monitor screen size problem

[kilaueabart]

I don't think this is an X1000 problem, so I'll put it here. (But maybe it's not even an Amiga problem?)

Today I got HDMI cables for my new Samsung 23" widescreen monitor. It had come with a VGA cable which I had used successfully for about a week, but I have the idea that HDMI is supposed to be better.

I was disappointed to find that the raster, set to 1920x1080 ARGB32 (Radeon HD 5450), is bigger than the monitor's screen, so that the Dockies disappear off the bottom, and icons on the left or right edge are at least partly off screen.

I added the VGA cord back on. Apparently it's OK to leave both cords hooked up and select one input or the other at the monitor. Workbench fits exactly when I choose VGA and made it easy to log in here.

The question is, is there some way to fix the HDMI input, or do I just stick with VGA?

[LyleHaze]

Try the simple things first..
Check the Monitor settings for any overscan settings you might find.

As monitors advance, they often hide the settings that they don't expect you to need further down the menu tree.

Good Luck!

LyleHaze

[kilaueabart]

I wonder if that's something that I would find on the disk that came with the monitor (all Windows junk). But I found a place that might do something, when I plug HDMI back in. I reread the X1000 QuickStart guide, and found out I am supposed to use either DVI or VGA -- nothing about HDMI, so I unplugged it.

Which reminds me of another question, strictly X1000 but forgive me for asking here. I noticed I wasn't getting sound this morning and wondered if I had misguessed about where to plug the speakers in. So I turned to that QuickStart guide and found out that apparently I am not supposed to plug them into the back of the motherboard. I had been plugging them into the green jack in the middle of the upper row of three jacks, and it had always worked. The guide says use the PCI sound card, but I can't find any such thing in my computer. Had this perhaps changed by the time I got my late First Contact? (My sound problem was simply that in moving the thing around so I could figure out why my new memory wasn't working I had pulled it loose.)

The new memory wasn't working because I hadn't got the second stick firmly plugged in. I am now writing this in Firefox in Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.

[LyleHaze]

When the X1000 was released we did not have working drivers for the onboard sound. which explains why the instructions have you looking for a PCI sound card.
We now have drivers, and the internal sound is working great.
You can choose from sending output to the front headphone jack, the rear (green) jack, the Optical S/PDIF output, or all three at once. (definitely the easiest to remember).
The setting can be made from Sys:prefs/AHI

Regarding HDMI/SVGA/DVI.. I have been using HDMI only for as long as I have had an X1000.
I guess some Televisions are better adapted to use as a monitor than others.

Have Fun!
LyleHaze

[kilaueabart]

Your find-something-in-a-menu suggestion was right on! "Set to screen size." I don't understand why a 1920x1080 monitor doesn't automatically have a 1920x1080 screen size (with VGA it apparenlty does), but whatever works. Thank you.

Sometime when it's not bed time I'll google "Optical S/PDIF output." I haven't the foggiest.

A new bizarre size problem: Since upping memory to 2GB, trying to use the Ubuntu live disk (later successful), and trying out HDMI, my cpuinfo docky has turned into a small white rectangle with a drag bar, no name, no disk activity indicated. I tried reinstalling it, but no soap. It worked fine until yesterday. I'm baffled; could any of those changes have done it? It's the same with both HDMI and VGA.

Thanks again.
Bart

[LyleHaze]

I am glad to be able to help.

And as it happens, I recently learned a bit about "optical S/PDIF out". There is one on the back of many televisions, some high-end audio cards, and an output on the X1000 as well.

S/PDIF = Sony/Phillips Digital Interface Format is normally used for digital audio streams. It can be electrical, or it can be optical.
The information and format are the same for both, carrying stereo audio (uncompressed) or up to eight channels(compressed) of audio data.
The electrical interface is often a simple RCA jack, and the optical uses a "TOSLink" optical cable, carring the signal as modulated light.

There are MANY bit rates that MIGHT be supported, but it only works (obviously) when a speed is chosen that is supported at both the transmitter and receiver.

Many inexpensive receivers support only stereo, and only the lower bit speeds.. If your connection doesn't work, try gradually lowering the transmitted speed as a "first test" when looking for problems.

Generally speaking, digital audio offers a few advantages:
One connection instead of two or more.
No signal degradation from repeated conversion from digital to analog and back again repeatedly. (*maybe)
And a personal favorite of my own, the optical variant allows a "Hi Fi" audio connection with no common electrical ground, so your "noisy" digital ground from your computer PSU is not connected to your (hopefully) quieter ground of your fancy audio system.

I think that covers the basics.

(*) You might be surprised how many "digital" mix decks actually downconvert to analog for mixing, then back up to digital conversion on output.. which really puts a big dent in the "digital audio path" scheme.. Ah well.

[Deniil]

Do you know what graphics cards support HDMI output? I have a RadeonHD 6570 I believe and wanted to watch a movie on TV today, but there did not seem to be any output on the HDMI port. Normally I use DVI 1920x1080x32 on my monitor.

How to activate the HDMI output? Is it not supported perhaps on this card?

[LyleHaze]

I have run both a 4??? in the past and a 6570 currently with HDMI output. Neither required any specific settings at all.

I have noticed that some HDMI monitors only support their specific frequencies and resolutions, while others (like my Vizio M370NV) support a wide variety of lower resolutions.

But as long as I leave "Detect Settings automatically" checked in Prefs/ScreenMode/Monitors, everything just works without any problems.

[Hans]

@kilaueabart

Your find-something-in-a-menu suggestion was right on! "Set to screen size." I don't understand why a 1920x1080 monitor doesn't automatically have a 1920x1080 screen size (with VGA it apparenlty does), but whatever works. Thank you.

HDMI is basically DVI with a few extensions (e.g., embedded audio). However, some monitors will treat HDMI as a "TV" signal, and enable overscan. I don't know why, as overscan only made sense with CRT monitors. Hence, your monitor has a menu option to "set to screen size."


@Deniil

Do you know what graphics cards support HDMI output? I have a RadeonHD 6570 I believe and wanted to watch a movie on TV today, but there did not seem to be any output on the HDMI port. Normally I use DVI 1920x1080x32 on my monitor.

How to activate the HDMI output? Is it not supported perhaps on this card?

It should just work. However, hotplugging isn't supported. You need to plug it in before booting the OS (or do a reset), or that output will remain disabled.

Hans