success connecting vaio z to 2560 x 1600 external monitor?

I just submitted an order for a new vaio z and while waiting for it I thought I'd look into getting a nice external monitor for home use. After reading through the forum, I can't find any report of a vaio z owner successfully attaching an external monitor with a resolution of more than 1920 x 1200 (due to no dvi-dl compatibility). Specifically, I was hoping to get a 30" 2560 x 1600 monitor.

Is it safe to conclude that it is impossible to connect a 2560 x 1600 external monitor to my new vaio z? Please forgive any ignorance on my part as I am a relative newbie.

 

You can try using the hdmi port to get 2560x1600 resolution if your monitor supports it.

I was able to get my hdmi port to display 1920x1200 resolution on my 24" monitor.

 

The maximum output on the HDMI port is 1920x1200. The maximum output on VGA though may be slightly higher. This is true for almost all laptops.

 

That is simply not true. For the newer revisions of HDMI (1.3+), the max resolution is 2560x1600. I doubt VGA can go as high.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-Definition_Multimedia_Interface#Version_Comparison

 

True, HDMI 1.3+ specs allow a maximum of 2560x1600 resolution, but most laptops only support up to 1920x1200. VGA supports up to 2560x1600 as well, but again, most laptops are limited to a wierd resolution around 2400x1400.

 

If it cant be done thru HDMI, then get a USB to HDMI that can do 2560x1600.

 

does the sony z have a hdmi 1.3+ output ?

 

Sony states the following:

• Max. External Display Resolution via HDMI™ ouput/cable : 1920 x 1080
• Max. External Resolution via DVI : 1920 x 1200
• Max. External Resolution via VGA : 2048 x 1536

TDO

 

Does this mean we will never get more than 1920 x 1080 out of the hdmi port?

What if the cable is hdmi to dvi-d?

Im thinking of buying an eizo FlexScan S2402W which has 1920 × 1200, and wanted to know if i could use the maximum res.

Thanks for your answers if any.

 

I had a AR590E that was connected to an external monitor via HDMI at 1920x1200 (not 1920x1080).

 

I'm bumping this thread for the new Vaio Z11. I just ordered the VPCZ11Z9E/B model even though I am unsure about how/if to connect it to my 30-inch 2560x1600 monitor.

I know the Vaio Z specs say that its maximum resolution for external monitors is 2048x1536. However, the NVidia GT 330M display adapter supports 2560x1600 so I am still hoping there was a way...

My plan is as follows:

1. Test if the HDMI output supports 2560x1600. Perhaps the specs talk only about the max resolution of the VGA port. Perhaps Sony doesn't consider HDMI to connect to "external monitors", but to TV's instead.

2. Try the new docking station (VGP-PRZ10) and see if its DVI output supports 2560x1600. The docking station specs say nothing about the resolution, or if the DVI is dual-link or not.

3. Purchase a ViDock 2 and use the contained ATI 4670 card to drive my 2560x1600 monitor.

If anyone has any info/experience regarding these options, please post! Also, if anyone can think of other ways of connecting the 2560x1600 monitor my new Vaio Z, please let me know. I was checking out USB to DVI adapters but their supported resolutions were not high enough.

 

I too am very interested in this.

I have been thinking of finding a 2560 x 1600 monitor that I can return if it just won't work.

Failing that, what monitor out there comes closest to 2048 x 1536?

Edit: Ok, never mind on the 2048x1536. All I could see were specialty monitors that range in the tens of thousands of dollars (us).

 

Anything above ~1920x1200 or so requires a "dual link" digital connection, normally "dual link DVI". While HDMI v1.3 can support dual link and high resolution, this is currently not the norm and so far has generally been left off of laptops.

So unless Sony specifically advertises high resolution (which they aren't), my guess is firmly in the "not going to work" category.

