[SOLVED] HDMI extended desktop not working through HDMI switch

[precords]

Hey everyone, wondering if anyone has ever run into this. I have a HP G72 with Win 7 64bit I take when I perform concerts. I've never had difficulty plugging my HDMI cable to a projector and setting the projector as extended desktop. This last tour I came upon new systems which are taking the HDMI from the projector and running it through some switch or something to the sound booth. The laptops they had (running Win 10 I believe) had no problem extending the desktop through this configuration. However, my G72 would ONLY see it as a CLONE display at ONE resolution. When trying to make it an extended display it just went black. Don't know if this is a driver problem or OS problem or what. In one situation, we were able to simply plug my G72 DIRECTLY into the projector and problem solved. It has become a real problem as 3 places forced me to load my software onto the clients Win 10 laptop (which doesn't support my older audio interface Maybe I'm missing a Win 7 update or something?? Any ideas?

 

[WaltzWorker]

Let me start over... Need to be a bit clear about the what? 6 different setups... So - #1 = basic setup is to directly connect to the projector - fine and dandy shouldn't have any problems. #2 - setup with multiple laptops to the projector. #3 - Problem connection: is when you tried to hook it up as in #1 but now it only shows a black screen? Or was that an entirely different setup?!? 4 - situation resolved by basic setup? 5/6/: Problem: Forced to load software onto clients laptops but issue with audio...

First off - HDMI systems can have communication between the source and destination. It can also send audio through that cable from version 1.2 or so. Its possible that your/their cable could be bad or that the positioning of the 2nd monitor/projector was way out... Far to the left or right or up or down... If you have an image as your background as many do - then that should be displayed on the projector if everything is fine... If you have 'black' as the color of the background on your laptop in combination with the possibility that the positioning of that projector is 'way off' as noted then that could be a possible explanation too... A quick test would be to change the color of your desktop and the color out of the projector should change to.. If however you still only get back - then check the cables.
What I mean by way off is this - as soon as you start THIS VIDEO you'll see that he'll be moving the monitors - it could be way off to the right, left, top or bottom! But technically I think they're all supposed to be 'next to each other.' If you can't see it in the window but you have a selection for it then you'll have to go into the "Change the appearance of multiple displays' and then select "disconnect" from the multiple displays drop down menu and then re-enable it. That should 're-center' that projector.

Setup #2 probably happened with a 'cheap' splitter and/or maybe bad cable... And possibly why you only got a single or few resolution settings if any. Many of these switches aren't made for high quality. Some actually have 'good' and 'proper' "pass through" that aren't effected by the unit itself, whereas others take the HDMI then process it and pass it out - limiting the resolution to what they could engineer... So - if you want a switch you'll have to definitely check the output resolutions its able to display. To combine all that... You should have one that either surpasses or at least matches what ever you need to display on; considering upgrades/downgrades different equipment, etc. THIS ONE seems okay at 4K!
As I noted HDMI also has audio out - but you would need an audio extractor for that. And a side note on the audio - you'll generally only get R & L connectors and then a SPDIF out... Unless you get nuts and go for the full 5.1 out like THIS ONE.

 

[precords]

Yes, so the problem is at setup#2. I could initially connect in CLONE display. However that was the wrong dimensions and I needed 1920X1080. When switching to EXTENDED DESKTOP, it went black. I couldn't get back to even seeing the CLONE display without going into registry and deleting all the registry setting for the HDMI. HOWEVER, the windows 10 laptops in all instance would run the extended desktop and 1920X1080 setting THROUGH the switch just fine. So of course with an HP and the standard INTEL HD GRAPHICS and driver maybe for some reason this was the problem and maybe the newer laptops had newer video cards that could somehow handle the switch. Just a mystery that I'm trying to solve here... Wondering if the driver can be the issue.

 

[WaltzWorker]

Could be, but my guess is that Windows 10 handles things like this much better as I've seen for myself. "We" have a multiple screen/edge blended system at 15 x 40 or so on two sides of a room (one side 3 projectors the other side 4 for some reason) 7 didn't work that well... Windows 10 however saw everything 'good' and gave all resolutions. Sadly that systems been changed so I'm only going on memory.

 

[precords]

Awe good feedback, I think I will install another drive in my laptop CD bay using a converter and put Win 10 on to my laptop as well to deal with this situation. From my experience Win 10 worked when 7 didn't so I think you are right about the HDMI changes in the OS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR RESPONSES!!!!!!!