Dell XPS L501x hdmi PROBLEM

Hello eveyone,

I am new to the forum but this forum is very helpful. I just received my XPS 15 and I am having HDMI connection issues. When I connect my laptop to the HDTV through the HDMI, the screen does not duplicate. I can see the screen on the HDTV, but on the laptop i only see my wallpaper and nothing else. I talked to tech support and the lady tried for 2 hours fiddling with display and graphic card settings but could not find solution. Please if someone had the same issue and was able to resolve it, advice me how you managed to get the screen on both. Any help would be really appreciated.

Thank you

 

Sorry i haven't got the XPS 15 but normally you just go into display settings in the control panel and there is something there that should normally detect external displays and by pressing it should connect automatically or if manually you can moving screen images inorder to have which ever affect you want ie mirrored,cloned,only use on external etc.
You probably have already done this as its quite basic and you are saying that there is a problem but just wanted to check. What have you done to try and connect so far?

 

From what I remember in XP I used to click an option that said "extend my windows desktop to this monitor". That made the workspace extend over both screens. Sounds like this is default with yours.
Anyway that showed one of my screens with the desktop icons on as normal etc and one screen blank which could be used to move windows around in.
Have you tried moving your cursor left or right off of the screen and moving some windows onto your laptop screen?

As for getting both screens to produce the same image I'm not sure how to do that.

 

Can you mention your config? Do you have optimus enabled? If so, let me know which card is being used to drive the external display. I think you need to tweak your Intel Graphics settings then.

Otherwise, if you don't have optimus, it must have to do with some settings in the NVIDIA card.

 

http://www.online-tech-tips.com/windows-7/how-to-setup-dual-monitors-in-windows-7/

You learned a lesson, the lesson is to use google, not tech support. You wasted 2 hours wanting someone to tell you how to do it when you could have done it yourself in 5 minutes.

The laptop is set right now to EXTEND THE DESKTOP. Change it to DUPLICATE. This is not an HDMI problem.

Dell tech support sucks, but now you know better.

 

Well there you go then! dkwhite + google saves the day!

 

Google could solve 90% of the questions posted here of late...

My favorite was Win 7 Home vs Win 7 Pro, someone wanted that spelled out on the forum instead of spending 5 seconds to search for it.

 

/agreed.

 

I have optimus. The external display is trying to use Intel graphic. I have already done these basic things which all have suggested but its not solving the issue. I had studio 1558 earlier and that worked fine. Here are my specs.

1 224-9506 XPS L501X
1 310-0173 Airborne Documentation, System Exchanges,Factory Install
1 312-1113 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 317-5417 Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz / up to SC 2.8GHz / 3M
1 317-5422 4GB,DDR3,2 DIMM
1 318-0138 JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
1 318-0151 Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
1 318-0152 Metalloid Aluminum (WLAN) L501X
1 318-0237 Power DVD 9.6 with 3D, Factory Install
1 320-1665 NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M 1GB graphics with Optimus
1 320-1673 15.6FHD TLF LCD L501X
1 330-6222 Windows 7 Label
1 331-0481 Backlit Keyboard (Internal) - English
1 331-0483 Resource DVD L501X
1 342-1682 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
1 410-0487 No full-featured Office 2010 software selected
1 410-1883 Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
1 410-2461 MCAFEE PEARL MUI,30DAY,Without Media
1 412-0360 Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement
1 420-6436 PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1 420-6576 DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
1 420-7938 Dell Connect 2.1
1 420-9100 Dell Dock Consumer
1 420-9518 DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 2GB
1 420-9691 DataSafe Local BackUp
1 420-9876 Cozi-Calendar
1 421-0092 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1 421-0187 Dell Support Center Software 64 Bit 2.0
1 421-0356 Windows Live Search,Consumer Notebooks
1 421-0757 Skype VOIP Application
1 421-1193 Download Store Links
1 421-1362 Dell Software,Roxio 1.0
1 421-1737 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
1 421-2086 eBay Webslice
1 421-3874 Camera Software 2.X, Factory Install
1 421-4060 Fast Access Facial Recognition 3.0 SW Application
1 421-4118 WHITEPAGES.COM,Webslice
1 430-3889 Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
1 430-3893 No Mobile Broadband L501X
1 430-3894 Dell Bluetooth 3.0
1 430-4038 Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
1 464-7384 Exchange

 

I already googled everything man. But this is a fairly new line of product and there is nothing related to this problem. I have already tried the duplicating and other basic things.

