If you have a scaling problem with nVIDIA graphics cards from a laptop using HDMI out to a TV

Hi all, this is just a little post regarding nVIDIA mobile GPUs and output to an external TV and scaling issues.

There are a lot of posts on the net regarding over scanning and nVIDIA GPUS out to TVs via HDMI. You plug it in, see the tv no problem go to set the resolution to full 1080p and whammy! parts of your screen are off the edges of the TV, no start button, task bar nothing. Then you have to dumb down the resolution to do anything or use the screen size tool in the graphics control panel. All this is great and all but then it actually does not run the correct resolution usually a dumbed down size like 1156x987 etc...

Or you can try the EDID registry hack and get the registry to tell the drivers you are plugging into a monitor. This sometimes works, but not always and if you make a change sometimes in the control panel for video settings it sometimes reverts back.

The problem is between the graphics driver and the TV. TVs usually over scan signals from cable boxes etc to fit the screen, and since even newer LCD tvs do the same you may be lucky and get a 1:1 pixel setting in the tvs menus but if not you are out of luck and need to find a way to get it to work.

The drivers from nVIDIA happen to be broken in this department as well but there is one fix I have found that works. There is a drawback however but its small if you do not care about audio through the HDMI cable.

All newer versions of the forceware drivers are broken when it comes to this setting and its because a setting is actually borked on purpose by nVIDIA in the drivers which prevents you to adjust how the display is handled, I do not know if its related to the EDID standards or not but its a problem. Until they fix it the only way I have been able to get any of my laptops that have nVIDIA chips to display appropriately on a 1080p "TV" screen is to use a driver that is a few versions older.

If you can find driver version 260.89 that is the last version that does work enabling your HDMI output to run a tvs native 1080p resolution without screen modifying. But it can only be done by disabling the digital audio portion of the signal. Using driver version 260.89 under the change resolution section you have to change the connector version from the drop down to HDMI-Audio Disabled.

Then you should be able to select the correct resolution below either under TV or PC listed resolutions. The screen will run at the appropriate native resolution.

An example why this is important when you use a TV and have to use the resize tool is in World of Warcraft. when you use the nVIDIA control panel to scale the image down to fit your screen it then leave the image running at a non standard size as noted at the beginning of this post. When you go into a game like World of Warcraft it will then reset to the default of like 800x600 or some nonsense because it cannot run non standard resolutions like 1168x987 etc. You also will not be able to select the highest resolution your TV can use either, it will revert to the last panel used, in my case the G60VX 1366x768.

Only option you have is to run full screen windowed mode. Which will work but not be the panels native res and will look ok but not as sharp, and there are ui scaling issues sometimes.

Using the above driver version with audio shut off will work, and games and other programs will run normally.

In my case I run my audio through a SB live usb soundcard into my logitech speakers so I do not need the audio out my tv. =)

I spent a lot of time on the phone with an nVIDIA engineer discussing this issue and a resolution regarding the drivers and why there is no manual setting to "use like a PC" option in the drivers. I did not get a clear answer just this option. Obvious draw backs are no sound out the TV speakers, and maybe in rare instances the driver may be older than a fix in a later version for a program or game (I have not discovered this yet but it could happen.)

If this is any use to anyone with a similar issue I hope this post helps. If you cannot find the drivers let me know.

 

The TV's settings matter as much if not more than the laptops. If the TV's settings it to overscan there is NOTHING the laptop can do to find where to start drawing. One of the reasons why the default video settings on PS3 linux had an overscan border built in.

Various TV's various settings. Some may comply with standards, some settings may override entirely. I use the same settings on the TV's as I do for my PS3.

I think I have had the issue you are talking about with my 46 inch sony. At 1366x768 it respects the 1:1 but certain other resolutions it trys to overscan. I usually set my nvidia res to 1366x768 and then change the game settings to 1080P. Thats the only occasion I have ever had issues though. Never have trouble selecting a res though.

 

My samsung alows me to se the TV itself for the overscan and shows properly