Operating System Windows 7 & half fullscreen (4 Viewers)

[tourettes]

There were no changes in SkinEngine for last months, so I have doubts about new issues

I will try to test again during the week.

@tourettes can you please share how you tested it? Did you use a specific branch?

If i remember correctly it was master. The issue occured on the first try and I didn't try on 2nd time. MP2 was using 800x600 area of the screen - the same as was specified in the registry as the fail over resolution.

Steps to reproduce:

1) set fail over resolution as 800x600 in registry
2) open visual studio (or some other program that has the same issue so you can detect the resolution being changed to fail over one)
3) open MP2
4) press alt-enter
5) enter S3
6) switch off AMP + monitor
7) resume from S3
8) turn AMP + monitor on
9) login to desktop

As a result Visual Studio and MP2 should be having 800x600 as the window size.

 

[infinite.loop]

@tourettes
Can't test that because i don't have VS.

I can trigger the issue by simply turning the AV-receiver off, and then back on.
With MP2, the issue did not occur last time tested. With MP1 it is reproducible always. Will retest with MP2 master.

 

[tourettes]

@tourettes
Can't test that because i don't have VS.

Many other applications (like Internet Explorer) can be used instead of VS. It's purpose is just to see that the fail safe resolution was really used briefly under the login screen.

 

[Spragleknas]

OK, seems like I finally managed to fix this on my setup

From reading up on the issues, I assume the following
- When TV and/or AVR is of - PC uses "dummy" monitor
- When switched back on, Windows re-sizes to match correct resolution (given by AVR) - MP stays on "dummy resolution"
- The registry-trick and VNC trick tries to do the same: set "dummy resolution" to 1920x1080

Several has reported getting something like 1600 wide picture. While fiddling with remote desktop (logmein w/o HDMI connected), I found that I couldn't set 1920x1080 resolution - only 1600x1200. Therefor I assume that the "dummy monitor" was limited to 1600x1200 (how stupid is that?), and unchecked the "Hide modes that this monitor cannot display" (see pic below) before setting 1920x1080 (although 30 Hz).

No problem so far

I'm guessing that once this is disabled, the registry-trick might work as well (since you are no longer setting a resolution "banned" by Windows for this setting).

My fear is that another "dummy driver" might appear - but if so, I know what to look for.

 

[infinite.loop]

dummy monitor? I think I missed something. Can you forward me to it?

 

[Spragleknas]

Well, might not be the best terminology, but when no real display is connected (meaning no EDID is received by PC), windows uses a dummy-setting. In registry, I found typically three kinds of display configurations in GraphicDriver-> Configuration:
- [AVR/TV] - "real" adapters
- NOEDID_xxxx
- SIMULATED_xxxxx

After checking (just now on server) it is the "Simulated" that reacts display changes (here: resolution) done with LogMeIn, hence this is the one limiting MP resolution, and the one I call "dummy monitor" (although a virtual monitor might be more correct).

Eh... Did I answer

 

[toga67]

Would Windows 8 resolve this issue? Has anyone tried it?

 

[Spragleknas]

Just need to say that there has been NO problem what so ever after the above mentioned work-around ( /me happy camper)

Would be nice to get some W8-experience^^

 

[GoldenEye]

Would Windows 8 resolve this issue? Has anyone tried it?

No, unfortunately, I still face the issue.

G.

 

[Marcus Venturi]

I was also affected by the in depth discussed issue. I tried various solutions, but none worked for me.

I have a self-made HTPC that has an internal display with 1024x768 Resolution attached to the second port of my NVIDIA graphics adapter which displays the output of the MPDisplay++ plugin. And this makes the problem even worse, because when the TV is not available Windows directs both outputs to the internal screen. All attempts to modify the resolution of the dummy driver will not succeed, because it is not used in this case, as there is a "fallback" display - the internal one.

In my opinion this is not a problem of MediaPortal, but a problem of Windows 7, as a lot of other people - especially with multi monitor set up - are affected by this problem caused by the hotplug services of Windows 7.

For most devices, - especially for USB-devices - hot plugging makes sense, but in case of a TV this does not make any sense, because a HTPC is always connected to the same TV. There should be an option in Windows to turn the hotplug stuff for monitors off, but there isn't.

Some have written that there will be a fix in the code of MediaPortal.

But a assume, that this fix will do something like this:

If the HTPC is turned on before the TV, Windows will tell MediaPortal, that the resolution has changed to 1024x768. MediaPortal will trash all the Direct3D-stuff and recalulate everything for the new resolution. A few seconds (or miliseconds) later Window recognizes the TV an tells MediaPortal, that the resolution has changed to 1920x1080 and MediaPortal will trash all the Direct3D-stuff again and recalculate everything again for the "old" new resolution.

Don't get me wrong - this is stupid - but it's not the fault of MediaPortal it's a fault of Windows 7.

How can one avoid this?

The answer is simple: Just by taking Windows 7 the chance to detect that the TV is plug or unpluged!

The hotplug detection for DVI and HDMI works - as already mentioned in this forum - over a "hot plug detect" wire in the cable. If this wire wasn't there, windows would not be able to detect wether the TV/monitor is pluged/unpluged.

Today I went to a shop and got a DVI to HDMI cable. I attached it to DVI port of my NVidia card and the HDMI port of my TV just to check if it works. It worked, but the resolution problem after standby was still there.

Then I removed pin 16 (with pliers) of the DVI cable which is the "hot plug detection" pin.

See details about the DVI-pins here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Visual_Interface

Afterwards I attached it to my HTPC and - guess what - the resolution problem was gone. I started my HPTC about 10 times from standby with the TV off and there were no resolution problems again.