Horrible Quality From HDMI to HDMI on PC

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genuinegemini

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The setup is a Dell Inspiron 531S running Windows 7 Professional, AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+ (Windsor), 8GB of Corsair XMS2, XFX Radeon HD6670 w/ 2GB GDDR3, 400 watt TFX PSU, 2 x WD Caviar 160GB 7200rpm, Vizio E260MV.

The problem, is that when I hook the PC to the TV via an HDMI cable, the picture looks like crapola. Grainy, flickering lines surround images and variations within images and it's driving me crazy. I thought HDMI was supposed to be the shiznit, but this is crazy. The image is crisp and sharp when I use a VGA cable to link the two, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of having HDMI on the video card and/or the TV?

I have used every version of CCC (within the last 8 releases), I have run just the drivers without all the other software, but no luck. I have uninstalled using the AMD cleanup program. I have used CCleaner and Glary Utilities to remove old files and folders. I have all the latest windows updates and drivers for my devices. I have used four (4) different HDMI cables, I have pulled the video card to reseat it, I have done a complete reformat and re-install of windows waiting until all updates and frameworks were installed before installing CCC, and the picture still looks like crap through HDMI interface on PC. The picture looks awesome through HDMI when hooked up to PS3 or stand-alone BD player so I don't get it.

Does anyone have a clue as to why this is not as simple as plugging in the HDMI cable and having outstanding picture and sound quality from ANY source? Thanks if you do!
 
My guess - your GPU is detecting and displaying a refresh rate that your TV can't handle. Check your TV's documentation for the native resolution and refresh rate (it's probably 1080p at 60hz, but it might be 50hertz - it's the "hertz" bit your looking for). You can then manually set the correct refresh rate: right click on your desktop and choose "screen resolution" - pick "advanced settings" - go to the "monitor" tab and choose the right screen refresh rate. Make sure your resolution is correct too (perhaps it's only a 720p TV? - If so, make sure you set the correct, native resolution).
 

bwrlane

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I read somewhere that hdmi between computers and tvs can exhibit poor quality due to synchronisation problems between the graphics card and the tv. This can lead to pixels being mismatched and frames not being properly timed. I have personal experience with this from trying to connect media centre pcs to tvs where such quality issues have been apparent. There is really no solution - as I understand - you are either lucky or not. My solution is basically not to bother with tvs. Or if I have to, do some background research on how well a given tv deals with computer input.
 

genuinegemini

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The refresh rate is set to 60Hz and is the only reported setting that will work. Nothing higher is offered. The resoluition is a true 1080p native. Thanks.
 

genuinegemini

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I got the TV for the dual purpose of using it as both a TV and a monitor. Since it has a VGA port on it, I figured it to be just as suitable for either use. I suspect some of the issue might be that Radeon video cards simply suck, or like you said, it's a syncro issue. The pixels seem to be dancing around in little clusters and lines that replicate parts of images and colored space, but without any definate color to themselves, like flashing on and off randomly and quickly. It's annoying as hell! I suspect I will have to stick with VGA, but with same resolution as the HDMI, I don't see the downside other than losing the HDMI audio which I can live with. Still, it's aggrevating when things do not work as they should. Perhaps one day ATi will actually support their designs rather than trying to. Thanks for your response.
 

genuinegemini

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Okay.... an update to the issue and a "bandaid" fix for the quality problem. It's really a strange event and I'm pretty sure it's entirely ATi's fault. The CCC drivers of new are corrupted or miscompiled or something because they all cause the same ghosting, flickering, gradient images, no matter how you configure the settings in CCC. There is also the issue of the CCC not being stable while changing pixel formats which is what needs to be done in order to clear up the quality of the HDMI to HDMI interface from PC with ATi video cards. I have the HD 6670 and everytime I change the pixel format in CCC to RGB 4:4:4 (Full RGB), it always crashes and reverts back to the default YCbCr 4:4:4. This default setting is what's causing the quality issue... at least it is with my setup. It took me many hours of searching to find a tollerable solution to my issue. As it turns out, I ended up using a Mobility driver designed for the mobile version of the HD 6600 series graphics. This - 12-8_vista_win7_win8_32-64_xcode , is the driver package I used for my ATi Radeon HD 6600 Series graphics card and I can finally set the pixel format to Full RGB and the picture is outstanding through the HDMI interface. However, if I attempt to change some of the settings in the CCC, it will cause the driver to crash and revert back to the YCbCr 4:4:4. So for now the default settings with the pixel format changed to Full RGB seems to have fixed my image quality issues. Videos look really crisp and clear now and so do the HD pictures. It's worth trying to fix your issues if you have the same or similar problem with HDMI to HDMI on your PC. Don't try to get the Mobility drivers from the AMD website either. They will run a verification tool and tell you that you can't download it because of compatibility issues, but you have to find the mobility driver for your series of card because they are not all created equal. I sure hope this helps someone else out. I have no idea if/when ATi will acknowledge their grossly inadequate driver programing issues, but it would be nice if they could provide a legitimate fix for this seemingly ever common HDMI to HDMI PC quality problem. Good luck everyone. Respond if this fix worked for you or if you have a better fix.
 
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