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Help with Projctor/Monitor setup for HTPC

post #1 of 18
3/30/12 at 11:17am
Thread Starter 
Hi folks:

I did search through hundreds of threads. I promise.

I just built my HTPC with the following setup:

Silverstone GD05B Case
ASUS F1A75-M Pro -F1 Socket MicroATX MoBo with AMD A8-3870K APU (AMD Radeon 6550 HD Graphics)
AverMedia TVHDDuet TV Tuner
8 GB RAM
LiteOn iHBS212 Bluray Writer
Running Win7 64-bit

I have an Optoma HD80 projector and a cheap Acer monitor. My goal is to simply use the monitor when I want to stream music from my server without having to turn on the projector.

Well, I connected the HTPC to my Denon AVR receiver using HDMI and to the monitor using VGA. I have set up the monitor as the primary display with the desktop extended to the projector.

Here's the problem: Blurays will not play on the projector. When I insert a Bluray disc, the monitor changes to "basic colors" or some such thing and then the Cyberlink PowerDVD player will play nothing on the projector and either crash or tell me that the projector resolution will not allow for Blurays to play.

Can someone please help me get this setup working? I've been getting more frustrated by the hour!

- Rajiv
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post #2 of 18
3/30/12 at 12:20pm
I'd suggest using the SPDIF (optical) output on your mobo with the VGA and your monitor for streaming music. Reserve the HDMI (video and audio) for your PJ. Also, I'll ask why you're using an extended display and not a single image? Personally I've found having a single image that switches over to HDMI (and it's HDMI Audio) when selected and reverts to the VGA (and no HDMI audio but SPDIF) works great! It may even help with your issue about the BR disc and colors ???
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post #3 of 18
3/30/12 at 2:24pm
Thread Starter 
Ah, so have the HTPC set up to connect to two inputs on the Denon. One for the movies etc. and one for just the music using SPDIF.

Brilliant. I have no idea why I didn't think of that simple and obvious solution.

I used extended display because when I ran "duplicate display," it ran into all sorts of resolution issues since the native resolution on the monitor and projector were different.

Since I got such a quick and easy response to this problem, here's another question (if I don't get a response I'll put it in a separate thread).

Suddenly and without explanation, Windows Media Center will no longer play my recorded TV programs. When I start playing the program (I had watched half of it last week and so know it worked), there is no sound and after stuttering for a few minutes, it gives me an error saying "Video Error: Files needed to display video are not installed or not working correctly. Please restart Media Center and or restart the computer" Anyone seen this behavior before?

Thanks again.
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post #4 of 18
3/30/12 at 2:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rvaidyan View Post

it gives me an error saying "Video Error: Files needed to display video are not installed or not working correctly. Please restart Media Center and or restart the computer" Anyone seen this behavior before?
Thanks again.

Yes!
In General Settings: Turn Off 'Play sounds when navigating Media Center'.
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post #5 of 18
3/31/12 at 9:11am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Hornfeck View Post

I'd suggest using the SPDIF (optical) output on your mobo with the VGA and your monitor for streaming music. Reserve the HDMI (video and audio) for your PJ. Also, I'll ask why you're using an extended display and not a single image? Personally I've found having a single image that switches over to HDMI (and it's HDMI Audio) when selected and reverts to the VGA (and no HDMI audio but SPDIF) works great! It may even help with your issue about the BR disc and colors ???

Oops, Andrew. A problem. When I "Duplicate Displays" in my AMD Vision software, it changes the resolution on the projector to the highest resolution on the VGA monitor (1600x900) instead of 1920x1080.

Is there any way to have the HTPC constantly use 1920x1080 for the projector and 1600x900 for the monitor?

I thought I had this problem licked, but I guess not.

- Rajiv
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post #6 of 18
3/31/12 at 9:12am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by hirent View Post

Yes!
In General Settings: Turn Off 'Play sounds when navigating Media Center'.

Fantastic! It worked. Any idea what the cause of this problem is?

If there is ever an award for the best and most helpful members in any forum, you AVS folks will win by a landslide!

Thanks so much.

- Rajiv
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post #7 of 18
3/31/12 at 9:32am
You don't want duplicate displays... you want to designate the HDMI at 1920x1080 and make it your default. Then you want to DETECT the other monitor and create its desktop at 1600*900. When the HDMI is on it will switch to that (since it's your default) and when not it will revert to the monitor at its resolution. In this setup you will NOT have dual displays but one or the other.
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post #8 of 18
3/31/12 at 9:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rvaidyan View Post

Oops, Andrew. A problem. When I "Duplicate Displays" in my AMD Vision software, it changes the resolution on the projector to the highest resolution on the VGA monitor (1600x900) instead of 1920x1080.

Is there any way to have the HTPC constantly use 1920x1080 for the projector and 1600x900 for the monitor?

I thought I had this problem licked, but I guess not.

- Rajiv

Have you tried using HotKeys in CCC to SWAP displays?

ATI 5750
In Extended mode I Swap Primary between HDMI driving my PJ at 1920 x 1080 and an old Viewsonic CRT in my rack running VGA at 1024 x 768.

ted
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post #9 of 18
3/31/12 at 4:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tvted View Post

Have you tried using HotKeys in CCC to SWAP displays?

ATI 5750
In Extended mode I Swap Primary between HDMI driving my PJ at 1920 x 1080 and an old Viewsonic CRT in my rack running VGA at 1024 x 768.

ted

Yikes. Would be too newbie-like to ask exactly how to do that in Win 7?

