SageTV concurrently on SDTV and Projector

[Lucas]

I 've been running SageTV very well using an ATI9600XT via the S-Video output.

I just got a front projector that I connected to the 9600 via the VGA port.

Currently the ATI drivers are set so for the SDTV the resolution is 720x576 (PAL) and 75Hz refresh.

The projector shows the extended desktop. This allows me to move the SageTV interface from one screen to the other with the mouse.
I was using overlay and when making the transition the video on the PJ was black. This I fixed by switching to VMR. I only spent an hour or so fiddling so maybe the solution is around the corner.

What I would like to do though is to have both SDTV and Projector show the same SageTV interface. Running either VMR9 or Overlay and if possible have different resolutions for each.

The idea is to primarily watch recordings on the TV and sometimes fire up the projector, switch the TV off and watch DVDs or SageTV Recordings on the PJ.

I thought of running SageTV Client on the same box but haven't tried it yet.

Has anyone got this working.

I would be greatful for any pointers.

[gplasky]

I thought you could only run Overlay on your primary monitor. There should be some type of "clone" setting for your card instead of the extended desktop so you would have the same on either.

Gerry

[Lucas]

Yeah, I 've just been RTFMing and overlay is only available on the primary.

ATI Docs are not very clear though.... I just have to experiment a bit more.

If anything the 3.0.11 beta fix for the stuttering in VMR9 will push me to use VMR9 exclusively.

Any suggestions are welcome though.

[Opus4]

BTW: Depending on your video card & drivers, overlay can be on either monitor (I've always used it on my 2nd monitor), but I don't think it ever gets cloned. For cloning, I believe you have to use either Default or VMR9.

Edit: I _think_ I've heard about some sort of 'theater' modes that might put the overlay onto both monitors... but then it skips the UI on the second. Caution: This last comment is a pure guess & may have no connection to reality.

- Andy

[dvd_maniac]

There should be some type of "clone" setting for your card instead of the extended desktop so you would have the same on either.

I don't think this will work for him because he is looking for adifferent resolution on each monitor

Running either VMR9 or Overlay and if possible have different resolutions for each.

I had this issue when trying to get my HDTV and LCD monitor to cooperate and ended up with serious overscan issues. I wish I could use Clone Mode with different resolutions.

[Lucas]

Thanks all for your input.

ATI docs say that overlay is only available on the primary.

I haven't yet had a chance to try things out.

It looks like I may be stuck with the same res for both.

Just as well my PJ is only a WVGA model!

[Lucas]

PS I will also be trying running a SageTV client on the same box. I think from what Andy mentioned a while back, that this is posible. Sage TV will run in the primary (SDTV) in overlay and the Sage Client will run in the secondary in VMR9.

I will just have different remotes for each. The sound will be shared but I think I can manage. Have to see how that goes. Sounds too good to be true?

[Opus4]

VMR9 on the secondary probably won't work too well, since DirectX runs best on the primary monitor. You could try Default for the secondary though.

- Andy

[Lucas]

Well I got something going but it is not what I expected.

Starting with the TV being the primary monitor with 720x576 res, I added the projector in clone mode and sure enough I get a copy of what I have on the TV screen to the projector.

I am running with overlay in SageTV. As soon as I fire up a video or DVD, it starts up as normal on the TV but on the projector, the GUI goes and the full overlay video comes up. This is as expected however since in the Catalyst Control Centre the setting is Theater mode full screen.

The unexpected thing is that the video on the projector is not governed by the overlay video settings but by the Desktop settings. So it seems that the overlay area gets converted to VMR!

It seems that the other modes, standard and same will not work. If one if these is set then SageTV brings up an Error -4 every time a video is selected to play.......

The 'bad' thing with full screen is that motion(cam pans) is not as smooth as overlay and the SageTV OSD is not available.....

[Lucas]

Thanks all for the hints.
After experimenting with Clone and Theater modes without getting the result that I wanted, I settled for using Hotkeys to switch the active display.

I have Catalyst 5.9 drivers installed and what happens is that every time I switch, the resolution reverts to 800x600 necessitating reselecting the correct setting. What I do now is after doing the switch, grab the mouse on the coffee table, bring up the control panel and change the resolution to what is appropriate for the TV or Projector then grab the remote and start watching.......

This should be easier. I would think that one would be able to set a default/desired resolution for each display and this would be used when doing the switch.

Maybe I am not doing something right !

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

[Lucas]

Well, I worked out a great solution.

I defined a profile of the set of settings for the TV and the projector and then the Catalyst Control Centre created desktop shortcuts.

I have two shortcuts

One for SDTV in 720x576 in video mode and other catalyst settings such as brightness, contrast, etc.

Another for Projector in 1280x720 with different settings more suitable to the projector.

Clicking either, switches displays and sets the correct res and other settings.

I even mapped the shortcuts to menu selections in SageTV using Nielm's dynamic menus so I can make the switch through the remote.