Panasonic TV & Nvidia card problem

October 18, 2010 10:36 AM

Need help configuring computer and plasma tv connection. My new TV is not working with my computer.

I have a PC with Vista using an Nvidia 9400GT card. This card worked perfectly with my old Westinghouse flatscreen TV using the VGA connection on the TV. The Westinghouse showed everything that was happening on my computer., including Netflix movies.
My new Panasonic TC-P42C2 does not have a vga port. I used a cable to connect my card to the tv using the HDMI2 port. The card is recognizing the TV. I've set up the TV to use the HDMI2 port and have configured that port to the computer. When I turned on the TV, it shows my desktop wallpaper but not the program icons. It does not do anything but that, no matter what I'm doing on the computer.
What am I doing wrong or what am I forgetting to do?

posted by JohnE to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

I recall a similar problem at work a few months ago. I think you may have just extended the desktop. You want to go into the Nvidia control panel and clone the desktop.
posted by sanka at 10:40 AM on October 18, 2010

Best answer: It sounds like your computer is spanning your desktop to the TV (making it one wide virtual desktop) instead of cloning your primary display. Move your mouse around a lot. Does it eventually move over to your TV? If so, you'll need to set the Nvidia drivers to clone.
posted by zsazsa at 10:42 AM on October 18, 2010

Also check to make sure that the TV is outputting the display in "Native" mode, meaning it runs the native resolution of the HDMI signal coming in, usually 1920x1080 (aka 1080p). Many TVs don't default to native resolution.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 11:21 AM on October 18, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. Got it fixed through your help, you're all "best answers".
posted by JohnE at 11:46 AM on October 18, 2010