 

DVI dual link has 7.92 Gbit/s of bandwidth whereas HDMI 1.3 single link does 10.2 Gbit/s, so you shouldn't need a dual link HDMI to drive those high resolutions.

Whether this is implemented in the monitor and laptop is another story of course...

 

I don't intend to do any gaming on my Z, so I think I could do with a low refresh rate. The way I understand it, single-link DVI-D should support 2560x1600 at 30 Hz. If it were possible to set such a resolution while using the docking station's DVI-D port, that would probably be fine for me.

Any ideas if this might be supported by the Z? Or if there is some NVIDIA or third-party tool to allow setting such a refresh rate?

 

I'll be keeping an eye on this thread since i have a 30" 2560x1600 dvi-d display i want to hook up with the vaio z

 

I got a few replies from Sony reps. My questions were the following:

First reply:

The mention about drivers makes me wonder if this person has any idea what he's talking about...

The following reply is from Sony tech support:

I assume this guy thinks scaling would be an acceptable solution...

Anyway, I still haven't given up hope on the HDMI and/or docking station DVI connection. However, the chances of success seem quite low. So I already ordered the ViDock 2 so that I won't have to wait for it when I get laptop.

I'll post here about my findings.

 

Hello,
I'm too, are looking if I can connect vaio to 2560x1600 external monitor
and just saw new drivers from nvidia are out and in spec:
http://us.download.nvidia.com/Windows/197.16/197.16_Win7_WinVista_Notebook_Release_Notes.pdf

you can read, there are High Desfinition modes on:
Apple 30” Cinema HD
Display (Dual link DVI)
2560x1600
@ 60 Hz • All GeForce 7 series GPUs and later

Dell WFP 3007
(Dual Link DVI)
2560x1600
@ 60 Hz

HP LP3065 dual‐link
DVI flat panel
2560x1600
@ 60Hz.

If anyone can verify new drivers actually work properly, drop a note here, and we'll all go and spend lots of cash on new displays&notebooks

 

Some rather depressing comments in this thread.

Nembrot, I don't think it is a question of Nvidia drivers. As far as I know, the NVidia GT 330M adapter already supports 2560x1600 without any problems. However, if Sony has chosen not to connect all the necessary wires from the DVI port to the NVidia adapter, there is nothing any software can do to fix this.

At the moment, this is my assumption. I just received my VPCZ11Z9E/B, and the store promised to let me know when they get the docking station and let me try it out. I do not have my hopes up, and am already trying to get used to the idea of using ViDock 2.

 

ehh, too bad sony doesn't have competent people to answer such questions,
however there's still a chance with HDMI, if it's at least 1.3 then it's Dual-DVI compatible and can be used to get 2560x1600. I'm trying to confirm that somehow, but it's hard to convince people at store to order 30" DELL and vaio just to test it.

 

Hi, Folks,

I'm sorry to say that the Sony rep actually looks to be quite clueful. He's not referring to software drivers, but to the hardware HDMI driver chip(s) that sit between the nVidia chip and the output connector. As others have posted, and Sony has specified, this is simply not supported over a digital output on the Z. VGA, however, is supposedly supported at this resolution.

Regards,
Mark

 

Hi, Gang,

Note that the idea of lowering the screen refresh rate, to be able to pass the 2560x1600 resolution through the HDMI or DVI connectors is a good one, assuming that your monitor will be able to sync to it (which isn't a foregone conclusion). To accomplish this, you'll want to install PowerStrip, which makes it possible to customize your video output timings almost arbitrarily. I've never attempted to run it on an Intel integrated graphics chip, though I have used it on nVidia, ATI, and Matrox video cards (and I worked with the author, Ashley Saldanha, to expand it so that it could handle HD resolutions), so I can't vouch for its effectiveness in Stamina mode.

If you go this route, I'd recommend shooting for a 29.97 Hz refresh rate, or as close as you can get.

Good Luck!
Mark

 

Hi,

I do have a Dell 30" LCD and the Z. Incidentally I have a HDMI -> DVI-D cable lying around. Do you guys still want to test the combo?

