MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
Right, here's the scenario:
I've got a Dell desktop PC (pretty new) which has an HDMI-out port on the (integrated) graphics card.
I also have a nice 22" Samsung HDTV monitor with an HDMI-in port.
Not only that, but I have an HDMI lead which connects them together nicely.
Problem is, the picture is shite. I mean, unusably shite. I though it would be a case of plug&play.
What am I missing? I've set the resolution to 1920x1080 but can't see anything that says "use HDMI out" or anything of that nature.
The picture I get using a standard VGA connection is pretty danm good anyway though it is a bit prone to electrical interference which causes ghosting if I don't keep the cable away from the numerous electrical cables round the back of the PC.
Cheers in advance,
SC
In what way is it crap? Low resolution or what? Just boot the PC with it connected to the monitor over HDMI, then check the resolution is correct.
Have you tried going to 1900x1200 if you full HD TV then you should be able to get that if your card can cope.
Some TVs will optimise the HDMI for either AV devices (eg DVDs, games consoles etc)
or PC input.
Somewhere on the TV in the menus should be an option to set it.
Have you tried going to 1900x1200 if you full HD TV then you should be able to get that
Nope. full HD panels are 1920x1080. The native resolution of the panel will look best.
Some widescreen monitors are 1920x1200, which is probably what you're thinking of.
Is the HDTV 1080p for sure? Note the "p" is important, it might be 720p & 1080i. What model's the TV?
DOH!
Yeah IA is right sorry, the 1080 is a good hint. 😳
Definitely 1080p. It's a [url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002DPSKDO/ref=oss_product ]Samsung P2270HD[/url]
Picture is horribly low-res effect with jaggy, blocky text.
Nothing obvious in TV menus other than "game mode" which has little effect (changes colour temp a wee bit)
Is the HDMI cable the only one from the PC to telly?
Which OS?
Assuming windows 7, I forget where the resolution setting is, but probably right click on the desktop then properties?
W7
Right click on desktop ->resolution.
"If you connect your monitor properly using the DVI connector but get a blank or fuzzy screen, check to see if the monitor status is set to analog. Press [ box with an arrow into it] button to have the monitor double-check the input signal source."
From the user manual, tried this? Interestingly they don't list connecting a PC over HDMI as an option, which seems odd.
Yup - Windows 7.
Resolution is set to 1920x1080, 60Hz (though 59 Hz is available and seems to be no different)
HDMI cable is only one connected to monitor.
Dp you know which GFX card it is?
Pressing that button on the remote has no effect IA.
Does look like an analogue-type signal though.
Something odd going on, some googling reveals others have no issues connecting PCs with HDMI.
Photo of what you're seeing on the monitor?
Dp you know which GFX card it is?
ATI Radeon HD 4200
Photo of what you're seeing on the monitor?
Give me a few mins...
Photo? Nooo!
Click Windows icon -> in command box type 'snipping tool' with no ' -> use this tool to select as little or as much area as you want.
No, we want a photo. Screenshot is no good, as it shows what the PC is outputting.
The problem seems to be what's on the monitor!
Useful screen shot would only be a full-res full-screen one, and only then to check the dimensions are actually 1920x1080...
If the only cable is the HDMI one, it *is* using the HDMI cable.
Another though, is this the only monitor connected? Or are you running two? (or is it a laptop)
Photo's ARE needed because the snipping tool or the PrtScn utility will simply capture the bytes in VRAM and won't show HOW these are being output on the monitor.
They're just uploading to flickr just now.
Yeah I knew that I was just testing your IT knowledge. 😳
🙂
OK, here we have the HDMI output, which is clearly dreadful:
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4084/4979064403_2853de025d_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartie_c/4979064403/ ]HDMI[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/stuartie_c/ ]stuartie_c[/url], on Flickr
And, for comparison, the same portion of the screen under VGA output:
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4130/4979074557_c19a820669_z.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuartie_c/4979074557/ ]VGA[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/stuartie_c/ ]stuartie_c[/url], on Flickr
Notwithstanding the shonky photos (macro lens, hand-held in lowish light), you can clearly see what is going on.
