Help connecting laptop to Sony via HDMI

[admin_exported]

Hi All,

I recently tried connecting my laptop to my Sony KDL 26T3000 via HDMI. Unfortunately I have been unable to get the TV to recognise the PC. Within the TV's menu setup, there is an option to configure the HDMI settings. In this menu you can have the TV search for HDMI devices. For some reason the TV cannot locate the PC when I get it to search for HDMI devices. I have the PC on and enabled when I attempt this.

The PC recongnises the TV and within the Display Options menu on the PC I can see the TV as a 'second monitor', which I make sure is enabled. The mouse cursor also 'disappears' when I move it off the left (or right depending upon your configuration) of the computer screen, just like it would normally if I had two monitors hooked up. Yet for some reason the TV can't recongize the PC.

Does anyone have any ideas as to how I can get this setup working? I have succesfully used the same PC to watch movies on my Sony KDL 40W2000 in the lounge room, but I plugged the HDMI cable into my Onkyo 605, rather than directly into the back of the TV.

I have used a normal PC monitor cable (forget the proper name) to connect the laptop to the 26in Sony, but now that I have wall mounted the Sony I can't access that port anymore on the back of the TV, so I have moved to HDMI. So I guess another solution would be if someone knew of a normal PC monitor cable that has an extremely small plug on it so that I could squeeze it into place underneath the TV mounting bracket. And I mean extremly small.... I have positioned the mounting bracket as favorably as possible, but it still blocks the moniter cable port, it also blocks the HDMI ports, but since the cables are smalled I can just squeeze it in.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

James

 

[John Duncan]

What's the laptop?

 

[Anonymous]

Hello,

The laptop is a HP Pavillon DV5-1012. It is running Vista.

Thanks,

James

 

[John Duncan]

OK - can't find a picture of its keyboard to give you a definitive answer, but they key is usually to be set up to use only one monitor and press Fn + F7 or F8 to cycle round the monitors - my Sony is F7, I think a poster on here recently had a Dell that was F8, but whichever function key it is usually has a graphic of a TV screen or "LCD" written on it.

The HP Pavilion keyboard picture I found might suggest it's F5, but YMMV:

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that. I will give it a try when I get home from work.

 

[Anonymous]

Still no joy. Here are the steps I am taking:

1. Turn the TV and computer off.

2. Plug the computer into the TV via the HDMI cable.

3. Turn on the computer.

4. Right click on the desktop in the computer and select 'Nvidia Control Panel'. Then navigate to Display->Setup Multiple Displays. There are three choices I need to make at this stage.

a) Choose the nView mode (this is one of three options, single display, same display on both devices, or configure each display independently).

b) Select the displays I would like to use. The computer offers me two choices (Sony + Laptop OR Laptop +Sony).

c) Choose which device is the primary display.

5. I choose various combinations of the above, i.e., Configure both display indenpendently, Sony + Laptop, and Laptop as primary device.

6. Click Apply.

7. By this stage the TV has automatically turned itself on.

8. Press 'Menu' on the TV remote.

9. Goto Settings->Setup-up->HDMI Set-up->Device List Update. (I assume this means that the TV will now search for HDMI devices which are attached to it). I begin the search procedure and the TV fails to locate the PC.

So, basically, the PC can see the Laptop (which is evident from the NVidia control panel), but the TV has no idea about the Laptop. Quite frustrating really.

When I use the function-f4 key it cycles through the various options which are present in the nVidia control panel (i.e., those in (b) above).

I am going to try connecting my blueray player directly to the TV, and also try the HDMI cable I am using elsewhere to see if the cable is broken (it is a cheap Curry's one).

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance. James