FYI straight HDMI connection from the Z to the Dell the max resolution possible (nvidia mode) is 1920 x 1200

OzB

 

Thanks for the tip about PowerStrip! I have an LG-W3000H monitor and I tried adjusting the refresh rate on my current desktop computer. Unfortunately it seems that the monitor probably doesn't support lower refresh rates. Lowering the rate worked fine until about 38 Hz after which the image got distorted. At this point the bandwidth went below the DVI dual-link threshold (165 MHz or so). It seems the monitor doesn't understand a single-link signal. I'll keep testing though.

 

Yes, please! Just check first if the cable is a dual-link cable. See here for images of dual-link DVI connectors.

Thank you very much!

 

Hi, MNZ2000!

Oh, you don't need to slavishly stick to the 29.97 Hz recommendation. That was an "ideal" target so that you'd get smooth video playback. If 40 Hz works OK, then just use that!

Cheers!
Mark

 

40 Hz is still dual-link...

 

Hi, MNZ2000!

Per the book, yes. However few interfaces are so specific as to reject a 5.3% overclock. For anyone who's trying to make this work it's worth a shot.

Cheers!
Mark

 

Lucky you the DVI-D is dual-link. However, max resolution is still 1920 x 1200.

I have installed PowerStrip but not sure how to use it. Help appreciated.

OzB

 

Hi, Ozbimmer!

Son of a biscuit - shoot, even! It turns out that the 330m is different enough from nVidia's desktop parts that PowerStrip doesn't support this chip, at least as far as custom resolutions go. Sorry, folks, but that approach isn't going to work on the Vaio Z. My apologies!

Regards,
Mark

P.S. For supported graphics chips, you'd just click on the Advanced Timings button, then enter the vertical refresh rate that you're after - it'll figure out the rest. Here, though, this won't work after all, since PowerStrip can't make sense of the data it's reading back from the driver.

 

Even if the hardware might support it (dual link DVI), Sony could decide not to enable the resoultions in the VBIOS so the video card does not offer this resolution at all.

I had the problem with the old Sony Vaio TZ - it did not support 1920x1200 although the video card (GMA950) was perfectly able to do it.

Solution was - PowerStrip.

So I guess we need to wait until PowerStrip guys add support for 330M, and then we'll be able to see what the hardware is really capable of.

 

Hi, Gang!

Digging around, I do see a ray of hope. Check out this post on the AVS Forum:

Custom Resolution for 8800GTS

In this thread, it details how to create custom resolutions using nVidia's own driver. The tricky part is how to get the darned Sony installer to unpack the files, which may well be as simple as pressing Alt-F4 during the driver installation process. After that's done, you can add a section to the inf file which will be something like "S 2560x1600=801E" (without the quotes) - that specifies 30 Hz.

I'll play around with this tonight.

Cheers!
Mark

 

Hi, Folks,

Before you get your hopes up too much, I encourage any of you who want to accomplish this task to check out your monitor's specifications first, before wasting any time. If it's listed as something like

Vertical Sync: 50-85 Hz

...then this quite likely won't work, no matter what you do. I'd especially encourage those of you who are contemplating buying a monitor for this to check now. Note that I'd started this by saying that it wasn't a foregone conclusion that any 30" monitor would sync to slow VSync settings, and that's still a serious concern.

FYI!
Mark

 

Hello!

Well, my efforts last night were unfortunately unproductive. Whenever I tried to abort the install process to see if the files were still lying around, I'd instead manage to get just a black screen which required a reboot (which itself might delete the temp files, even if they did still exist after the attempted aborting of the install process).

At this stage, trying to start with nVidia's standard drivers, and building a custom INF which re-integrates the Intel drivers, and which properly supports dynamic graphics switching is something that I'm just not familiar enough with to tackle - especially since I don't even know what additional file(s) Sony might include in their driver package. Sorry, folks, but we may indeed need to hope that PowerStrip gets revised to support the GT 330m. My apologies!

