums.entechtaiwan.net/viewtopic.php?t=2089

Note: once you've gotten your Nvidia drivers to accept a custom resolution provided by Powerstip, and you've tweaked the overscan, etc., via Powerstrip, you don't need to keep running powerstrip after everything is set correctly. It's only needed during the time you need to request a custom resolution and when tweaking (and hence, adjusting your custom resolution.)

 

[nealyo777]

I have gotten to the stage where I hit the E-EDID circle, but no resolutions are popping up. Here is what happened leading up to this. I started out just having my desktop cloned to the TV. When I tried to use powerstrip it wouldn't let me do anything with the Westinghouse, so I went into the powerstrip options and enabled multiple monitors, which took it out of clone into dual view. I could then mess with resolutions, but when I got to E-EDID nothing showed up in that menu. I'm starting to wonder if it is even possible to run a cloned desktop to my TV at a different resolution than my desktop is at (I feel like because it is cloned it is happening to both monitors rather than just one). If you could let me know what you think (and thanks for all the help with this, first time I have tried to do this : P ).

nealyo

 

[Slikkster]

We'll deal with the E-EDID in a bit...no biggie.

But first, how about trying this. You might get a much better picture with less tweaking needed for overscan, etc:


Your Westinghouse has a native resolution of 1366x768. Because of the way graphics cards render pixels, you can probably only come close to that. Try a 1360x768 timing for your Westinghouse and see how it looks. You should have a native option in Nvidia's settings for that. Obviously this will be for Monitor 2 (Westinghouse), not your primary pc monitor.

From the Westinghouse owners manual:


For the best picture quality, set PC timing mode to 1366x768 at 60Hz. Refer to
your computer?s graphic card user guide for questions on how to set this timing mode.
Many computers show 1360x768 as an alternative resolution."

The Nvidia advanced timings section should have a 1360x768 option.

I know that probably doesn't make sense to ya for Hi-Def, but this is the best native resolution for your monitor to scale video correctly. Give it a shot.

 

[nealyo777]

The problem now is that in cloned mode Nvidia drivers will not let me change the resolution of only the TV. As soon as I adjust that resolution, the resolution on my monitor changes as well. When I switch to dual view mode the drivers won't let me choose 1360x768 as a resolution, so I tried to do it manually in the advanced timing tab. I have no idea what to change in this tab however. Some of the values listed are Front Porch, Back Porch, Front-end active, sync width and back-end active (all for both horizontal and vertical pixels and lines). I then tried to add a custom resolution of 1366x768 and was told that resolution could not be added. Not sure what to do from here.

 

[Slikkster]

You can copy and paste timings into Powerstrip. Go to Advanced Timings as before, then Custom Resolutions.

Now, in your web browser, go to this page:

http://entechtaiwan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2578

You'll see timings for your size panel (for various manufacturers; these are generic timings)

You will want the first three.

You only want to copy and paste the stuff below the headings for each resolution. In other words, the headings are in bold; ignore those. Only copy and paste each timing.

1366x768=1366,80,56,280,768,3,5,22,85140,1

1368x768=1368,80,56,280,768,3,5,22,85140,1

1368x768=1368,80,56,280,768,3,5,22,85140,1

You will copy/paste these lines individually, as in one at a time into Powerstrip.


So, copy the first line above to your clipboard (I'm assuming you know how to copy).

Just to be clear, copy the ENTIRE line, starting with (first example) 1366x768= and ending with 0,1.

Now, it's in your clipboard. In Powerstrip (Custom Resolutions Box for Monitor 2), you'll see a little clipboard-looking icon in the lower right of the box. Click that box. You will see that the Front Porch, Back Porch, etc., info will be taken from the timing you have copied.

Now, Once you've pasted the timing, click Add Resolution. You'll be prompted to test it or reboot.

Repeat for each timing I've listed.

When you go back to Powerstrip, these custom timings will be in the "User Defined" section. You can activate them from there. If accepted by your Nvidia drivers, they will also show up as optional timings/resolutions in your Display Properties.

Now, I did give you the link to the entire helpful thread on the Powerstrip forum. You should refer to it for tips on how to tweak your 1366x768 Westinghouse by trying different timings people have used. Here's the link again:

http://entechtaiwan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2578

You can try each of these three timings to see how good they look on your monitor.

 

[nealyo777]

I tried what you suggested, and am still not getting the entire picture of my desktop. Additionally I can only do this in the dual-view mode, and as soon as I switch back to cloned the drives change my TV resolution back to the same as the monitor, leading me to believe that it isn't possible to run two different resolutions in a cloned manner.

nealyo

 

[Slikkster]

What are you seeing in dual view that you're not seeing in cloned? Is it a stretched desktop?

And you have to be more specific about what you're seeing. I can't see it. Is the 1360x768 better than the 1080 timings?

Also, please install the LATEST Nvidia Forceware drivers. Here's the link:

http://www.nvidia.com/content/license/l....71_forceware_winxp2k_english_whql.exe

Reboot after installing. See what your clone options are.

 

[nealyo777]

In dual view it basically makes it so the mouse scrolls off of one monitor onto the other one. I originally wanted it cloned so that exactly what I saw on my monitor appeared on the TV, but I guess Dual View could work too. The other timings seem to work just fine, and look pretty much the same as the 1080i settings. I am still having the problem with portions of the desktop being cut off though.

 

[Slikkster]

Ok, first of all, I'm not sure why you need both the pc monitor AND the HDTV to be outputting correctly framed video at the same time. You're going to look at one or the other, right Here's how mine is set up. I have a laptop, btw.

My Dell laptop is connected to my Panasonic Plasma TV. Laptops are NOT the best drivers for HDTV. Their video drivers are very limited to the small range of acceptable resolutions for the laptop lcd. However, I was able to use a "mod" program to install the complete suite of ATI Catalyst drivers (ATI chipset in my laptop), so I can now get the laptop's drivers to output HDTV timings.

My laptop is set for clone mode as well. However, since the resolution is optimized for the Panasonic Plasma, the display on the laptop lcd looks very odd. It's not scrambled, however. But it's more of a square inside the laptop's full screen. But I can pan to get to the login screen (There's more than one account on the laptop's XP, so it doesn't auto-boot to the desktop).

Once I log in, the Panasonic Plasma desktop screen appears, and I have my ATI control panel set to then blank the laptop lcd screen. Why? Because I don't need two monitors active at the same time! Since it's in clone mode, I get the full desktop, not an extended desktop.

See my point? I'm not sure why you need both monitors active at the same time in optimized condition.

Anyway, that's my setup. I then use a bluetooth mouse/keyboard and do whatever I need to do on the Panasonic screen.

What I would do is make your Westinghouse the "Primary" monitor in the display options, vs. the secondary.

Forget about Powerstrip for now and try to use the Nvidia built-in controls. Read the user guide I posted above starting at page 100 of 180. You can skip over the "HDTV over Component" section except that it does have important information about how to use the overscan/underscan configuration wizard that applies to you, too. Then, look at page 109 of 180 and continue for HDTV over DVI, and follow the instructions there. Make note of the "Treat digital display as HDTV" settings and the rest. There's good stuff there, but you need to read it and follow along.

You can use the overscan and underscan shifts as necessary to adjust your screen output. You will probably want to use the "advanced" settings available for further tweaking the overscan when it prompts you from the wizard.

Here's the link again: http://download.nvidia.com/Windows/66.9...phics_Display_Property_Users_Guide.pdf