How do I get a DVI monitor/video-card connection to work?

[Mxsmanic]

I have just built a new desktop machine with a Asus Extreme EN6600GT
video card that has both analog and digital outputs. My monitor (Eizo
L885) also accepts digital input so I wanted to connect the monitor to
the video card via the DVI connectors. I bought a cable at the store
marked "DVI-I dual link" but it doesn't seem to work. The video card
appears to be aware that there is a DVI monitor connection, but the
monitor says it's not receiving a signal.

Am I using the right cable? If so, what else might be wrong? Do I
have to tell the video card to switch to DVI output or something? The
analog connection works fine, but I'd like to try DVI since it is
supposedly even sharper than analog.

 

[Ted]

I have just built a new desktop machine with a Asus Extreme EN6600GT
video card that has both analog and digital outputs. My monitor (Eizo
L885) also accepts digital input so I wanted to connect the monitor to
the video card via the DVI connectors. I bought a cable at the store
marked "DVI-I dual link" but it doesn't seem to work. The video card
appears to be aware that there is a DVI monitor connection, but the
monitor says it's not receiving a signal.

Am I using the right cable? If so, what else might be wrong? Do I
have to tell the video card to switch to DVI output or something? The
analog connection works fine, but I'd like to try DVI since it is
supposedly even sharper than analog.

go to graphics card settings and select the DVI out......

 

[BruceM]

More to the point click on the drop down box & select the new monitor & then
tick the box "EXTEND WINDOWS ON TO ............... "

 

[Mxsmanic]

More to the point click on the drop down box & select the new monitor & then
tick the box "EXTEND WINDOWS ON TO ............... "

OK, I just tried it. Didn't seem to do anything. Maybe the cable is
wrong. The video card does notice the presence of the monitor on the
DVI cable, but the monitor displays nothing on the DVI input and
claims that the horizontal and vertical sync are zero. So maybe the
cable is wrong, or maybe there's something I have to configure, but I
think I've gone through a ton of menus by now.

I wish I could find the cable that came with the monitor. I'm not
sure where I put it, but obviously if I could find that I could
probably eliminate the possibility of a cable issue.

 

[Fred is back]

OK, I just tried it.

Get ****ed.

Didn't seem to do anything.

Classic inappropriate analogy.

Maybe the cable is wrong.

As long as your opinions are delusional, you're in trouble.

The video card does notice the presence of the monitor on the DVI cable,
but the monitor displays nothing on the DVI input and claims that the
horizontal and vertical sync are zero.

Wow, that's just terrible.

So maybe the cable is wrong, or maybe there's something I have to
configure, but I think I've gone through a ton of menus by now.

I am no more impressed by your transient encounter with lucidity than I
would be by a phonograph's momentary and inexplicable ability to stop
skipping.

I wish I could find the cable that came with the monitor.

How do you know you should find the cable that came with the monitor?

I'm not sure where I put it, but obviously if I could find that I could
probably eliminate the possibility of a cable issue.

Who gives a **** what you do?

 

[Mxsmanic]

How do you know you should find the cable that came with the monitor?

Presumably the cable provided with the monitor is of the appropriate
type for carrying a digital signal from card to monitor. The more
generic cable I bought might be slightly different in some way.

 

[Fred is back]

Presumably the cable provided with the monitor is of the appropriate
type for carrying a digital signal from card to monitor.

Try logging in as field, password support.

The more generic cable I bought might be slightly different in some way.

You seem frustrated.

 

[Mxsmanic]

Try logging in as field, password support.

Logging into what?

You seem frustrated.

Slightly. I'm mystified as to why I can't get the digital connection
to work. Since I have both a card and a monitor that support digital
video now, I'd like to try it.

 

[Fred is back]

Logging into what?
Why?

Slightly.

Classic reading comprehension problem.

I'm mystified as to why I can't get the digital connection to work.

You are not the only one who can't, you know.

Since I have both a card and a monitor that support digital video now,
I'd like to try it.

Really? You have both a card and a monitor that support digital video now?

 

[Mxsmanic]

You are not the only one who can't, you know.

No doubt. An answer to my question would thus help many people, not
just me.

You have both a card and a monitor that support digital video now?

Yes. Otherwise there wouldn't be any point in trying to get a digital
connection to work.

 

[rjn]

My monitor (Eizo L885) also accepts digital input ...

So it presumably has both DVI and HD15 connectors.
The DVI connector may be DVI-I, and thus contain
both digital and analog pins. So your monitor has
at least 2 analog inputs and one digital.

When it sees signals on multiple inputs at the same
time, it must have some strategy for selecting which
one to display. My LCD provides bezel buttons and
on-screen menus for doing so, including choices of
"DVI Digital" and "DVI Analog". What does RTFM of
the monitor manual tell you?

... so I wanted to connect the monitor to the
video card via the DVI connectors.

And presumably use the digital connection, at the
LCD's native geometry.

I bought a cable at the store marked
"DVI-I dual link" but it doesn't seem to work.

If the monitor is using some automatic input selection
strategy, a DVI-I cable could confuse it, because it
contains both analog and digital signals, and your
card is likely emitting both signals.

The "dual link" was needless, as odds are 99.999312%
that both your card and monitor are single-link,
and unless you are running over 1920x1200, you're
running single-link regardless. No harm, however.

If there's anything odd about the missing factory
DVI cable, it might be that it was a DVI-D cable,
lacking analog pins. If the monitor doesn't provide
some user control over input selection, you may
be forced to use a DVI-D cable (or clip the analog
pins in the cable you bought).

