using TV as alternate display device

[Karl Hiller]

OK, this is driving me insane.

I used to have an 8500LE. I bought an x800XL a week ago. The 8500 had a
pretty straightforward way to toggle between the monitor and my TV output,
using a hotkey. Nice and simple. Alt-F5, the display is on my TV.
Alt-F5 one more time, and it's back on my monitor.

The x800, which ought to be a better card in every way, refuses to do
this. The only way I am able to shift my display to the TV is to power
down, unplug my monitor, plug in the s-video/TV line, and reboot.

The Displays Manager on the new "improved" Catalyst Control Center seems
unable to shift the display to the TV no matter what I try. I can't seem
to force it to detect the TV if the TV wasn't on when I booted the
computer. Even then, I am unable to do more than extend my desktop to the
TV, which isn't what I want to do.

The Help button on the CCC does NOTHING, and ATI tech support apparently
outsourced my question to someone in India who told me to go to the
Profiles tab -- and nothing more. I am a babyfart away from taking the
card back and switching brands. This is just stupid.

Can someone point out whatever idiot thing I am missing or doing wrong?

thanks!

 

[Riccardo Cretti]

I used to have an 8500LE. I bought an x800XL a week ago. The 8500 had a
pretty straightforward way to toggle between the monitor and my TV output,
using a hotkey. Nice and simple. Alt-F5, the display is on my TV.
Alt-F5 one more time, and it's back on my monitor.

The x800, which ought to be a better card in every way, refuses to do
this. The only way I am able to shift my display to the TV is to power
down, unplug my monitor, plug in the s-video/TV line, and reboot.

The Displays Manager on the new "improved" Catalyst Control Center seems
unable to shift the display to the TV no matter what I try. I can't seem
to force it to detect the TV if the TV wasn't on when I booted the
computer. Even then, I am unable to do more than extend my desktop to the
TV, which isn't what I want to do.

The Help button on the CCC does NOTHING, and ATI tech support apparently
outsourced my question to someone in India who told me to go to the
Profiles tab -- and nothing more. I am a babyfart away from taking the
card back and switching brands. This is just stupid.

Can someone point out whatever idiot thing I am missing or doing wrong?

No idea about CCC but did you try the same thing with the control panel?
Maybe it works!

 

[Karl Hiller]

No idea about CCC but did you try the same thing with the control panel?
Maybe it works!

I took a look, but no, there's nothing in the control panel. It just
leads back to the CCC.

Thanks for the reply, though!

 

[Riccardo Cretti]

I took a look, but no, there's nothing in the control panel. It just
leads back to the CCC.

Maybe I didn't explain it very well, sorry; I didn't mean the Windows
control panel.
Did you try to use the Catalyst driver with the control panel instead of
the CCC?
If you look in the ATI site for drivers, it's called:
"Display Drivers
Control Panel
WDM Driver"

 

[Karl Hiller]

Maybe I didn't explain it very well, sorry; I didn't mean the Windows
control panel.
Did you try to use the Catalyst driver with the control panel instead of
the CCC?
If you look in the ATI site for drivers, it's called:
"Display Drivers
Control Panel
WDM Driver"

ATI's second tech support reply correctly identified the solution...
There is a pull-down menu under Hotkeys that contains subsections, once of
which has 'switch amongst displays'. I had been looking in the Display
Manager, and ATI's first reply sent me to Profile Manager.

I'm really unimpressed with this card's documentation and Help feature,
but now that it does what I want I guess I'll keep it.

thanks for the help,
Karl