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W7 MC: Aspect ratio incorrect on wakeup from standby
W7 MC: Aspect ratio incorrect on wakeup from standby
- i've noticed an issue with w7 x64 RTM MC, and the screen size when it wakes up from stand-by.
basically, it defaults to 4:3, instead of 16:9 1080p. restarting pc/restarting the MC application fixes the issue, until you wake it up from stand-by again. when you exit MC, and goto the desktop it appears immediately in the correct resolution which is why i don't believe it's a driver issue. i see no 'application' or 'system' errors in the event log either.
my kit:
Panasonic 42" plasma (TH-42PZ80) - 1080p
Onkyo TX-SR507 AV Receiver
A64 single core, 1gb, ATI radeon HD 3450 (catalyst v9.9 drivers)
win7 x64 MSDN-RTM, fully updated
all the kit is connected with HDMI cables. PC > Receiver > TV.
i've seen various other threads on TN regarding aspect ratio, but they have been related to recording video, rather than the displayed image - maybe something related?
All Replies
Hi,
Before going any further, I would like to confirm the following information:
1. Does it only occur in Windows Media Center?
2. Is it in Full screen mode when entering standby?
3. By the Standby, do you mean Sleep Mode?
4. Is it an OEM computer?
First, I suggest updating BIOS, Chipset and Motherboard drivers. In addition, please try the following steps:
1. Click Start, type devmgmt.msc in the Start Search bar, and press Enter.
2. Expand "Display adapters", display card, switch to "Power Management" tab, uncheck "Allow computer to turn off this device to save power" if this option is not grey.
3. Reboot the computer and check this issue again.
If it persists, you may test it in Clean Boot mode.
Vivian Xing - MSFT1. Does it only occur in Windows Media Center?
> yes. if i close down MCE application BEFORE i standby/sleep the pc, then wakeup is fine. my issue only occurs if MCE is running when you standby/sleep the machine
2. Is it in Full screen mode when entering standby?
> yes.
3. By the Standby, do you mean Sleep Mode?
> yes. i use these terms interchangeably! any references to 'standby', i actually mean 'sleep'. my appologies for the confusion!
4. Is it an OEM computer?
> HP DX-series desktop machine, however custom built, and the addition of the ATI HD 3450 graphics card.
all drivers are fully upto date. BIOS is recent, but i'll have to re-check to be 100%.
power management - i'll check that too. i havent purposefully changed anything in device manager from the default state.
i'll check out the bios on dev manager settings - thanks for quick and helpful reply!
- Hi Veehexx:
I have a 42" Panasonic Plasma 720p connected to an ATI 3650 Graphics card and have found that the native resolution of the TV does not match the resolution recommended by Win7. If you right click with your mouse on the Win7 screen and click on resolution, then detect, then select the recommended resolution it shows and apply it, do you still have the same problem? The resolution Win7 selects leaves about 3/8" of black on both sides of the screen in both the Win7 desktop and with full-screen Media Center but at least it leaves the aspect ratio correct. Funny thing is, when I use my Xbox 360 input to the TV (also on HDMI input), the picture is at a different resolution and fills the entire screen! I did notice that the manual for the Panasonic TV mentions under resolution that the tv isn't intended for PC usage. This is probably because it is only 720p and not easy to read small type and view web pages. - ok, a few updates....
i'm actually running ATI 4550 HD. drivers are still v9.9 though.
machine is HP DX2250, with latest bios (dated 2008.... v1.12)
clean boot has been performed with the same issues.
newnerd - resolution is correct. win7 detect 1920x1080 resolution correctly, straight off the bat (once the catalyst drivers are installed). this is what I've selected as resolution. i've then used the over-scan option to fill the image to the full screen size.
so, with both your suggestions, i am still encountering my initial issues.
aspect ratio is ONLY incorrect if MCE app is running when the system goes into 'sleep' mode. if you exit MCE before you sleep the machine, so you have just the desktop displayed, THEN you 'sleep' the machine, the aspect ratio remains correct when you wake up the machine.
it is unlikely but i am keeping an eye out for updated ATI drivers also, as i know win7 is still young and no doubt a few bugs need to be ironed out!
so, with that said, and my mediocre knowledge of drivers, computers and the way software works, i'd say there is an issue with MCE app, rather than drivers/hardware limitations.
