How do I connect my tv to my video card?

[TechGuyAlabama]

I have the AMD Radeon HD 6950 and I have 2 monitors hooked up to it. I noticed it has an hdmi output also.

Can I hook my tv up to it while using two monitors?

If so, how do I use it?

Thanks!

 

[Flying-Q]

Using your hdmi port and an hdmi cable you can link up to your TV's hdmi input if it has one. Tune your TV to the channel that corresponds with the hdmi input. In the AMD Catalyst Control Centre you will be able to see the TV as an additional monitor. Set the resolution for that 'monitor' to 1920x1080 and you should be good to go. Arrange desktop in the driver (CCC) as fits the physical arrangements.

Cheers

Q

 

[swifty_morgan]

i always found i needed to go into the tv's control panel and select the proper HDMI output.

 

[TechGuyAlabama]

When I boot up my second monitor goes blank and my tv shows the Windows startup screen. When I get to the log in my 2nd monitor comes on my my tv shows No Signal.

So, I go to the Screen Resolution and it sees the tv. I set it to extend or even duplicate the other screens and it says Unable to Save Display Settings. If I disable both my monitors and make the tv the only active display, it works.

Any ideas?

 

[Flying-Q]

Sounds like your CCC is not installed properly. Do you have hydravision installed as well?

You should have no problem running 3 monitors from that GPU, even with different resolutions.

A thought: are you trying to drive the TV at 50 or 60HZ? check in the display settings part of CCC. Also try finding the TV/monitor in the windows dialogue rather than the AMD driver.

 

[jfreggie]

How are your first 2 monitors plugged in?
To get 3 monitors to work, one must be hooked up using the Display Port. If say both of your monitors are hooked up using DVI, your 3 monitor (the TV) would need an ACTIVE DP to HDMI adapter to function.

 

[Flying-Q]

Yup displayport is the niggle, is one of your original monitors connected via that?

 

[TechGuyAlabama]

How are your first 2 monitors plugged in?
To get 3 monitors to work, one must be hooked up using the Display Port. If say both of your monitors are hooked up using DVI, your 3 monitor (the TV) would need an ACTIVE DP to HDMI adapter to function.

This is how I have it set up:

The tv has an hdmi cable going to the hdmi port.

Is this not correct?

 

[TechGuyAlabama]

Yup displayport is the niggle, is one of your original monitors connected via that?

niggle? I'm sorry I'm new to this...

 

[Flying-Q]

as jfreggie said above at least one of the monitors must be driven from the DisplayPort for triple head goodness. The card can out put 6 streams in total, two from each DisplayPort and then two from the three other digital ports (HDMI and DVIx2) as the HDMI shares resources with one of the DVIs. That is why one monitor goes off as the machine boots through BIOIS then the TV goes off as the machine continues the boot process and the driver takes over control.

 

[TechGuyAlabama]

Sounds like your CCC is not installed properly. Do you have hydravision installed as well?

You should have no problem running 3 monitors from that GPU, even with different resolutions.

A thought: are you trying to drive the TV at 50 or 60HZ? check in the display settings part of CCC. Also try finding the TV/monitor in the windows dialogue rather than the AMD driver.

What is CCC? I'll install Hydravision and see if that works for me!

 

[TechGuyAlabama]

as jfreggie said above at least one of the monitors must be driven from the DisplayPort for triple head goodness. The card can out put 6 streams in total, two from each DisplayPort and then two from the three other digital ports (HDMI and DVIx2) as the HDMI shares resources with one of the DVIs. That is why one monitor goes off as the machine boots through BIOIS then the TV goes off as the machine continues the boot process and the driver takes over control.

Can someone link me an example of an "ACTIVE DP to HDMI adapter". I googled it but I didn't see anything that would fit my situation.

 

[TechGuyAlabama]

as jfreggie said above at least one of the monitors must be driven from the DisplayPort for triple head goodness. The card can out put 6 streams in total, two from each DisplayPort and then two from the three other digital ports (HDMI and DVIx2) as the HDMI shares resources with one of the DVIs. That is why one monitor goes off as the machine boots through BIOIS then the TV goes off as the machine continues the boot process and the driver takes over control.

If it shares resources with on of the DVIs, does that mean it's not a good idea to use the tv in conjuction with two monitors through the dvi?

 

[Flying-Q]

as jfreggie said above at least one of the monitors must be driven from the DisplayPort for triple head goodness. The card can out put 6 streams in total, two from each DisplayPort and then two from the three other digital ports (HDMI and DVIx2) as the HDMI shares resources with one of the DVIs. That is why one monitor goes off as the machine boots through BIOIS then the TV goes off as the machine continues the boot process and the driver takes over control.

If it shares resources with on of the DVIs, does that mean it's not a good idea to use the tv in conjuction with two monitors through the dvi?

Not just not a good idea, it just won't work, as you have already discovered. The card's firmware and drivers select the best two out of three so one will always get no signal.

 

[TechGuyAlabama]

as jfreggie said above at least one of the monitors must be driven from the DisplayPort for triple head goodness. The card can out put 6 streams in total, two from each DisplayPort and then two from the three other digital ports (HDMI and DVIx2) as the HDMI shares resources with one of the DVIs. That is why one monitor goes off as the machine boots through BIOIS then the TV goes off as the machine continues the boot process and the driver takes over control.

If it shares resources with on of the DVIs, does that mean it's not a good idea to use the tv in conjuction with two monitors through the dvi?

Not just not a good idea, it just won't work, as you have already discovered. The card's firmware and drivers select the best two out of three so one will always get no signal.

Ah, finally a more direct answer.

One last question, will the tv be as good of quality as a monitor for gaming if I replace one of my monitors with it?

 

[Flying-Q]

Now that is a bigger question.

It depends upon the native resolution of the monitor you are considering replacing. If the resolution is lower than 1920x1080 (the TV's resolution) then go for it.