1 224-9506 XPS L501X
1 310-0173 Airborne Documentation, System Exchanges,Factory Install
1 312-1113 56 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
1 317-5417 Intel Core i5-460M 2.53GHz / up to SC 2.8GHz / 3M
1 317-5422 4GB,DDR3,2 DIMM
1 318-0138 JBL 2.1 Speakers with Waves Maxx Audio 3
1 318-0151 Tray Load Blu-ray Disc BD-Combo (Reads BD and Writes to DVD/CD)
1 318-0152 Metalloid Aluminum (WLAN) L501X
1 318-0237 Power DVD 9.6 with 3D, Factory Install
1 320-1665 NVIDIA GeForce GT 420M 1GB graphics with Optimus
1 320-1673 15.6FHD TLF LCD L501X
1 330-6222 Windows 7 Label
1 331-0481 Backlit Keyboard (Internal) - English
1 331-0483 Resource DVD L501X
1 342-1682 500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Drive
1 410-0487 No full-featured Office 2010 software selected
1 410-1883 Adobe Acrobat Reader 9.0 Multi-Language
1 410-2461 MCAFEE PEARL MUI,30DAY,Without Media
1 412-0360 Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement
1 420-6436 PC-Restore, Dim/Insp
1 420-6576 DELL WELCOME,Software Dimension/Inspiron
1 420-7938 Dell Connect 2.1
1 420-9100 Dell Dock Consumer
1 420-9518 DATASAFE ONLINE 1.1 2GB
1 420-9691 DataSafe Local BackUp
1 420-9876 Cozi-Calendar
1 421-0092 DELL-DOWNLOAD-FLAG
1 421-0187 Dell Support Center Software 64 Bit 2.0
1 421-0356 Windows Live Search,Consumer Notebooks
1 421-0757 Skype VOIP Application
1 421-1193 Download Store Links
1 421-1362 Dell Software,Roxio 1.0
1 421-1737 Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English
1 421-2086 eBay Webslice
1 421-3874 Camera Software 2.X, Factory Install
1 421-4060 Fast Access Facial Recognition 3.0 SW Application
1 421-4118 WHITEPAGES.COM,Webslice
1 430-3889 Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
1 430-3893 No Mobile Broadband L501X
1 430-3894 Dell Bluetooth 3.0
1 430-4038 Integrated 10/100/1000 Network Card
1 464-7384 Exchange

 

I had a similar problem this morning. The soluation was simple: just check that you have "This is the main monitor" selected on monitor one (your laptop monitor). Also make sure the resolution of your laptop and external monitor match (else it looks funky).

See picture.

 

I checked my settings and I have the same as yours. The problem I am having is that when I connect to the TV I cannot see anything on the TV except my desktop background. I dont see any open windows or anything which i do on the laptop. I guess there is some problem with the graphic card setting. Do you have the same laptop config and have you tried connecting through HDMI????

 

I have the XPS 15 and connect through HDMI (1.3 sending both video and audio via GT 435m) and have 0 problems.
I see the screen posted by fungied cheese. And my settings reflect his initially, I then usually turn off the laptop's LCD and leave only the HDTV displaying to save juice in the batt.

 

So do you see the same things on both the screens your laptop and the tv? Can you please share your display settings exactly.

Thank you

 

Win7 automatically mirrors my displays when HDMI is connected, both are at 1080p, and once that happens, I shut down the laptop LCD in the menu that fungied showed earlier to save battery power.

 

I know exactly what settings to use so that when I connect my XPS 15 to my TV via HDMI, it should show my whole desktop in 1920x1080.

I used to do it with my XPS 1645 all the time...

But with my new XPS 15, in duplicate screen mode, the television cuts off some of the screen from the top, bottom and sides.

When I am in extended desktop mode I don't have this problem, every pixel of the 1920x1080 shows.

Anyone know what could be wrong?
I'm almost 100% sure it is not the settings I am using.