- Hi again Veehexx:
Sorry to hear the problem isn't fixed. Are you running the video output thru HDMI from your graphics card to the A/V receiver and from that to the HDTV? If so, have you tried running the HDMI cable directly to the TV to see if the receiver is having an adverse effect on the video output from your graphics card? - fyi: still looking into this - trying to find the onkyo 507 service menu to see if i can change the default video options.
if i fail, might go back to the place i bought it to see if they can help. - it's still looking like a media center issue...
i've just plugged in my gaming PC (native HDMI again), and it exhibits the same issue.
my gaming pc:
Q6600, 4gb ram, Asus P5e, nvidia 9800gx2.
what is interesting, is that it sets to a 'generic' resolution of 1024x768. simply alt+tabbing out and back into MCE fixes the issue.
while my gaming pc (nvidia) stretched the 1024x768 display to 16:9 ratio, my MCE machine (ATI gfx) does not stretch it and puts it into a 4:3 ratio with black bars down the side.
nvidia drivers: unsure on exact version, but latest WHQL as of 10 days ago.
ati drivers: initially started on 9.7 (w7 rc1 x64, which i dont recall having the issue), and 9.9/9.10 (w7 rtm x64) both have this same issue.
i've changed that many things between working and not working states (prior to starting this thread), that i cant pin point it, other than it APPEARS to be an issue with the RTM release code of media center.
im unsure on HDMI communications, but it's almost like windows isnt applying/being notified of the correct resolution until you alt+tab or restart Media Center.
-addional bug-
im guessing this could be the same issue, i have a similar issue with audio not working correctly either.
if i pause the tv for 15-20mins+, then try to play back, i sometimes get no audio (audio hardware is present so doesnt appear to be the generic audio driver issue common with w7). i've also found this happen alot when something is recording, and you try to watch tv/recorded show; audio does not playback. however, the audio is recorded as if you restart MCE and then watch the recorded show, the audio is fine.
this could be a red herring though - could well be unrelated to my video issues.
EDIT:
whoops - i seemed to of posted under our work TN login! im actually 'veehexx' :) same person, same fault!! - Good morning gents
Add me to this list as well
My kit
Pioneer 42 Kuro
Sony Amp
A64 single core, 1gb, ATI radeon HD 3450 (catalyst v9.9 drivers)
win7 x32 ultimate
I manage to get the windows environment to run full screen 1080p and stretch it with the catalyst control center with the overscan function.
As soon as I run the MC environment though it negates the overscan and I have black bars around the screen. When I switch back to the Windows environment the overscan works fine again.
An interesting fact though is that I have an ATI radeon 3450 in a Dell Studio Line system running Vista and with the same hardware (SONY PIONEER) I have no probs whatso ever.
Another interesting fact is that I actually did manage to get it to work (MCE Full screen) and then the PC went in to sleep mode and when I booted it up again it had gone back to a compressed MC environment. Being a fool I did not log my steps!
Any luck from your side.... Hope to hear from you
This has happened previously with me and it is a software issue. I will be playing around over the next couple of days see if I can figure it out.
Rocketz
- a workaround (i've found) is to close MC-app before sleep, then re-open it on resume. this only fixes the 1024:768 (4:3 and not 16:9) resolution issue, and not the overscan issue your encountering. not a big issue since i have the Harmony 555 controller. (as i said in my OP)
the only 'fix' i've found is to revert back to Vista on the 9.7 ATI drivers however.
i'll be keeping an eye on hotfixes/updates, and using my w7 gaming machine (nvidia gfx) to test the updates to see if w7MC is fixed.
short of installing and testing (im not willing todo!) w7 rc1, i know vMC works fine. - Hi Veehex I have just checked with Driver Agent and they propose a new (older) version of CCC drivers but going back to VISTA is a no no.... like I said I did get it to work once and by goddarnit ;) I will get it to work again!