 

[Mxsmanic]

So it presumably has both DVI and HD15 connectors.
The DVI connector may be DVI-I, and thus contain
both digital and analog pins. So your monitor has
at least 2 analog inputs and one digital.

Right, according to the manual.

When it sees signals on multiple inputs at the same
time, it must have some strategy for selecting which
one to display. My LCD provides bezel buttons and
on-screen menus for doing so, including choices of
"DVI Digital" and "DVI Analog". What does RTFM of
the monitor manual tell you?

That it normally gives priority to the DVI-I connection, and if there
is a signal present on that, it displays it. If no signal is present,
and there is a signal on the analog connection, it falls back to the
analog connection. Currently it displays the analog connection,
implying that it is receiving nothing over the DVI-I connection.

And presumably use the digital connection, at the
LCD's native geometry.
Right.

If the monitor is using some automatic input selection
strategy, a DVI-I cable could confuse it, because it
contains both analog and digital signals, and your
card is likely emitting both signals.

I can't find anything in the manual about a selection strategy if both
analog and digital signals are present on the _same_ DVI-I connector.
Additionally, if there were any signals, I should be able to manually
switch to that connector and see something, but when I do so, the
screen is blank. The monitor says it is receiving nothing over that
link.

The "dual link" was needless, as odds are 99.999312%
that both your card and monitor are single-link,
and unless you are running over 1920x1200, you're
running single-link regardless. No harm, however.

OK. That's just the kind of cable I was able to find at the store.

If there's anything odd about the missing factory
DVI cable, it might be that it was a DVI-D cable,
lacking analog pins. If the monitor doesn't provide
some user control over input selection, you may
be forced to use a DVI-D cable (or clip the analog
pins in the cable you bought).

But I don't seem to be getting _any_ signal over that connector.

 

[Bob Myers]

But I don't seem to be getting _any_ signal over that connector.

Right, but the problem is that the card's DVI output may
have the digital output enabled, while the monitor is
looking for an analog input over its DVI-I input. Actually,
assuming your cable is DVI-I at both ends, then the
card must have a DVI-I output - because a DVI-I
plug won't mate with a DVI-D output (there's no place
for the analog pins). So it may be that enough is appearing
on the card's analog output (sync signals, say, but no valid
video, or vice-versa) to make the monitor "think" that it
should be using that connection, when in reality the
card is only providing a valid output via the digital side
of the connector. Hard to tell.

On the other hand, if you're happy with the results using
the analog interface, I wouldn't bother worrying about it
further.

Bob M.

 

[Mxsmanic]

Right, but the problem is that the card's DVI output may
have the digital output enabled, while the monitor is
looking for an analog input over its DVI-I input.

I think the monitor looks for digital input over the DVI first, but
the manual doesn't clearly state either way.

Actually,
assuming your cable is DVI-I at both ends, then the
card must have a DVI-I output - because a DVI-I
plug won't mate with a DVI-D output (there's no place
for the analog pins). So it may be that enough is appearing
on the card's analog output (sync signals, say, but no valid
video, or vice-versa) to make the monitor "think" that it
should be using that connection, when in reality the
card is only providing a valid output via the digital side
of the connector. Hard to tell.

So how can I find out? Both card and monitor are rather poorly
documented.

On the other hand, if you're happy with the results using
the analog interface, I wouldn't bother worrying about it
further.

Everyone one says DVI is vastly sharper, so I wanted to profit from it
if I can, since I supposedly have a card and monitor that both support
it now. When I look at the monitor under a magnifying glass, the
pixels seem to be very precisely aligned for the analog signal--it's
hard to imagine them being much better. But it would be nice to be
able to compare.

 

[johns]

It is pretty simple, but WinXP likes to screw it up 2 or
3 times just for fun. You have to redetect the monitor
on RGB. It just drives me nuts that "they" won't fix
this. I can't tell if it is the video driver or just XP. Anyway,
select the 2nd monitor, and detect it as RGB right after
a boot up. You might even boot up once with the stinking
thing unplugged, so XP gets happy, and then shut down,
hook it up, and reboot. I get to do this a lot. Seems to
work sooner or later. If you want to detect it as something else, go through
the same process.

johns

johns

 

[Bob Myers]

Everyone one says DVI is vastly sharper, so I wanted to profit from it
if I can, since I supposedly have a card and monitor that both support
it now. When I look at the monitor under a magnifying glass, the
pixels seem to be very precisely aligned for the analog signal--it's
hard to imagine them being much better. But it would be nice to be
able to compare.

LCDs are fixed-pixel devices; if the analog signal is correctly
sampled, and you don't see any blurring at the edges of
objects due to the sampling clock wandering around, the image
you see right now is as good as it will get.

Bob M.

 

[Mxsmanic]

LCDs are fixed-pixel devices; if the analog signal is correctly
sampled, and you don't see any blurring at the edges of
objects due to the sampling clock wandering around, the image
you see right now is as good as it will get.

Then why do so many people seem to rave about digital input? It does
seem to be very sharp as an analog image; the pixels all line up
perfectly, as far as I can tell.

 

[David Maynard]

Bob Myers writes:




Then why do so many people seem to rave about digital input? It does
seem to be very sharp as an analog image; the pixels all line up
perfectly, as far as I can tell.

Because there's never any question about alignment with digital nor can it
drift.

 

[J. Clarke]

Because there's never any question about alignment with digital nor can it
drift.

Oh? Play with Powerstrip and an LCD connected via DVI and you will find
that alignment is most assuredly at issue.

 

[J. Clarke]

Classic reading comprehension problem.


You are not the only one who can't, you know.


Really? You have both a card and a monitor that support digital video now?

Uh, Eliza, <plonk>