I know, RTFM, right? I will. :-)

-RV
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post #10 of 18
3/31/12 at 9:32pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Hornfeck View Post

You don't want duplicate displays... you want to designate the HDMI at 1920x1080 and make it your default. Then you want to DETECT the other monitor and create its desktop at 1600*900. When the HDMI is on it will switch to that (since it's your default) and when not it will revert to the monitor at its resolution. In this setup you will NOT have dual displays but one or the other.

Here's the problem: The *moment* I plug in the monitor into the VGA output, (even if I don't turn it on). it immediately gets "detected" and the resolution on the projector reverts to 1600x900. So, other than constantly unplugging (and replugging) the monitor on the back of the HTPC, how do I set the projector to be the "primary display" even when the monitor is plugged in?

-RV
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post #11 of 18
4/1/12 at 1:43am
go in the control panel and set the projector as "1"
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post #12 of 18
4/1/12 at 9:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rvaidyan View Post

Yikes. Would be too newbie-like to ask exactly how to do that in Win 7?

I know, RTFM, right? I will. :-)

-RV

It is done within the ATI Catalyst Control Panel not Windows.
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post #13 of 18
4/1/12 at 1:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlievoviii View Post

go in the control panel and set the projector as "1"

I did that. The projector (which shows up as Denon AVAMP) is set as "primary display." But then when the monitor is plugged in to the VGA connector on the HTPC (even if it is not turned on), the screen resolution (on the projector) turns into 1600x900.

When I go into "Screen Resolution," it shows multiple displays automatically. Doesn't seem to be a way to prevent it from detecting the monitor on VGA (see attached photo).

Also, I don't have the Catalyst Control Center. Instead, it installed the "AMD VISION Engine Control Center" in which I have played around with all the settings (including "Manual Detect" of monitors), but it doesn't seem to listen.
LL
LL
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post #14 of 18
4/1/12 at 3:17pm
You do NOT want to DUPLICATE, instead, have the PJ as Monitor 1 and set that page to display the desktop only on No. 1

Also, there should be a tab in CCC to check a box to auto-detect monitors, you do not want that so uncheck it which will force you to push a "detect" button when you wish to alter your displays.
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post #15 of 18
4/1/12 at 3:19pm
Looks cloned, click on dropdown and select extended. Then set to their native resolutions.

Also, set your AMD preferences to advanced.
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post #16 of 18
4/10/12 at 6:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Davinleeds View Post

Looks cloned, click on dropdown and select extended. Then set to their native resolutions.

Also, set your AMD preferences to advanced.

I tried this and set it to display the desktop only on Display 1. Still no luck. Now, when I turn on the monitor, I get a clean desktop with no start button. The desktop is only on the projector.

And, no luck playing Blurays either. When I put in a Bluray, it changes the Windows color scheme to "Basic" and then PowerDVD just crashes.

Someone please help. How do I set up the HTPC to use the monitor when I want to listen to music and the projector to watch TV/movies when the projector can handle a much higher resolution than the monitor.

For some reason the "Do not detect monitors" setting does not work. It seems to do the detecting even when I tell Windows not to.

Crazy.

Should I abandon Win7 all together? Any great (and user-friendly) OS/shell that will allow me to use all the media functions/computer functions/internet access?

-RV
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post #17 of 18
4/10/12 at 8:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rvaidyan View Post

I tried this and set it to display the desktop only on Display 1. Still no luck. Now, when I turn on the monitor, I get a clean desktop with no start button. The desktop is only on the projector.

-RV

This sounds like you are in EXTENDED MODE with the PJ set as Primary. I'm not near my desktop, but if you can find the selection in CCC that allows you to create HOTKEYS, you could then define a HOTKEY combination to SWAP your PRIMARY monitors and your desktop will swap to the other monitor. It is what I have done for a couple of years between my PJ and my Rack monitor.

And I wouldn't give up on Win7.

Ted
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post #18 of 18
4/10/12 at 9:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by rvaidyan View Post

I tried this and set it to display the desktop only on Display 1. Still no luck. Now, when I turn on the monitor, I get a clean desktop with no start button. The desktop is only on the projector.

And, no luck playing Blurays either. When I put in a Bluray, it changes the Windows color scheme to "Basic" and then PowerDVD just crashes.

Someone please help. How do I set up the HTPC to use the monitor when I want to listen to music and the projector to watch TV/movies when the projector can handle a much higher resolution than the monitor.

For some reason the "Do not detect monitors" setting does not work. It seems to do the detecting even when I tell Windows not to.

Crazy.

Should I abandon Win7 all together? Any great (and user-friendly) OS/shell that will allow me to use all the media functions/computer functions/internet access?

-RV

You will only have the Start button on the Main Display (projector, in this case). Place a shortcut on the secondary monitor to launch your music playback software. You may be tempted to change the monitor to your Main Display, but don't. BluRay software will usually only playback on the Main Display, so leave the projector as it is. PDVD will change the theme if it doesn't want Aero on while playback is in progress. It could be crashing due to the 1600x900 resolution, but I'm not sure. Follow the instructions below to get your resolutions set correctly and then see if PDVD will run okay on the projector.

To set different resolutions, right-click on your desktop (either monitor or projector), and select "Screen Resolution" from the list.

The window should have two monitors with 1 & 2 displayed on each. If not, ckick on the drop-down arrow beside "Multiple displays:" and select "Extend these displays".

Now, click the drop-down arrow beside "Display:" and select the name for your projector (should be number 1). The next drop-down box is labeled "Resolution:". Click in the drop-down box beside it and choose 1920x1080. Click Apply and then click Apply again. The pj should go black and then give you the 1080 resolution. Make sure to accept the changes.

Launch PDVD and see if crash occurs.

BT
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