Hi fellow HTPC masochists!
This time I have a troubling concern that's been an annoyance ever since I went HDMI. I'm hoping someone else has figured out a better way than I have.
What I am trying to do: have the maximum control over my video output (resolution, frequency, etc) for when I need to adjust it for 1080p/24 movies, etc. Or, back down to 1360x768 for native res computing. I cannot do this through a single path through my AVR, since it's ever so slightly too old to handle the HDMI video signals properly.
What I have:
[ HTPC via ATI 4850]|DVI|-------------------------|HDMI|[Pioneer Elite PRO1150HD]
[ HTPC via ATI 4850]|DVI2HDMI|--------------|HDMI|[Pioneer Elite VSX84TSXi]
Why I can't just go HTPC>AVR>TV: The Pioneer AVR seems to only like old video formats, and generally screws with the HDMI signal, unless I tell it to go "HDMI Through" versus AMP. This allows video to pass correctly to the TV, but the AVR doesn't snag the digital audio. For example, I can't go 1080p/24, because the AVR flat out doesn't understand it.
Why what I have now isn't working: Right now I have HDMI to both devices (via the DVI connectors on my 4850). I have told windows to duplicate the screens on both devices. This is a problem because I can only slap the AVR around so much. Let's say I only display the video on the TV. I can easily switch between 1080p/1080i/1080p24/1360x768 no problem. If I duplicate the desktop, then I get my audio on the AVR! Yay, but I can't do 1080p60 or 1080p24. For some reason, windows forces me to do 1080p59 or 1080i30. Apparently those are the only frequencies that the AVR is reporting back to windows that it can support.
What I'd love to do: Is just have video sent to the TV, and digital audio sent to the AVR and not worry about sending a video signal I'll never see to the AVR. Is this possible? Is there something better than duplicating the displays? FWIW, I'm in Windows 7 on 9.6 Cat drivers. Been experiencing this issue since the 8.6 days.
Cheers, and thanks for the help!
This time I have a troubling concern that's been an annoyance ever since I went HDMI. I'm hoping someone else has figured out a better way than I have.
What I am trying to do: have the maximum control over my video output (resolution, frequency, etc) for when I need to adjust it for 1080p/24 movies, etc. Or, back down to 1360x768 for native res computing. I cannot do this through a single path through my AVR, since it's ever so slightly too old to handle the HDMI video signals properly.
What I have:
[ HTPC via ATI 4850]|DVI|-------------------------|HDMI|[Pioneer Elite PRO1150HD]
[ HTPC via ATI 4850]|DVI2HDMI|--------------|HDMI|[Pioneer Elite VSX84TSXi]
Why I can't just go HTPC>AVR>TV: The Pioneer AVR seems to only like old video formats, and generally screws with the HDMI signal, unless I tell it to go "HDMI Through" versus AMP. This allows video to pass correctly to the TV, but the AVR doesn't snag the digital audio. For example, I can't go 1080p/24, because the AVR flat out doesn't understand it.
Why what I have now isn't working: Right now I have HDMI to both devices (via the DVI connectors on my 4850). I have told windows to duplicate the screens on both devices. This is a problem because I can only slap the AVR around so much. Let's say I only display the video on the TV. I can easily switch between 1080p/1080i/1080p24/1360x768 no problem. If I duplicate the desktop, then I get my audio on the AVR! Yay, but I can't do 1080p60 or 1080p24. For some reason, windows forces me to do 1080p59 or 1080i30. Apparently those are the only frequencies that the AVR is reporting back to windows that it can support.
What I'd love to do: Is just have video sent to the TV, and digital audio sent to the AVR and not worry about sending a video signal I'll never see to the AVR. Is this possible? Is there something better than duplicating the displays? FWIW, I'm in Windows 7 on 9.6 Cat drivers. Been experiencing this issue since the 8.6 days.
Cheers, and thanks for the help!
