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ATI HD 4890 - HDMI to TV problem

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Last response: in Graphics & Displays
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February 27, 2011 5:55:55 PM

Hi. I've just bought a Panasonic plasma screen and want to see my PC screen on my TV.

I have an ATI HD 4890 GFX card. It has 2 DVI output. I bought a converter that converts the DVI to HDMI and I bought an HDMI 1.4 cable. The cable is connected to the HDMI port on the TV. It has an HDMI (ACR) input.

My card did not have an ATI DVI to HDMI adapter so I bought a Belkin one which some people have reported makes a difference. I'm not sure.

My CCC can see the TV but I can't get any picture on my TV. I press the AV button and select the appropriate HDMI channel (2) but the screen is just black.

I expect I use the TV as I do with a dual screen setup with the Duplicate feature and setting the correct (max) resolution?

I've installed the Catalyst Software Suite 11.2

EDIT: ... now sound issue.

I have no idea what I did but somehow it seemed to work. It might have been checking the cables or perhaps turning PC/TV/Amp on/off.

Anyway, the issues is now the sound. The GFX card should support it and the cable and TV does (I tested the sound coming from the TV through the amp with the HDMI cable).

I suspect using the Playback device known as "Realtek HDMI Output (ATI HDMI Audio)" which supposedly comes with the latest driver I installed should do the trick but it says "Not plugged in".

I've tried disabling/enabling the device and I've tried installing the Realtek HDMI Driver from RealTek (which adds another device similar but not the same as the previous - which doesn't give any sound either).

I can't seem to enable the device and hopefully make the sound run through the HDMI cable to the TV. Oh and I tried changing the onboard soundcard's setting from SPDIF to HDMI aswell not that I had high hopes on that one.

More about : ati 4890 hdmi problem

February 27, 2011 6:01:09 PM

Added info to main post.
February 27, 2011 9:13:53 PM

Added info to main post. Sound related.
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February 28, 2011 1:34:20 AM

SOUND:

DVI does contain any audio. If you use a DVI->HDMI adapter all you're doing is connecting to the video.

Even graphics cards that do have HDMI output have issues. Desktop graphics often have only PARTIAL audio support (some audio codecs, no games or Windows sounds).

If you want sound you'll have to pass a SECOND wire to your HDTV. Your TV probably doesn't support playing the HDMI video with sound from a separate source. You'll need to check your manual.

I use the PC input (VGA + 3.5mm audio) and it works quite well.

You may find it easiest to get something like a Boxee Box if you want it mainly for video. I bought a Western Digital TVLIVEHUB which has a 1TB hard drive. It even plays DVD ISO images (I legally created my own using passkeylite and imgburn).
February 28, 2011 1:39:12 AM

UPDATE:

Oh, sorry. I realize now that the "DVI->HDMI" adapter you mention is also connecting to the audio wires (it's a specialized DVI connector with extra wires to passthrough audio to a PROPER CONNECTOR.)

If you don't use the proper DVI-HDMI adapter it won't connecto to those audio wires.

Again, though you will NOT get full audio using this method. Only the major audio (Dolby Digital etc) works and I believe none of the Windows sounds or game sounds work.

The onboard audio decoder on the graphics card is limited to decode only certain audio codecs. After it does that it passes that audio through the special DVI wires (not normally there on most DVI) which then goes into the special HDMI adapter.
February 28, 2011 2:09:59 PM

Thanks for the reply. It's possible the adapter fra ASUS somehow uses the audio wires while regular ones don't. I'm still waiting for a reply from ASUS & Belkin.

It would seem weird to make a Graphics card that supports audio output via HMDI and only have DVI output if that couldn't. How could anyone ever use it then?

I've looked up the specs on my card: http://www.amd.com/us/products/desktop/graphics/ati-rad...

Specifically this section: Integrated HD audio controller with support for stereo and multi-channel (up to 7.1) audio formats, including AC-3, AAC, DTS, enabling a plug-and-play audio solution over HDMI

Something seems off... right?
February 28, 2011 2:49:08 PM

Yay! Problem solved!

A ran through all my stuff and found the original packaging and the ASUS adapter.
Now there's sound. Apparently it only works with that adapter.

When I put the ASUS adapter in I was able to activate the "AMD HDMI Output" audio device.
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