 

Is your HDTV 720p or 1080p?
What is the zoom setting on the HDTV?
It sounds like if you're using the right settings on the PC somethings up at the TV end?

 

It is a TV capable of 1080p. I am in wide full mode, so it should show everything. (It shows everything in extended desktop mode)

I don't have a clue as to what I could do.

I updated the drivers already, from Dell's website and check back regularly.

 

If it's being cut off you can go into NVIDIA control panel and under your TV monitor settings it lets you adjust the screen size manually. Hopefully that will solve your problem.

I'm guessing you don't want to extend your monitors, rather duplicate what you see on your laptop onto the TV monitor?

 

When I select "Adjust size and position" inside of NVIDIA control pannel and then select my Sony TV, it says,

"To resize HDTV desktop...
Desktop resizing is available only in single or extended display mode. To change HDTV display mode, visit the Set up multiple displays page."

This doesn't really fix my problem because I wanna be in duplicate screen mode like you said.

It's just a bit frustrating

 

Have you tried the Windows key + P?
In Win7 this lets you choose between Computer only/Duplicate/Extend/Projector only.

 

Do you have another 1080p HDTV w/ HDMI that you can connect to?
That way you can at least narrow it down to it being settings on the laptop vs the HDTV.

 

Does your tv have a Scan mode? Most do, make sure it is set to scan or Pixel mapping mode.

 

Hello guys

I started this thread to get my issue resolved but few others posted their issues and mine got subdued and so a recap. Please help

I am trying to connect my xps l501x to my HDTV and my screen is not duplicating. I see blank desktop background on my laptop and I see the whole thing on the TV. When I try to click on duplicate then my tv cannot detect the HDMI and my laptops resolution changes.
My display settings are
Display- 1 Module
Multiple monitors- Extend the display.

I have tried playing with the graphic card settings but no luck.
Any help from anyone who got a chance to look at my issue would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx

 

So you basically want to connect your laptop via HDMI to a HDTV and want to duplicate the display. However the problem you face is, when you choose to duplicate it, your HDTV can't detect the HDMI signal and goes blank while the laptop's resolution changes?

 

knaad that rundown on HDMI is off.
I cam duplicate and extend my screen at 1080p to both displays by HDMI and output audio to the HDTV with no problems.
For reference I am using a Toshiba TV.

 

Can you please share your exact display settings. Also the Intel Graphic and Invidia graphic settings if any.

Thank you

 

Dude I've shared my settings and what to try in the past 3 pages.

 

Mate, I saw your post and I have the same settings but I don't know why I am having problems. I have the GT-420 though and Intel HD graphic. If it is possible for you can you take a snapshot of your screen with display settings on both graphics and post it or else you can write what settings you have.

Thankx

 

Those settings are identical to what I use to connect to both HDTV and 23" LCD monitor.

 

Thanx a lot bro. I have the same settings. Just that for Display on mine it says 1 module and yours I see says 2 dell something. May be its the configuration difference between us. I have the GT 420M AND YOU HAVE THE 435.

 

2 is the 23" external LCD (its a Dell S2309).
1 is the built-in 15" LCD.

The video card should make no difference in outputting when the settings are the same.

 

Ok, I have my HDX18t sitting on server duty. Meaning it sits next to the tv, and i occasionally use it to play movies on the HDTV that won't stream to the xbox because of the format. Which means I have an HDMI cable plugged into the tv that I use for the computers all the time.

I have the 420m with optimus. I just plugged the dell in. I had no issues.

 

Hey

I really appreciated all your help. I talked to dell support and they are having a hard time figuring out the problem. According to them, xps l501x is not made to clone the display. Si if you have time is it possible you can make a video of the same?? If you can please connect your laptop to the hdtv through the HDMI and just make a video showing both the screens with the same things, I would really be grateful. Please let me know if you will be able to do that. Just a 1 min video is more than enough.
Thank you

 

Hey guys, what sort of cable do we need to get the output on a 22" LCD monitor via this HDMI port on XPS 15?