Regards,
Mark

 

Hi, Folks!

Well, I tried a different path to make a little progress, and it does help a bit. Diving into Nautis' driver work, I found the special distributions which combine nVidia's driver with Intel's driver. Scanning through the enormous NV_DISP.INF file that comes with it, I see the line which would need to be modified, and know how to modify it. The problem is that the latest nVidia drivers specifically say that they don't yet support Vaio notebooks, but that a future release will. In addition, thanks to nVidia changing over to Optimus, it would appear that Dynamic Hybrid Graphics support is temporarily broken.

What this means is that once we get a future release that adds Optimus and/or gets Dynamic Hybrid Graphics support back, I'll know what to change to give this a try, though I remain skeptical that it will work with most monitors out there. Moreover, it's worth pointing out that none of the mobile nVidia chips claim to currently support 2560x1600 in the INF file, so it could be that adding this option might well break the driver code for other reasons, or could even be a basic hardware limitation in these chips. At this point, we'll just have to wait and see when nVidia might release new code which supports our machines. At that point, it might make sense to revisit this issue.

FYI!
Mark

 

Howdy, folks!

I can indeed verify that the Sony rep was quite clueful in his response. The GT 330m is not blocking 2560x1600 resolution, but the use of a single-link DVI driver chip in the Z11 series is. This means that once a new software driver is available, it should be possible to make this work with any monitor that supports 30-40 Hz sync rates... which I haven't yet seen a single example of. For confirmation, feel free to check out the GeForce GT 330m specifications.

Cheers!
Mark

 

This is sad

How much would be a difference between dual-link DVI and single-link DVI drivers (they are made by Chrontel and Silicon Image IIRC) ? Pennies...

For the top-of-the-line notebook, I am quite sure it would not damage their profit margin. Heck, they could have passed those $1-2 extra to customers...

 

I just received my ViDock 2, and have done some testing in the past few hours. First I'll quote another ViDock 2 user from the Vaio Z Owners thread:

I, too, used an ATI 5670 card. I didn't have to fool around a lot, but the following details happened pretty much the same way immediately after installation:

- First of all, out-of-the-box, ViDock with ATI 5670 installs Standard VGA drivers. They won't work. I updated the drivers through Device Manager to Catalyst 10.3, and got the first picture onto my external screen.

- Sadly, however, rebooting wouldn't work with ViDock connected. The Vaio Z screen (and the external screen) stay totally blank, with not even the BIOS screen appearing. The only way to boot was to disconnect ViDock.

- ViDock didn't work with me at all when the nVidia drivers were loaded. That is, when the mode switch was set to Speed. Set to Stamina, with only the Intel GMA, ViDock seemed to work pretty reliably when connected after power-on. I think this probably contributed to the 'flaky' feeling by rmcx. For example, having the tri-state switch on Auto and you don't always realise which driver is in use.

- Once ViDock was connected, the tri-state mode switch wouldn't work anymore.

- Resume from sleep disconnected ViDock. Resume from Hibernate obviously won't work because the Z won't boot.

- Shutdown sometimes hangs with ViDock connected (and always takes more time than normally).

- I didn't try the USB port yet.

- I have disabled Aero anyway, so can't comment on that.

The boot problem seems to be the most severe one. If I have to let go of the nVidia adapter, I can live with that.

I have found different discussions about PCI bridge configuration, mostly in relation to the DIY ViDock solution. I haven't tried these yet, as I am unsure if PCI could be causing the problem since ViDock works fine when connected after power-on. Also, the PCI bridge configuration requires a boot, so I don't think I could do that at all.

