Video playback only works on one monitor (the wrong one)

[timg11]

I have been having problems with video playback failing on all except "Basic". I discovered that all 4 playback modes work perfectly when the SageTV UI is displayed on the small LCD display connected to the HTPC computer. When I put SageTV on the HDTV (where I want to really watch it) video playback fails on any setting except Basic.

I'm using an NVidia 8600GT video card with two DVI outputs, one going to HDMI on the HDTV, and one to the LCD.

How can I get the video playback to "favor" the HDTV over the LCD? I moved Monitor 2 over to the left in the desktop settings since the HDTV is physically to the left of the HTPC. Moving it back to the default position on the right doesn't fix the problem. I don't want the HDTV to be primary display for booting and Windows, since it is not always on and sometimes we use the computer alone.

[chrishallowell]

I found that for SageTV to work with my setup, I have to have the HDTV set to the primary display.

Check out the software: Ultramon. It allows you to easily switch between displays.

[Taddeusz]

If you're running XP video acceleration only works on the primary monitor. You will get a black box on the second monitor unless you change the video renderer to "default". The solution to this is to either upgrade to Vista or make the monitor you want to display the video on the primary monitor. The reason video acceleration works on either monitor on Vista is because the entire display is 3D and as a result VMR9 and EVR work across all monitors.

[timg11]

That is it exactly. SageTV doesn't work unless the display it puts video onto is the primary monitor. This really should be in the FAQ and the manual. I don't think it is a XP vs Vista issue, since Videolan VLC can display HD video beautifully on both of my monitors, whether primary or secondary.

[Opus4]

On Windows XP, DirectX uses hardware acceleration for VMR9 only on the primary monitor; on the secondary monitor, DirectX uses software emulation.

Overlay should work on both monitors unless the decoder you are using doesn't support using it on the secondary monitor. If it doesn't work for you, try a different decoder.

I think SageTV's "Default" renderer is VMR7, which might work on a secondary monitor.

You mentioned not wanting to set theTV to be the Primary display & dragging the Taskbar to the monitor, so I suppose that suggestion won't be an option.

- Andy

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by chrishallowell

I found that for SageTV to work with my setup, I have to have the HDTV set to the primary display.

Check out the software: Ultramon. It allows you to easily switch between displays.

+1 Ultramon is a great piece of software