Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[marko]

As you may or may not know, I've been putting together a slideshow DVD for my Sister.

I exported the DVD to an .iso file and mounted it a virtual DVD drive, then asked MC to play it.
Immediately, Vista feeds me information that it has been forced to disable Aero by application requests, has switched to Windows Classic, disabled some video features, etc. etc. and I've not to worry, because when the program in question has finished doing it's thing, Vista will put everything back the way it was. It didn't 

Ever since that event, I've lost my TV in my nVidia control panel and windows display settings. I've tried everything I can think of...

I've uninstalled/reinstalled display drivers.
I've searched the registry for "DisableDualView" entries (none found)
I've swapped the cables so that the signal that was going to the TV was sent to my monitor. Got picture on monitor, still no TV display.
I've tried the "rigorous search" and "force TV" driver settings despite them not being needed before hand, still no TV display.

Connection from PC to TV is via DVI to HDMI with audio going seperately via phono cables. The audio is being passed through to the TV OK.

My conclusion is therefore one (or more) of the following:

1. Some switch has been thrown in Windows that's surviving the uninstaller. I've googled and can't find one.
2. My months old 8800 GTX is knackered.
3. My months old Sony Bravia is knackered.

I just wondered, before I pull what's left of my hair out, if anyone (yaobing?) knew of any obscure switch that might have gotten thrown and forgotten about by windows?

All I've been able to confirm for sure is that there is a signal available from both DVI outputs on the GFX card...
I'm not happy. I've wasted far too much time on this. I've not even had a chance to install, never mind play with, the experimental build, and I've still not done the DVD labels for my project. I need to know what's wrong as I could possibly be looking at dealing with a rather costly RMA experience, and as I can't figure out a way to test the hardware, I'm looking at drive image > format c: /u > reinstall windows to test theory #1 first...

unless someone knows where the hidden switch is?

-marko.

[Griff]

1. Some switch has been thrown in Windows that's surviving the uninstaller. I've googled and can't find one.
2. My months old 8800 GTX is knackered.
3. My months old Sony Bravia is knackered

Did you try unpluging the tv for about 5 min. ?

Do you got another mach. that you could try the 8800 in?

[marko]

Well,
I made a disc image and then clean installed Vista, installed latest 163.75 drivers from nVidia and nothing else, and the TV was not detected. It always used to show up as "Sony TV", the best I could do was get the driver to show something called "Digital Display" but it never stayed around for long and I'm pretty sure that it was not the TV.

Disheartened, I restored an old XP disc image backup I have here. I know for a fact that dualview with Sony was working at the time this image was made, but again, no dualview available here either. This XP image had MC 12.0.298 installed!!

I left the PC and the TV unplugged for over seven hours and tried again... Still no dual view...

I'm going to try using the VGA input on the TV with one of those DVI --> VGA convertors on the 8800 and see if that works.
I've got a second machine that has an old GForce3 TI 200 card in it. I'll try it, but I'm not sure it would be able to cope with a DVI to HDMI connection. I don't see the value of trying the 8800 in a second machine unless dual view over DVI - HDMI is working on it already. I'll try some more things, but having tried a virgin Vista install and an old "known working" XP installation, it looks very much like a hardware issue...

-marko.

[darichman]

Another option is the cable itself I had a similar issues not all that long ago and never managed to figure out why it stopped recognising it all of a sudden (I was using simple S-video out to composite video). I was told by some guy at an electrical store that it's usually a compatibility issue between the cable and the television (especially if you're adapting signals), so I bought a new cable and it seemed to do the trick. I still never understood why it worked originally and then stopped working though And I also found that the "Force Detection" option worked some times, but not consistently

This mightn't be the issue with you (you're using HDMI and I was using S-video) but I guess it's worth being systematic.

I use VGA now... this seems to be the best option if your TV supports it!
Good luck!

[Griff]

I assumed that you ck. out the HDMI cable as the Gent above said.

I also assumed that you ck. out any other HDMI ports on the TV and removed anything connected to them.

I feel your pain.

I don't see the value of trying the 8800 in a second machine

To eliminate the MB as a possible prob.

Let us know how the VGA works.

[marko]

Darichman, Griff, thank you very much for your input. Here's where I'm up to with this so far...

I paid just shy of £50 GBP for a 5 metre DVI to HDMI cable. I only have one and am unable to source another for testing purposes.

