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[stricko]

Hi, I've now seen this bug in both MC14 and MC16, so as MC15 is the current production version, I guess this is the place to ask.

I run almost exclusively in Theater View with a full HD display, connected via HDMI. ATI HD4200 graphics (I think, but latest drivers anyway.). Installation (for MC16 at least) is straight out of the box, no tweaking of sizes, borders etc. TV is displaying full image, so no cropping, or zooming.

Most of the time, everything is OK. However, if I'm playing music, I tend to put the TV is standby. When I power it back on, MC seems to get confused about the Theater View image size. Sometimes it's too small, so you end up with a Theater View "window" (but without any Windows edging, controls etc) sitting on top of the normal Windows desktop (always top left). The underlying desktop is sized/scaled normally. The Theater View "window" functions OK, with text, thumbnails etc. the usual size. It even adjusts the columns to cater for the new image size.

On other occasions the Theater View "window" is too large for the screen. So you see it as if you are looking at the top left hand corner of the normal view. The menu bar starts somewhere towards bottem right and seems to continue off the edge of the screen. Again the Theater View functionaliy is intact, eg, you can scroll to and select menu items which are on, and off the edge of the screen, and columns have been recalculated.

I can get rid of the problem in several ways. Selecting anything that displays an image (but not just thumbnails) seems to cause Theater View to re-size correctly. Taking it out of Theater View and back again also does the trick.

I've not been able to confirm it, but the Theater View "window" looks like it may be re-sizing based on the actual size of the image being displayed. Maybe it's a timing issue with the display card talking to the display when it powers up, but Windows itself seems to get around this...

Any help would be appreciated.

[JimH]

Hi, I've now seen this bug in both MC14 and MC16, so as MC15 is the current production version, I guess this is the place to ask.

I run almost exclusively in Theater View with a full HD display, connected via HDMI. ATI HD4200 graphics (I think, but latest drivers anyway.). Installation (for MC16 at least) is straight out of the box, no tweaking of sizes, borders etc. TV is displaying full image, so no cropping, or zooming.

Most of the time, everything is OK. However, if I'm playing music, I tend to put the TV is standby. When I power it back on, MC seems to get confused about the Theater View image size. Sometimes it's too small, so you end up with a Theater View "window" (but without any Windows edging, controls etc) sitting on top of the normal Windows desktop (always top left). The underlying desktop is sized/scaled normally. The Theater View "window" functions OK, with text, thumbnails etc. the usual size. It even adjusts the columns to cater for the new image size.

On other occasions the Theater View "window" is too large for the screen. So you see it as if you are looking at the top left hand corner of the normal view. The menu bar starts somewhere towards bottem right and seems to continue off the edge of the screen. Again the Theater View functionaliy is intact, eg, you can scroll to and select menu items which are on, and off the edge of the screen, and columns have been recalculated.

I can get rid of the problem in several ways. Selecting anything that displays an image (but not just thumbnails) seems to cause Theater View to re-size correctly. Taking it out of Theater View and back again also does the trick.

I've not been able to confirm it, but the Theater View "window" looks like it may be re-sizing based on the actual size of the image being displayed. Maybe it's a timing issue with the display card talking to the display when it powers up, but Windows itself seems to get around this...

I believe that's a problem with the HDMI sync.  I see it sometimes, too.  Turning the TV off and back on usually works, too.   Try a Google search.

[stricko]

I'd thought the same. But if Windows itself is displaying correctly, right resolution, fully filling the screen etc etc, why is MC/Theater View not able to deal with it......

Would switching the connection to DVI or even VGA help, do you think?

[Matt]

I bet Windows changes the resolutions somehow when the monitor sleeps.

Theater View isn't checking for resolution changes while running, so exiting and re-entering Theater View is the only fix.

It might be nice if Theater View checked for this once a second or something.  It's the first we've heard of the issue, so I don't know if it has caused other users trouble.

[stricko]

Started for me when I upgraded the screen and went from 720p via VGA to 1080p via HDMI. I've switched to DVI out from the HTPC and it seems better.

[rpalmer68]

I've been seeing tghis issue for a log  time, but my HDMI out form my PC goes into a 4-way HDMI splitter and then to my screen.

If I power cycle the HDMI splitter then Theatre View ends up 1/4 of the screen in the top left corner.

Always just assumed it's a HDMI sync issue with that screen mode so always return to standard view  if I have to power cycle my splitter.

Since I seldom have to do this so I haevn't worried about it, but I can imagine it would be quite annoying if it happens when powering the display off/on.

 

[stricko]

Definitely annoying. I guess we now have a handle on why it's happening, but I'd still argue that MC should deal with the issue somehow. If HDMI, complete with EDID, is the standard for connection to large flat panels, and MC Theater View is a genuine serious alternative to WMC, then this needs to be fixed. It doesn't matter that it may be bad standard, or poorly implementated, or should ideally be handled by the graphics card drivers, or whatever, it makes the product look bad. Especially as windows itself looks fine underneath.

I'm still playing with setiings/connections to try and fix this. There used to be an option to switch EDID off for ATI drivers. Seems to have disappeared on latest version (11.2) and can't find anything on the web that tells me where to find it. Any ideas?

 

[stricko]

Just tried something called HDMI-Yo which re-syncs, but it works at PC resume from standby, and from a hotkey. I'm using a universal remote, so I may be able to get the hotkey programmed.

But in going back to HDMI to try it, I've seen something even wierder. I'd switched a screen saver on, to avoid me having to switch the screen off. I put the monitor into standby anyway, but when I resumed, Theater View looked OK, apart from the screen saver running in a "window" top left.... bizarre.