- yep, reverting to vMC was a last resort for me. i really didnt want todo it.
i'd far rather run w7MC for various reasons (one of which is my unwatched recorded TV is in .wtv and not .dvr-ms). if you do stumble across your fix, please do post it - i'd be interested in it! - You too! There must be a solution!
yep, reverting to vMC was a last resort for me. i really didnt want todo it.
i'd far rather run w7MC for various reasons (one of which is my unwatched recorded TV is in .wtv and not .dvr-ms). if you do stumble across your fix, please do post it - i'd be interested in it!
Strange but true I might have fixed it....
I went into the Device Manager Tab in the Control Center of windows and selected ROLL BACK TO EARLIER VERSION OF THE DRIVER.... saved and VIOLA MC works full screen....
Now I am terrified
Rocketz- Okay and then I rebooted the system to set the changes and it went back to its old shennanigans...
And the I upgraded the driver to latest one and VIOLA problem solved again....
then I rebooted the system to set the changes and it went back to its old shennanigans...
And the I rolled back the driver to latest one and VIOLA problem solved again....
So the problem seems to be the driver and the power mode....
- Not sure if I can add much to this thread because I've not been following it however I do have an ATI 3540 but am driving a Toshiba 32" LCD-HD.
I also on set up have to expand using the Catalyst. My question is: are you going to sleep or standby? I use S3 and although I have a number of niggling problems with W7MC, display format is not one of them! - mm will check... but since I rolledback the driver Windows Update is trying to force me to install the updated driver.... and I dont want it (at least not untill its fixed)
- I'm sure that one of the MS subscribers will take umbrage but I've actually got updates turned off! I found since Vista days that updates caused more problems for me than they solved. I do however do a manual update check ft2t to see if there is anything relevent to me (do think that will sooth the MS feathers?).
I'm sure that one of the MS subscribers will take umbrage but I've actually got updates turned off! I found since Vista days that updates caused more problems for me than they solved. I do however do a manual update check ft2t to see if there is anything relevent to me (do think that will sooth the MS feathers?).
Good idea- well, i havent tried this, but it happens on completely different hardware for me (one is AMD/ATI, the other is intel/nvidia) as is not soly related to ATI drivers.
so i think it's a windows-side driver issue with how the nvidia/ati graphic drivers interact with w7.
being WHQL (or whatever the w7 equivelent is) then surely power-savings should be fully tested and working - especially when W7 WHQL drivers have had multiple releases.
fwiw, i use sleep/standby interchangably. correct term is 'standby'.
i think i might loan a spare pc from work - whack unpatched vista SP1 on it and do yet more testing! - Just a couple of non technical observations from my experiences
I'm having a similar problem with one of my displays. The problem seems to be independent of the Media Center app as I experience it whether the app is running or not. When it comes out of S3 only 4:3 aspect ratios are available. I found a workaround, can't figure out the problem, but did notice something on another display that might help someone track down the problem.
I used version 7100 and let Windows load the default Nvidia drivers. When the problem occurred, I updated the drivers from the Nvidia website. The problem still persisted. However, as soon at I went into the Nvidia display app, either through a context menu or the control panel, the display immediately went into the proper resolution. Note, I didn't have to change the resolution, just merely start the app. Device Manager reported that the display adapter "was working properly" even before I corrected the problem manually, so something is amiss.
I also have an 800 series Samsung using the same Windows version. When I boot, it reports the resolutions during the process. It starts out at 640x480, then goes to 1024x768 and finally to 1920x1080. I wonder if somehow the displays that are defaulting to the 4:3 ratio somehow get "stuck" at the 1024x768 resolution after resuming from S3? For some reason it seems, at least in my case, that Windows isn't locating or loading the correct driver after resuming.
- I'm having the same issue as the original reporter (and many of the others who have responded as well). Sometimes (though not always), when I turn things on, I'm stuck in 4:3 until I close MC and reopen it.Samsung PN50A550Onkyo TX-SR705Core2 Duo E7400ATI Radeon 4670 (Catalyst v9.10)Windows 7 32bit (upgraded from Vista via the DVD mailed to me)Everything connected via HDMI.Possibly(?) related? Or just another annoying bug -- DVD playback breaks after my system goes into standby and then resumes, with some kind of DRM error. Rebooting the PC fixes this and allows DVD playback in MC, but is obviously a pain.
