Dell XPS 15 L501x Skype with video to HDMI?

Today, I tried to use Skype with the display set to the HDMI only (projector) mode. HDMI cable connected to a Vizeo 32" TV and resolution was the default 1920x1080.

The display on the TV looked normal -- icons and apps visible etc. I started a Skype video call. The incoming video was never displayed. All I saw was the whirlygig that shows a video as loading.

When I switched back to using only the laptop display, the incoming skype video displayed fine.

Has anyone encountered this? I'm aware that the HDMI connection on the Core i5 XPS 15 can be a bit quirky and that the Duplicate option (laptop to HDMI display) doesn't work. But is this another on the list of things that don't quite work?

Thanks!

 

Make sure you have the latest nvidia drivers installed, NVIDIA DRIVERS 270.61 WHQL this is for your 420M.

Also try different display options, maybe you could try extending both desktops or displaying only on the TV.

 

Thanks for the thoughts.

I updated the BIOS to A07 and the video drivers to the latest on the Dell site (266.xx). That made no change, but further testing has been revealing:

If the HDMI cable is not connected, I boot from the XPS 15 and Skype video works on the laptop. If I then connect HDMI cable, change display output to "projector only," then Skype video does not work on the TV (although most everything else does, including videos on the web, the Dell webcam software, etc.).

Now, leaving the output set to "projector only" and the HDMI cable connected, I reboot the laptop. "Starting Windows" shows on the laptop display and then the display switches to the TV, shows the desktop and stays there. Skype video now works on the TV. If I switch the display back to the laptop, Skype Video does not work on the laptop display.

So, it seems that Skype Video works on the display that was connected and was the primary display (built-in or HDMI) when the system was booted, but not on the other display (HDMI or built-in, respectively).

I can live with that, though I will need to keep a cheat sheet about how to use HDMI connection to TV with Skype! Otherwise, I'm bound to forget something.

I am using Skype 5 that updated itself a while back. Maybe I should try rolling back to the Skype 4 that was bundled with the XPS 15? The update lost my ability to use wide-screen (HD) format, so I've never liked that anyway.

 

Looks like the problem is related to DirectX and not Skype. I tried another DirectX app and it too went black when switching from the internal display to HDMI "projector only" mode.

 

It may be related to Optimus (assuming you have that). Try running Skype using the NVIDIA GPU. I believe the HDMI output is hooked up to the NVIDIA card, so IGP-dependent things won't display over it.

 

I tried running with the nVidia GPU and that did not change the behavior.

I strongly suspect it is related to Optimus. I suspect DirectX somehow locks into the primary screen (internal or HDMI) when the system boots, and then is unable to switch to the other display (HDMI or internal).

Interestingly, with the display set to Extend mode, I can drag a DirectX app from one display to the other and it continues to work. (But that's not the mode I want to use.)