Sony HDTV returns blank screen

[neospazzy]

I got a MCE2005 PC attached to my Sony 65" Rear Projection. I am using a DVI connector from the DVI port of my TV to the DVI port of my x700 Pro PCI-E card on the HTPC. No other monitor or TV are attached. I have HDTV running on it via ATI HDTV wonder. Everything works great ... up until I turn off the TV (while the HTPC is still on).

The problem begins when when I turn the TV back on. Nothing comes back on except from my TV OSD letting me know that there is no signal. The only way I can get the TV to "regain" the signal from the HTPC is to either pull the DVI cable off the computer and stick it back in ... or to hit the PC Power button on my MCE Remote (to put it on standby) and hitting the button again to put it out of standby. Then the screen comes back on. This annoyance happens wheter I am using the Media Center or not. This makes me believe that it is more of a driver issue than an application issue.

I never experience this :cool: until I installed the new Catalyst Drivers. I needed the driver upgrade and to install the Catalyst software to remedy the overscan problems and to regain the ability to change the resolution (the old driver did not let me change the resolution at all). I have a feeling that it may have to do with the new drivers and the DVI interface. I do not have system hibernation set up nor do I have anything on system standby or screen savers.

Any help would greatly be appreciated. I really don't want to roll back drivers. Thanks in advance! :bang head :

[mrgreenjeans]

As you've probably discovered, SLI and big screens still need a lot of work. Try disabling SLI and see if the problem reoccurs. I've got games that run great on the smaller monitor, awesome in SLI but when I connect to the big screen, total lock ups. Change to simgle GPU (disable SLI) and they run like butter. I've acalled everyone and the best answer I got was, "we're still working on the drivers for the big screens."
My motto, keep fiddling and something will reveal itself.

[Echo_]

DVI port of my x700 Pro PCI-E card on the HTPC.

hes not running sli

[mrgreenjeans]

DVI port of my x700 Pro PCI-E card on the HTPC.

hes not running sli

Check his sig.?

different rig than in the sig. I humbly stand corrected.

[neospazzy]

Check his sig.?

different rig than in the sig. I humbly stand corrected.

That is correct! This unit is a P4 3.0GHz running on an Intel 925XE board with 2GB of memory. The video card is a ATI Radeon x700 Pro PCI-E with an NVTV Dual Tuner and an ATI HDTV Wonder. All this compacted into the Antec HTPC case. My sig is a different rig for everything else.

I found out that this issue has been pretty common on other forums. It has to do with ATI's new Catalyst 5 drivers and DVI. There is currently no fix for it though I've used a profile switching hotkey technique suggested by another user. This profile switching forces the video card to detect the DVI signal, hence my TV goes back online. This beats putting my system on/off standby or rebooting the computer (both which are BAD if I am in the middle of recording a show).

I sure hope ATI fixes this issue or I may have to look into getting a Nvidia card instead. The new Catalyst drivers fixes a lot of the issues I had with the older ones ... especially the overscan problems on my Sony widescreen. But this annoyance is a major setback. If ATI can fix this issue, then the Catalyst 5 will be their best release yet.

[mrgreenjeans]

Don't jump to nVidia so fast. I built the system in rig for the oh-so-heralded advantages of SLI only to discover that SLI and large monitors have lots of issues. Most games have to run in 'SLI disabled' mode or will lock up. The merging of the technologies still needs some work. At least you've found a workaround.

[neospazzy]

Umm ... I don't know if we are on the same page here, mrgreenjeans. My HTPC does not need SLI since all I am going to do with it is just watch my shows. My main computer, which is not an HTPC, has two 7800GTX in SLI coupled with the Dell 2405 monitor (24" widescreen LCD) and they play well together! BF2, CSS, FEAR ... they all play great in SLI and in Hi-Res.

[doublejack]

I use an older nVidia card in my HTPC and it does a good job. I don't have any issues with the signal anyway. I'm sure ATI could solve that driver problem if they wanted to, but if they don't get around to it fairly quickly then I would switch to an nVidia card.

[mrgreenjeans]

they play well together! BF2, CSS, FEAR ... they all play great in SLI and in Hi-Res.
And you don't think they'd look good up on the bigscreen?

[neospazzy]

Nah ... my 24" LCD Widescreen is plenty good for my PC Games. Besides, playing my computer games on my bigscreen had it's disadvantages because:

1) At 1080i, the text is very hard to read.
2) My wife and kids won't appreciate daddy hogging up the TV to play games.
3) I don't want to lug my main, watercooled rig into the family room.

I have a private office with a nice big LCD screen that will suffice, thank you.
If I don't hear from ATI by the end of the week, I am putting my X700 Pro up on eBay and buying an Nvidia 6800 PCI-E card instead.

[mrgreenjeans]

Nah ... my 24" LCD Widescreen is plenty good for my PC Games. Besides, playing my computer games on my bigscreen had it's disadvantages because:

1) At 1080i, the text is very hard to read.
2) My wife and kids won't appreciate daddy hogging up the TV to play games.
3) I don't want to lug my main, watercooled rig into the family room.

I have a private office with a nice big LCD screen that will suffice, thank you.
If I don't hear from ATI by the end of the week, I am putting my X700 Pro up on eBay and buying an Nvidia 6800 PCI-E card instead.

1, I can help you with, by using a separate res (i use 1200 x 676) for web browsing etc The last two are up to you and I'd have to agree. Switching the equipment would be a royal PIA.