- i dont know if it will help anyone, but i've found a *POSSIBLE* cause to the video feed.... EDID
http://www.avforums.com/forums/sounds-cards-mics-headsets-computer-speakers/779726-no-sound-over-hdmi-after-sleep-using-sapphire-radeon-hd-3470-a.html
im not spending $129 (+shipping to UK), but it sounds plausable since EDID carries video data.
anyone know how to force a fixed EDID in w7 so that it never changes?
on another note, i've been running vista SP2 for the last week, and it's been perfect video upto now. however, i did need to go MCE > TV, rather than via onkyo amp. (audio is taken from output from tv, into amp as a temp solution)
com'mon MVPs - any sugestions to what seems to be a re-occuring issue on various hardware configs? - I think Veehexx might be on to something. From my original post:
"I used version 7100 and let Windows load the default Nvidia drivers. When the problem occurred, I updated the drivers from the Nvidia website. The problem still persisted. However, as soon at I went into the Nvidia display app, either through a context menu or the control panel, the display immediately went into the proper resolution. Note, I didn't have to change the resolution, just merely start the app. Device Manager reported that the display adapter was "working properly" even before I corrected the problem manually, so something is amiss."
I checked how Windows was reporting my display When the problem occurred the display was reported as a Generic PnP Monitor. When the display was working properly and display characteristics were accessed through the Nvidia control panel, the display was reported as a Panasonic TH*****8UK. That "seems" to be EDID related, but again, it's just observational.
There is a possibility that you could use an INF to override the Monitor EDID.
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/display/edid_over.mspx
If you have an older version of Office, you will have to download a compatibility pack to view the file.
Maybe an MVP can take a look and make some suggestions? - well im currently part way through copying w7 x86 iso to pen drive, and i'll install on a spare machine (similar to my MCE spec - A64, ATI chipset+graphics), and i'll try this EDID .inf override.
edit: Gah - did it again.... replied under work login! (veehexx again :)) - Dunno guys I have figured out the behaviour of the problem and it is as I said above... Once I install the new driver it works fine until I reboot the machine or go into sleep mode then I have the black frame around MCE (not in the windows environment) when I roll back the driver it reverts back to working fine until I switch off the machine...
Weird but true...
Rocketz - V,
Here's a couple of tools that might help:
Monitor Asset Manager:
http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/moninfo.shtm
Phoenix EDID Designer 1.3
http://www.tucows.com/preview/329441
These will allow you to view the current EDID info and write your own INF. I haven't had the time to write an INF, but the Asset Manager did show the resolution I wanted as the default wasn't in the EDID, even though it is supported. I don't know if I'm willing to take a chance and fry a nice Panasonic Professional Studio monitor over a Windows glitch though.- Edited bySherlockOhms Monday, November 09, 2009 12:29 PM
- i've not played with the advanced timings of EDID data, but i know if the basic EDID data (refresh, resolution) is incorrect, the panel will go into a safe mode and display nothing
currently at work, so unable to test your links.
sods law states that the pc i built on w7 x86 is working fine (HP DX5750; a64, onboard ATI chipset+gfx). it's been fine with DVI-D > HDMI cable, connected pc > onkyo AV reciever > TV.
faultless 1080p resolution without reverting back to 1024x768 (4:3 aspect).
it's not AS bigger issue anymore, i've gone SkyHD so will run sky directly, and not connect to Media Center. skyHD is a bit limited in it's media content playing though - cant play net radio, pictures, or watch digital films etc. would still like to find a proper remedy for this issue though.... V,
Wowzers.... thats about 10kms higher than my tech competence :D I am a super user but as modder I suck...
