Should I use Acer ezDock Lite with TM 8204?

I use Acer EasyDock (manufacturer's part number: LC.D0103.003) with Viewsonic LCD monitor right now and can not get satisfactory picture through DVI. ViewSonic LCD monitor attached by DVI to the Acer ezDock shows flashing (twinkling) bad quality picture

From other side ViewSonic LCD monitor attached by DVI to my notebook TM 8204 works perfectly (but not <Fn> + <F5>).

In TM 8204 specification we read about “DVI-Digital - 24 pin digital DVI” interface, but in Acer EasyDock specification we read about “DVI-Analog/Digital - 29 pin combined DVI” interface. May it be a reason for my problems with Acer EasyDock? May be I can not use ViewSonic LCD monitor with Acer EasyDock DVI-Analog/Digital - 29 pin combined DVI interface?

In Acer ezDock Lite (manufacturer's part number: LC.D0203.002) specification we read about “DVI-Digital - 24 pin digital DVI” interface. May be I have to use ezDock Lite instead for ezDock to get a proper DVI output?

Please, help.

 

I have an 8204 with an EZ Dock and a Samsung SyncMaster 204B connected through DVI. The quality is outstanding, with no visual "noise," and is the same whether plugged directly into the 8204 or the EZ Dock. I'm wondering if you loaded the monitor's drivers rather than have windows figure it out? I used the disk that came with the Samsung just to be sure.

 

You may not be using the correct type of DVI cable, or if it's a DVI-I cable (I being A+D), it might be using only the analog portion. Here's a page to help you identify your cable by the plug:

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/DVI_info.html#pics

Might want to see if you can get a hold of a DVI-D cable and see if that fixes your quality issues!

 

I use the DIV cable which came together with Viewsonic LCD monitor, and everything works well when LCD monitor are connected direct to laptop with the available cable.

What is major difference between “DVI-Digital - 24 pin digital DVI” and “DVI-Analog/Digital - 29 pin combined DVI”?
Why Acer introduced EasyDock with 29 pin combined DVI, ezDock Lite with 24 pin digital DVI and laptop TM 8204 with 24 pin digital DVI? What is a reason to use different sockets?

 

The point of multiple cable and connector types is that some devices can only accept analog signals. DVI-I allows you to have either through one plug. A lot of video cards sold today only have DVI connectors, and provide DVI->VGA adaptors for use with analog displays. The EZ-Dock lite could not be used with an analog monitor if it has only DVI-D, so in that respect it is better to have DVI-I. As with most things, more features = more confusion

First, check your cable (see the link above) and see if it is DVI-I or DVI-D. Viewsonic certainly could have provided a DVI-I cable with the monitor. If it's DVI-I, it may be that your monitor is locking on to the analog signal (most people can't tell much difference on most monitors really, it's usually not THAT big a difference). There may be a setting on the monitor that allows you to switch between analog and digital preference. You can also try to find a DVI-D cable to see if it looks better that way (try to borrow one first). If it's a DVI-D cable, well, then I wouldn't know what the problem is except for a faulty output. It sounds like DVI from the laptop has no analog component, but the EZ-Dock has a RAMDAC built into it, so that is definitely my first suspect. Also make sure the output is resolution is the native resolution for the monitor - LCD video quality can degrade sharply if it isn't.