The Sony Bravia has 2 HDMI inputs, and only one has seperate audio inputs. This is the one I've been using since day one. It was simply a case of connecting the cable, reboot the PC, and the TV was detected as "Sony TV" and available for use. As a test, I tried plugging in to the other HDMI input, and that did not work either.

Connecting to the TV's VGA input using a DVI to VGA convertor works. The TV shows up as "Sony TV" using a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels. There are black bands on the left and right hand sides of the screen. If I increase the resolution to 1360 x 768, all of the screen is used, but. presumably because it is not the native resolution, there is this weird shimmer across the screen, with a kind of torn edge effect running down the left edge. The setup is primary monitor on the left with secondary display on the right.

The 8800 has two DVI outputs + an HDTV-out socket. If I plug a component video dongle into the TV-out socket and run those into the Y, Pr, Pb inputs on the TV, the TV is then detected as "HDTV" and uses a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The TV announces "1080i" on connection.

What this means is that for now, I'm sorted as far as using the TV as a secondary display goes, but I'm no closer to working out whether it's the GFX card or the TV that's at fault with the dropped HDMI connection. The 8800 is a really long card and I cannot get it into the other PC. I would need to take the motherboard out of the case and run it that way to be able to test it, and I cannot see me being able to get that involved this side of Christmas.

If I manage to track down an HDMI enabled DVD player that I can hook up for testing, and it were to work, would that be enough to conclude that the 8800 was faulty, or, vice versa, that the TV was faulty?
Is it a likely possibility that my DVI to HDMI cable could just stop working, just like that?
Is the fact that this problem arose immediately when I asked MC to play a DVD (on the TV) and Vista intervened with it's "Aero has been disabled" message just a pure co-incidence?

-marko.

[darichman]

there is this weird shimmer across the screen, with a kind of torn edge effect running down the left edge.

I used to get this when I had two inputs going to the TV... it would scramble them together. Is it possible that there's anything else plugged in?

If I manage to track down an HDMI enabled DVD player that I can hook up for testing, and it were to work, would that be enough to conclude that the 8800 was faulty, or, vice versa, that the TV was faulty?

Do you mean a DVD player with HDMI input or output? If a HDMI enabled player worked with the TV, you'd know the TV was fine (and this is probably likely anyway), which would mean it is the cable or the card which is the problem (or, as you said, some obscure software/driver conflict)

Is it a likely possibility that my DVI to HDMI cable could just stop working, just like that?

I wouldn't think so, because you forked out a fair bit on it and it's fairly new... it's more likely that something has changed in your computer setup which affects how the card uses the cable to communicate with the TV.

Is the fact that this problem arose immediately when I asked MC to play a DVD (on the TV) and Vista intervened with it's "Aero has been disabled" message just a pure co-incidence?

I honestly don't know! I'm not at all familiar with Vista or Aero enough to know what's going on It does sound to me like it's a driver/software thing to me now, but unfortunately I wouldn't know where to start as far as fixing it...

On the upside, at least you have a working setup, even if it's not what you originally wanted

[Griff]

Hi Marco

Bet you got one big ?ss headache over this.

If I manage to track down an HDMI enabled DVD player

Or another pc or something with HDMI/DVI to test those HDMI ports on your 1080 set.

This is the direction that I would take.

Make sure that the HDMI ports on that NICE TV are still ok.

If I plug a component video dongle into the TV-out socket and run those into the Y, Pr, Pb inputs on the TV, the TV is then detected as "HDTV" and uses a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The TV announces "1080i" on connection

This is good

But

Connecting to the TV's VGA input using a DVI to VGA convertor works

?

The TV shows up as "Sony TV" using a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels. There are black bands on the left and right hand sides of the screen. If I increase the resolution to 1360 x 768,

This is a 1080 set.

So why cant you get/above 1280 x 768 on dvi via vga without a problem.

Your dongle (red,green,blue) can.

Ive tried VGA in the past and had no prob. with 1080 over VGA. (xp not vista)

I dont think drivers are the issue, since you tried those image backups you had.

And I agree with darichman on the HDMI cable except you stated the the cable is 5 metre (16 ft) and I was wondering if maybe something could have punctured the cable ( furniture/ect.).

Also, I believe you already know this, but those 8800 cards run real hot and sometimes you need to take countermeasures.

Im leaning towards the vid card, but im not there so I really cant say.