Here's a couple of tools that might help:
Monitor Asset Manager:
http://www.entechtaiwan.com/util/moninfo.shtm
Phoenix EDID Designer 1.3
http://www.tucows.com/preview/329441
These will allow you to view the current EDID info and write your own INF. I haven't had the time to write an INF, but the Asset Manager did show the resolution I wanted as the default wasn't in the EDID, even though it is supported. I don't know if I'm willing to take a chance and fry a nice Panasonic Professional Studio monitor over a Windows glitch though.
I just hope that MS comes with a fix soon! other than that I have uninstalled the driver and the machine stays one, no sleep mode or anything...
I have to factor in SAF as well (spouse acceptence factor)
Rocketz- I have tried something completely new. I installed XBMC (xbox media center) and the resolution is totally wrong. I only get about 1/4 of the app screen on my 42 inch. So win 7 has a serious problem understanding screen resolution and the apps that uses full size capabilities.
- Seems like I have a solution.
I have connected my MCE directly to my TV via HDMI , not via the amp.... and things seem to be working okay.... Now I will have to use the Digital Cables for sound to my amp but thats fine... its better than having the machine on the whole time - no fix for me, rocketz (under media center)....
w7 MC to tv = same issue as my first post (sometimes no video at all)
vista SP2 MC to tv = 100% perfect
connecting to onkyo amp seems to exgagertate the issue and happens more often.
im not sure how to contact MS in reguard to this - i know with MSDN accounts you get x ammount of free support tickets, but im not going to 'waste' a support ticket for personal reasons on a joint work MSDN account. also not going to PAY for this issue to be resolved either!
from what this thread has been going like, theres various hardware configs, and users who are experiencing the same issues and im sure theres people who havent seen this thread or not signed up to TN - would be helpful to know MS have acknoledged (or even a link to a fix!) this issue. - Hi Veehexx
Yeah well too my surprise when I got home today and took the MCE out of sleep mode..... VIOLA no picture
Had to cold start the machine quite a few times before the PIC was restored
the thing is obviously W7 does not communicated/read external HDMI screens correctly.
I think they should do an Apple and just hard code the resolutions into the system instead of making it dynamic - not wanting to get into mac vs pc architecture debate, but thats not true. minimac are dvi and supports anything you can connect to it. being unfamiliar with OSX, im guessing it's quite possible that osx COULD have the same issue as we're experiencing wint windows 7.... end of the day it's a bug :)
just on the fact of our issue only related to HDMI on win7, i'd like to point out that my setup is fully HDMI 1.3a compliant, and i've tried various brands & sourced HDMI cables.
thers just so many varibles, that on some occasions w7 works fine (immediately sleep & resume), other times the display is incorrect on resume (10mins+ of sleep), and other times no display at all reguardless of what you do (20hour+, hibernate disabled) and requires a full reboot to fix.
edit:
far from a perfect fix, but something to tie us over: http://www.hack7mc.com/2009/10/refresh-rate-changer-for-windows-7-media-center.html
i currently dont have a w7 MC to test this on, but im thinking that if you set this plugin as the w7MC entry point when MCE loads, you can simply click the res to 'reset' the display and it might correct itself? - I've been having a similar problem. Seems to be a combination of lying idle, going into the MyPictures screen saver, then going to Sleep automatically. On wake the screen shrinks to the middle 40% of the real estate (although the aspect ration is kept correct).
I've had some challenges with the Video/Sound drivers, particularly for HDMI. It's a Gigabyte mobo with Intel G45 chipset running Win7 64 bit, but I had the same problems under Vista. It's not actually a Microsoft problem, in my case it's the Intel drivers. However, ....
After the Win7 upgrade I had basic video and sound. Microsoft Update provided a patch, I installed it and while video became fully functional the sound stopped so I went back to the last restore point. I tried the Gigabyte web site and got their copy of the G45 drivers, installed them and sound failed the same way. Back to the restore point. I went to the Intel site and it had the same drivers but a different installer - this installed video and sound as separate steps, and after that they both worked fine.
I'd recommend checking out the ATI web site for the appropriate drivers, and if they're using anyone elses chips (e.g. Intel) try them too.
Having said that, this is the only intance I can recall of a Microsoft Update patch going wrong for me in years, and I've been using them religiously and taking everything since WinXP was a beta, through Vista beta/RTM up to now.
