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    PLEASE HELP! 8400M GT / ext display HDMI

    Discussion in 'Windows OS and Software' started by Chadi, Jan 23, 2008.

  1. Chadi

    Chadi Notebook Enthusiast

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    Problem #1

    I got a Sharp TV, 32" LC32GP3U-B (1080p full). I connected an hdmi cable from my laptop (also 1080p full via 8400M GT) to the TV. My laptop screen dropped to Vista Basic theme in 16bit color mode and I can bring it back up to 32bit. Why is that?

    Yesterday when I plugged the hdmi it at least worked crisp clear on the Sharp (aside laptop dropping to 16 bit). Now the Sharp TV is *appears* to be stuck in 16 bit color even though it says 32 bit in display settings. I have no idea why it suddenly stopped working, I did not change anything at all. I tested Blu-Ray and *I think* it shows proper quality on the Blu-Ray movie. However, in general when viewing desktop the quality is jagged / distorted somewhat which is why I say it appears in 16bit. I don't understand why this is happening. I'm telling you it worked crystal clear a few days ago, did not change anything. This is even more strange.

    Can someone please help me out here? I even tried various other Nvidia drivers with no available. I switched hdmi cable ends from laptop > TV and vice versa. I tried various hdmi inputs on the TV but the issue is clearly within Vista itself or the driver, if not the card itself.

    Nvidia Control Panel Settings:

    Image settings = quality
    3D = default
    Resolution: 1920x1080 / 32bit
    Scaling = 1920x1080 (native / resolution)
    Multiple Displays = single external at this time
    HD format = 1080p
    Digital color format = RGB

    I even tried messing around with RivaTuner but honestly, have no idea what to do there.

    Problem #2

    A strange problem, when configuring Media Center, I chose TV as output. Now the color, contrast, gamma, etc is perfect on the TV itself and Media Center interface. However, when viewing the test videos to adjust the settings, the video is nearly black, dim, yet the interface to Media Center is perfect, so is viewing regular TV mode (w/o hdmi to the laptop) and even when HDMI is plugged in, quality is superb when using programs displayed on the TV. I did choose hdmi as connection type in MC, but why is the video so dim?

    Another issue with Media Center is, no tv output at all. During TV signal scan, it says no signal detected. However, cable is connected and my hdmi > hdmi (laptop > tv) is connected as I'm viewing the MC interface on the TV itself.

    Problem #3

    Another issue again, I have a digital audio cable (TOSLINK / Fiber Optic) which I'm trying to connect from my TV to the speaker system head. The main problem is the wire does not snap in, very difficult to press in. I do see the red light at the end of the cable when I plug the other end in the TV, literally nearly breaking the back board trying to get it to snap in right. Note: I tried 3 different brands of TOSLINK cables on 3-4 different TV's, same issue with getting it to snap in! Why? I also get no sound at all when I set my speaker system to optical in 1, or even 2. I have Logitech 5.1 Digital 5450 speaker system.

    Sony VGN-FZ290 laptop w/ HDMI port.
    4GB Memory
    Nvidia 256MB Dedicated 8400M GT (up to 2560x1200 resolution), fully 1080p capable.
    Nvidia Driver: 7.15.11.6743
    Vista 64 Ultimate
    Logitech Digital 5.1 Z-5450
     
    Chadi, Jan 23, 2008
    #1