9800GT + receiver + projector = blank screen

midgetspy

I have a PC hooked up to my receiver with DVI -> HDMI and then my receiver is hooked up to a projector with HDMI. Until yesterday I have been using the onboard (Intel) graphics and they've worked fine.

Yesterday I installed a new video card, an XFX 9800GT. I configured the system with an LCD monitor hooked up then unplugged it and plugged the PC into the receiver. After switching resolutions the projector worked just fine hooked to the PC. I then tried to reboot the PC and ran into a problem: as soon as it rebooted it never displayed any video again. No video BIOS screen, no BIOS, nothing. I could tell the computer booted, but no video was being displayed. I tried plugging the projector straight into the PC (instead of the receiver), nothing. I tried turning the receiver on/off, nothing. So I tried plugging the LCD monitor back in and still nothing.

After a bit of experimentation it seems that if the LCD monitor is plugged in when it boots on then it works fine, but if the receiver is plugged in when it boots then it will never display video until I reboot with the monitor plugged in again. Once it boots with the LCD monitor plugged in I can switch and it works fine.

Has anybody dealt with an issue like this or have any idea what I can do about it?

For reference, here's the hardware involved:

Mobo: ASUS P5E-VM HDMI (Intel onboard video which works fine)
GPU: XFX 9800 GT
Receiver: Onkyo TX-SR605
Projector: PT-AX200U

Rigor Mortis

Have you set the BIOS to force initiation of PCIEx graphics first? My first thought is that maybe if it's set to autodetect which adaptor to use, it doesn't detect the receiver as a monitor and switches back to the onboard?

mkissin

It might be an HDCP handshaking error. If it is, there's precisely SFA you can do about it, but that's about all I can think of.

L*2*G*X

A few things; did you update the video card driver? try a shorter cable? Try a different hdmi port on the Onkyo?

kpeezy

I had this problem with an a Samsung HDTV. The only way it would display was if I started the computer on a different monitor and then switched outputs in windows. I never got it working. Got a new TV and never had a problem.

So, probably the projector if you're having the same problem I did.

Rigor Mortis

If it's an HDCP problem - I've heard HDCP removal boxes exist to solve this. Basically the box provides the HDCP handshaking then just passes video through to the (non-compatible) device on the other side. I wouldn't know where to find them or how much they cost though.

mkissin

Rigor Mortis wrote: »

If it's an HDCP problem - I've heard HDCP removal boxes exist to solve this. Basically the box provides the HDCP handshaking then just passes video through to the (non-compatible) device on the other side. I wouldn't know where to find them or how much they cost though.

Really? I didn't think that was possible. As far as I was aware, the entire chain (source/switch/display) had to support the proper HDCP handshaking. If they're out there, they would help a lot of people. There seems to be tons of people who have problems with particular hardware combinations.

To the OP: it's possible that updating the firmware on one of the devices might fix the problem, if you're able to do that. Not all devices can be updated though, obviously.

Rigor Mortis

mkissin wrote: »

Rigor Mortis wrote: »

If it's an HDCP problem - I've heard HDCP removal boxes exist to solve this. Basically the box provides the HDCP handshaking then just passes video through to the (non-compatible) device on the other side. I wouldn't know where to find them or how much they cost though.

Really? I didn't think that was possible. As far as I was aware, the entire chain (source/switch/display) had to support the proper HDCP handshaking. If they're out there, they would help a lot of people. There seems to be tons of people who have problems with particular hardware combinations.

To the OP: it's possible that updating the firmware on one of the devices might fix the problem, if you're able to do that. Not all devices can be updated though, obviously.

Well, I did some looking in case someone asked that question.

Turns out that while I heard corretly, they're expensive and possibly illegal in the US thanks to the DMCA (not entirely sure, opinions seem to vary)

But they do exist, for example:
http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/21/the-clicker-hdcps-shiny-red-button/

mkissin

Nice. Something tells me that devices like that probably violate some kind of license agreement that the company signed in order to get an HDCP access code in the first place.

IMHO, The DMCA is a giant grey area as far as removing those kinds of devices from the HDCP lists goes. It should only be enforceable in America, but it would be rendered useless around the world if that action was taken. Removing it die to license violations (as above) is probably an easier route, not that the HDCP people would probably care.

Still, it would be a great idea for all of the people who are having HDCP related problems (which does seem to be a fairly sizable group of people), instead of forking out for a new receiver/whatever. Even if you have to be aware that it might stop working at any moment

midgetspy

No way it's an HDCP problem, I'm just trying to use the projector as a monitor for a PC, no HDCP involved.

I've discovered that if I boot it up with no displays hooked up at all and then plug in the receiver once it's booted it works fine. If I have the receiver plugged in during bootup, though, then I can never get video without rebooting.

About the other suggestions:

- video driver is up to date
- the cable to the receiver is 6' HDMI, I don't have a shorter one but I can't see it mattering
- I used both HDMI inputs, no change
- I was unable to find a setting about onboard graphics in my BIOS. This sounds like maybe it could be the problem, but I'm not sure why it would work if I boot it with nothing plugged in? I'll poke around in there again and see if I missed something.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Now that I know I can boot it with the cord unplugged it's not that big of a deal - at least I don't have to lug a monitor downstairs every time.

mkissin

If you're using an HDMI connection, then HDCP will almost certainly be involved. That's the whole thing about HDMI; it uses HDCP so you can't get in there and copy stuff. It isn't definitely the problem, but it does crop up more than it should.

Still, I'm pleased you've found a semi-workable solution

midgetspy

mkissin wrote: »

If you're using an HDMI connection, then HDCP will almost certainly be involved. That's the whole thing about HDMI; it uses HDCP so you can't get in there and copy stuff. It isn't definitely the problem, but it does crop up more than it should.

Still, I'm pleased you've found a semi-workable solution

I thought HDCP only applied to protected content - wouldn't it boot to desktop fine and only fail if I tried to watch a blu-ray or something? If it's a HDCP thing maybe the fact that I'm using a DVI->HDMI adapter has something to do with it (I used to use the on-board HDMI port on my motherboard). I'd still like to fix this cause climbing behind the PC everytime I reboot it is going to be pretty annoying, heh.

mkissin

OK, I did a bit of digging around and yeah, you're quite right. The HDCP should only apply to content that's actually marked as protected. Also, I believe it rechecks the HDCP link a few times a second, so if it ever works, the handshake is unlikely to be the problem.

Sorry, no idea what might be doing it