 

Now the ViDock seems to work fine with the nVidia drivers loaded as well. Not sure why, but it may be because I just learned how to use the ExpressCard connector properly: to remove it, you push to release it. At first I just pulled the plug out, which worked fine, but next time I inserted it, it would insert but "bounce off" immediately, and stick in only when inserted next time. So I would insert the connector twice rapidly. This may have confused Windows 7 and its driver-loading process.

In fact, I am now considering whether the boot problem is a problem at all. I just need to remove the ViDock always before putting the Z to sleep/hibernate, or restart it. Since I have disabled automatic sleep/hibernate anyway, this might not be such a big problem after all.

As mentioned, inserting the ViDock disables the tri-state graphics mode switch, but also all other Vaio buttons (eject works fine though).

 

A couple of more observations:

- USB seems to work fine for me. I connected a HUB to the ViDock, and a mouse and keyboard to it. Both work fine.

- When disconnecting the ViDock, Vaio sometimes freezes: the image on the laptop display stays, the mouse moves but doesn't respond to anything. This seems to be related to how many apps I have running. While testing with only a few apps, I could disconnect and reconnect many times without problems. But once I got my real apps running, the first disconnect caused a freeze. My working hypothesis now is that doing a Safely Remove Hardware on the external display helps.

 

Safely Remove Hardware has so far worked fine every time. I used this program to automate it from a shortcut so I don't have to use the system tray icon.

Next I'm going to look for a program to keep my icons and app windows in sensible places between switching displays.

I'm actually starting to believe this setup will eventually work for me!

 

well, I went ahead and forgot about Sony,
bought myself an Asus G51JX with Nvidia GTS 360M,
connected it to DELL U2711 with HDMI->DVI-D cable, had to set manually 2560x1440@60 resolution and it works.
Didn't work with HDMI->HDMI, dunno why.

 

The CEO of my work just got his laptop and the dock and has a 30" Dell 3007wfp with DVD-DL. On his Lenovo, he can achieve the 2560x1600 (using ATI Mobility card). Now, on this new VAIO w/ the dock, Windows 7 Ultimate is only limiting it to 1280x800. What's going on here? Just to be clear, we're using a DVI-DL cable as well...

 

I connect my Z to my Dell 3008WFP via HDMI-DVI-DL cable and the maximum resolution is 1920x1200.

 

1280x800 is an usual sign of HDCP link not being established. Sony is routing NVidia to DVI port of the docking station via. HDMI connection actually, and HDMI connection requires HDCP in order to enable HD resolutions. Earlier, Windows display drivers had an option to ignore HDCP but that does not work anymore.

Besides computer business, Sony also has music&movies business, so sometimes they are too anal about this content-protection things I know, it is quite ridiculous.

 

So it seems like part of the issues lies in the dock itself? We haven't tried undocking and connecting via VGA or HDMI yet, but I am guessing HDMI will allow the 1920x1080 max... (and VGA will allow 2560x1600). Thing is this Dell 3007wfp doesn't have VGA, so we cannot test the spec'd claim of 2048x1536 for VGA). The CEO wanted me to contact Sony, which I did, and they told me the same thing they told him, wait if/when new drivers become available on the site/support page.

 

Mnz2000, your experience with Vidock2 seems to be the only success story of connecting vaio z to 2560x1600 monitor. I am wondering what do you think about using this combo after 2 months...

 

I am having problems getting resolution higher than 1280 with my setup. I have a vaio z connected to a port replicator. The port replicator is connected to my hp 3065 thru dvi-d. I also tried using a dvi-hdmi converter so I can connect it to the hdmi port and I get the same results.

I haven't tried VGA. I'd be happy at this point to get at least 1920. This is a very expensive monitor and would love to keep it for another couple of years.

Any ideas?

 

On the contrary, I was able to reach 2560x1600 @ 60 Hz via VGA on my 21" CRT with my desktop (Nvidia 8800 GTX).

 

I dont see why it couldnt do 2560x 1600, even my 13" macbook pro can do that resolution and it doesnt have an hdmi port.