Help! Can't display my computer on my HDTV.

Factual Questions
1

I’ve gotten the urge to play some race driving simulators on my computer and watch the display on my HDTV set, a Mitsubishi WS-48413 CRT rear-projection TV. The TV has component video inputs of both the RGB and the Y/Pb/Pr variety, and a DVI input as well. However, about this input the manual says:

[Emphasis in the original.] On the basis of this statement, I decided it wasn’t worth trying to connect them with a DVI-to-DVI cable, and chose to use the component connection instead.

I got an ATI Radeon 9250 video card with DVI out. The computer in the TV room has only PCI slots, not PCI-Express or AGP, so I was limited in the choices available. I installed it and got my regular LCD computer monitor working okay. Then I connected the TV through the card’s S-video connector. I get a brief glimpse of a wavy, out-of-sync picture before the TV decides it doesn’t like that signal and blanks it to a blue screen. I tried different inputs, and tried using the S-video-to-composite converter, but get the same result. No stable picture. Before it blanks, I can see that it is indeed my desktop, but it won’t display clearly.

However, when I connect the composite signal to a plain old analog 13" CRT TV set, I get a fine picture. So the problem is between the video card and the Mitsubishi TV.

I called tech support for the video card, and the guy there suggested replacing the card, on the chance that that particular unit was defective. I did, but the new card did exactly the same thing. (I asked the tech if there was anyone else there who knew more about HDTV, and he said he was the only one there.)

Then I tried connecting the computer to the HDTV with a DVI-to-component adapter and a long component cable going in to the TV’s DTV input. Same result: wavy, unstable picture. (BTW, I do have the latest drivers.)

I haven’t tried calling Mitsubishi tech support yet, but I suspect the problem is in the video card. I just can’t figure out what it could be. I’ve found forum posts in which other people have connected a computer to this TV, both through the component and the DVI inputs, although not with this particular card. But it should be possible to make it work.

One option I have left is to try a DVI-to-DVI cable. But that shouldn’t work, according to the quote above. However, elsewhere in the TV’s manual it says that the DVI input is HDCP compatible and EDID compatible. The video card uses EDID. So maybe it will work. But if so, I’ll be pissed, because I bought the DVI-component adapter and the long component cable specifically because the manual said I couldn’t use the DVI input.

I suppose I could also try a completely different video card, perhaps an nVidia model. But there aren’t too many PCI cards with DVI and/or HDTV outputs.

So if anyone has any suggestions, I’d be interested in hearing them.

Thanks.

2

[QUOTE=commasense]

When all else fails read the instructions.

If that doesn’t solve the problem read the instructions again, and again, and again!

Wait for someone who has done what you want to do to come along and provide the solution(s).

3

Are you trying to be helpful, spingears, or just snarky? I’ve read the instructions quite thoroughly, and did not miss the point from the manual that you emphasized. Why do you think I quoted that passage? Because I didn’t understand it? As the OP says, I decided not to try the DVI connector because the manual says it won’t work with a computer.

The problem is that the manual is contradictory, perhaps because the same one serves for several different models. I found a post out on the Internets from a guy with exactly this TV who got both the component and DVI inputs to work with a computer. (He says the component picture looks better.) So it should be possible, but something’s not working right. Which is why, after Googling and not finding anything more helpful, I posted here.

Your post, telling me to do what I have said I have already done, was not very helpful, and if snarky, was not appreciated.

Anyone else?

4

Anyone else?

5

Sorry, no help. In the few times I’ve connected a computer to a TV via DVI, it has worked flawlessly each time.

6

A WAG:
Is it possible to set the resolution on your tv? I found that I when I tried to hook up my omputer to my LCD tv, it only worked well using VGA, because as a tv set, there was only a certain number of preset resolutions, but as a monitor, I could scale it to fit my needs.

7

The disclaimer on not for use with computers is likely because they didn’t design it to be a computer monitor. Many cards require the the connection to the tv to be active at boot time for recognition. The advanced setting for the ATI card should have a force tv recognition option. set it for using s-video and screen resiolution. See if the company provides the Windows .inf file for the television and use it. You may need to manually load profile that shows what the second monitor is. Since you don’t even get a picture you need to see if two monitors are detected, the use dual monitors option is on and not clone. There are so many things that need to be looked at I can’t give you them all. Try the Windows troubleshoot options. I woud expect the DVI option to work if thw television and video card have the connectors. Good Luck. I don’t think it’s an impossible task, you may have to spend a bit of time trying to get it to work.

8

Thanks, Harmonious.

I haven’t tried disconnecting my regular computer monitor and booting up the computer with only the TV hooked up, which is what one post I saw somewhere suggested. Do you think that might work?

Why should I not use the clone mode? How is it different from the dual monitor mode?

I’ll keep tinkering and see what I can find. If anyone else has any ideas, please chime in.

9

Clone mode requires both monitors to display the exact same image.

Starting with only the television attached will leave you in a pinch if it doesn’t display and you can’t see the desktop.

The Icons on the desktop will get rearanged up every time you switch between different output combinations also.

I would make sure that I was using system restore, and saving a restore point before messing with the display a lot. You can go back easily to a working set up if you use system restore.

10

Right click on the different modes, and the verbose discription should come up on what each does. Right click on all the choices to find out what they will do.