HDMI Help - Laggy?

Hey Guys,

I'm running an Alienware M15x with all the goods in it (see sig). When I plug in HDMI, I never had to hit the HDMI/LCD button (presumably because im on Windows XP not Vista?). Anyway, it's really slowed down my whole computer to the point where even audio lags/

Anyone come into a problem similar? I can't seem to get it to fully function properly without my whole computer slowing down, running as if 35% of it is in use for processing and yet the processed tab in Task Manager show nothing..

Thanks in advance.

 

Not too sure if I can tell you where the problem is coming from, but I can check it out for you. I'll hook up my m15x to my HDTV sometime later tonight and I'll see what I can find.

 

don't mean to hijack this thread but when I hook up my m15x to my hdtv it doesn't fit properly on the tv screen. I even set resolution to 1900x1200 for both.

 

Ah, here we go. I'm currently testing it right now as I type this and have been able to replicate the issue (on Windows XP, of course). I think I may have a solution but I'm going to do just a tad bit more testing to make sure the solution addresses the problem completely.

 

probably a display setting on the TV. kinda like the old CRT monitors, some HDTVs also have H-position and V-position, though, not always named quite the same... I didn't realize until too late that the display I was using had the option to move the picture around. (there was a d-pad on the TV's specific remote that, when you pressed any one direction while no menu was open, it would shift the display that direction).
try it out, and/or take a look for such options. you might find the answer you've been looking for.

 

Alright, follow the instructions below and see if it fixes the lag for you. Apparently for some reason, transmitting it to only 1 display creates lag for the audio, the keyboard, and the display. If you have it transmit on both your m15x and the TV, the lag stops, but only if you configure it correctly.

1. With the HDMI cable plugged in, open up your NVIDIA Control Panel (Located in your Control Panel). Locate Display > Set Up Multiple Displays.



2. Change your display settings to "The same on both displays (Clone)."



At this point, either the display for the m15x or the HDMI might not look right (does not have the right resolution). You'll have to change the resolution of the HDMI display so it would look correctly on it. Tinkering around with either the "Run Multiple Display Wizard" or the "Run Television Setup Wizard" should do the job. (Sorry, this is kind of vague but I played around with these two settings and for some reason, it adjusted the resolution correctly for me.)

As long as it's being transmitted to both displays, you should be able to do whatever you need to without audio lag, keyboard lag, or display lag.

I'm going to see if I can scavenge for a camera so I can post a video/picture of it.

 

Eh, I found a camera but wasn't able to find a camera that would record video, so a picture will have to suffice. I really wish I could record it to show you that the audio and display works perfectly while playing a game.

It should look something like that (don't mind the white box on the bottom left side of the screen-- that's winamp.)



BY THE WAY, THAT IS NOT MY ROOM. I had to go into my brother's room to test out the HDMI because none of our other TV's can utilize HDMI. Just so you guys know, I am much neater than this.

 

I've been using HDMI with my m15x for a while now and I don't get any lag. Note that if you play mirrored (output on both the laptop and tv)< you'll lag a little bit.

 

It's quite the opposite for me. Perhaps it's different on Vista, but having output on both the laptop and the TV produces no lag with Windows XP.

 

Finally got around to checking this for Vista 64. The keyboard lag is present only when the notebook LCD is shut off, and the HDMI is active. A cloned/extended desktop or the LCD alone show no more lag than the rare bit that remains from what I think was a fix in the x34 or x36 BIOS update.

This "keyboard lag" is rapid double key presses, and multiple simultaneous key presses not registering every individual key press.

As for video and audio lag, I experienced none. I ran multiple windowed movies while playing music, and although it was very confusing, I couldn't produce any lag or stuttering.

 

Could it be a driver issue?

 

If it's that kind of keyboard lag, I suggest you try the workaround discussed here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=288995&page=4

The workaround is a tad less effective with the X36 BIOS but I suggest you try it anyway to see if it alleviates the issue for you.