Your time is appreciated here guys!
I'm off out for a wee while but will be back ASAP.
OK, that's odd, as if it was lower resolution I'd expect the HDMI pic to show bigger text. Rather than just shonky text. If I didn't know better, I'd say top was out-of-sync VGA input, and hit auto-adjust on the monitor...
Have you switched everything of and booted it all up all connected again? (may as well check the obvious)
Hmmmm. *reaches for thinking cap*
Probably has something to do with the overscan options.
Have a look here:
[url= http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-led-lcd-tvs/1142944-samsung-p2470hd-hdmi-issues-any-idea.html ]http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-led-lcd-tvs/1142944-samsung-p2470hd-hdmi-issues-any-idea.html[/url]
OK, check these settings on the telly:
Menu-> Picture -> Picture Options -> Size - set this to "screen fit"
" -> Digital Noise Reduction - off
" -> Film Mode - off
" Advanced Settings -> Dynamic Contrast - off
" " -> edge enhancement - off
Tho davcow's link seems to cover all the bases.
Right I had a go at replicating it.
I right clicked on the ATI icon on the right hand corner, you'll need catalyst control panel installed if it's not there.
Once there I selected HDTV and picked various resolutions it looked awful.
Fixed this by selecting basic and then 1900x1200 in my case.
Might be worth trying.
Menu-> Picture -> Picture Options -> Size - set this to "screen fit"" -> Digital Noise Reduction - off
" -> Film Mode - off" Advanced Settings -> Dynamic Contrast - off
" " -> edge enhancement - off
I have a Samsung TV and ATI card with HDMI plug from to and most of them setting are blanked out so can't change them.
They're things the manual says should be settable for the OPs tv with an HDMI connection...
Yeah could well be but for me it only works with certain settings, seems to depend on the cable input.
Ah got it, if they're blanked out switch input to TV and change the settings there, they are then carried over to HDMI.
Right - I've managed to get the HDMI output to recognise the signal from the PC by doing the name-change thing.
The picture s now much clearer BUT it's not using the full screen area and I can't access the "screen fit" option, even via TV input mode.
On my Toshiba telly, there's a setting for 'native' mode in amongst the size modes (where you find 'wide' and '4:3' and such), which maps pixels 1:1 rather than trying to do any clever resizing which would spectacularly knacker a picture from a PC. Is there anything similar on yours?
If I set it to this and then enable both the laptop screen and the TV (mirroring the same image), the 1920x1200 laptop screen comes up slightly letterboxed (black borders top and bottom) as it displays a vertical resolution of 1080 on a 1200 screen - ie, you don't lose any of the larger image on the TV at 1:1 as HDMI is clever enough to tell the laptop resize accordingly.
Incidentally - have you tried another cable? It doesn't look like a cable fault but it'd be good to rule it out for sure.
Don't think it's a cable issue.
As I say, I've now got a decent quality picture, it's just that it only occupies the central 80% of the screen and I can't access the "fit to screen" option in the monitor menus.
Very frustrating since you guys have been a great help but I seem to be thwarted at the final hurdle.
Cougar,
All I'm seeing among the size modes are 4:3 and 16:9. There are other options but they're greyed-out, including the elusive "screen fit" which sound like the equivalent to "native" mode. I've tried enabling then in other input modes (TV,PC etc.) but they are unselectable there too.
Grrrrr!
Off to fit new brake levers now (expect a thread in the bike forum when I make an arse of that too!)
Thanks again to all for the help.
SC
'screen fit' would probably stretch (I imagine) so I wouldn't lose sleep over that.
No, screen fit is the native pixel mapping setting he's looking for...
One thing to check, if it's the middle 80%, are you still outputting 1920x1080? If so is it then downscaling? :-S
Try the manual - it's on the samsung website and might make more sense with the telly infront of you....
Got it now!
After following all the advice above and installing the latest drivers for the graphics card, it was a case of then adjusting the overscan/underscan slider (which wasn't available in the olde version) and I now have a stunning HD image from the PC.
Result!
Thanks for all the input guys.