 

I just received my L501x today and I have the same issue. Actually at first I couldn't get any hdmi out to work but after switching hdmi cables "extend display" works fine but when i do duplicate it pairs the vga and the stock display and my tv shows up as number 3. It doesn't really bother me because i will never use duplicate but its weird that it doesn't work. My $300 acer laptop can do duplicate and extend yet the xps can only do extend.
'
edit: also theres an issue with overscan on the extended desktop. if you try to adjust it in the nvidia control panel it will mess up the resolution on the notebook display and make the hdtv the primary display. Somewhat annoyed so far with this notebook, i like everything else about it but the nvidia optimus feature seems really buggy so far....

 

I can confirm I have the same problem, i5 560M, GT 420M, cannot duplicate display when connected to my FHD TV via HDMI, only extend, or TV only, or laptop display only

This does not seem to affect the core i7, only those with integrated intel HD graphics!

Hopefully a driver update will sort this out!!

 

I talked to Dell and the core i5 processors are not capable of duplicating the screen and so driver update will not help. Only core i7 processors can do that.

 

That sounds like nonsense!!! I have a €300 laptop that can duplicate the display!

 

Agreed, that sounds like like a line. I have many inferior comps that have that ability.

 

Just curious if swapping out the main display between the notebook LCD and the TV makes a difference. Since both displays are 1080p you should be able to make either one the main display. If you have not already tried, change the notebook LCD as the main display and see if you have the option to duplicate the display, if not then make the TV the main display and see if you have any different options there. As far as I know though, both the nvidia GPU and the integrated Intel GPU should be able to duplicate the image between both screens. As another test, crank up a movie or a 3D video game, something that Optimus will choose the Nvidia card to run and see if you get different options, then just use a word processor and see if there is a change. Might be a way to tell if Optimus is causing the issue. Also does it seem to make a difference if you are running the notebook off the battery or the AC adapter?

 

The resolution change sounds odd to me. The laptop resolution shouldn't need to change at all if both are running at 1080p, but will if they are not. The display should blank out momentarily when switching between different modes but it shouldn't be changing the resolution.

Duplicate mode will not work if the displays are set to different resolutions. Extended mode however will work. Is the laptops display set to 1920x1080?

Also, if you configure the tv as the only display, disabling the laptops lcd, are you able to set that to 1920x1080?

 

The resolution change shouldn't happen, but it does. I have the exact same problem with my i5 560M. My TV is 1080p, so is my laptop, when I select duplicate display, my laptop resolution changes to something like 800x600 and nothing displays on my TV.
Doesn't bother me at the moment, but my previous 2 laptops had 1080p displays and were both able to duplicate the display on my TV. Neither of my previous laptops had Optimus or integrated graphics.
I hope this is a driver issue that will be sorted out in the next update.

 

I don't have my XPS 17 yet, and even when it finally arrives, its an i7 so no optimus.

My guess would be a driver issue as well. When it reverts to 800x600 are you able to bring it back to 1920x1080 manually?

Is there a way to disable optimus? Or perhaps trick it by launching something like paint using the nvidia card instead of the intel graphics and then trying to configure dual displays?

Also, when configuring the dual displays, is it the windows control panel that is being used or the nvidia and intel ones? perhaps that would make a difference?

I don't have any experience with optimus, but I have a hard time beleiving that either gpu is incapable of dual display.

 

Yeah I can change it back, but still nothing shows up on my TV, display 2 is set as the VGA port and seems to be locked. My TV will only show up as display 3 and I cannot duplicate display 1 & 3, only 1 & 2.
Just got a BSOD while playing around with the display settings for the integrated graphics and GT420M, these drivers are dodge!
Gonna wait for new ones, hope they come soon and they fix this issue!

 

It has to be a driver issue, unfortunately I don't have one to play with and even when I get mine, its an i7 so its won't really help much, but will test hdmi and duplicate display mode when I get it.

At this point i'd try and use the laptopvideo2go.com drivers to get the nvidia ones up to date and then see if the nvidia control panel is capable of making it work. If not my next step would be powerstrip. I have an old desktop with an ati x700 pro in it that refused to display at 1080p in Windows 7 (black screen, unsupported display mode, worked fine in xp). Powerstrip solved that problem.

I simply refuse to beleive it is incapable of doing duplicate display mode at 1080p.