Setting Up Dual Displays on One PC

Setting Up Dual Displays on One PC

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In this document:
Connecting a TV or second monitor to the computer

Identify the type of cables you need

Troubleshooting TV setup

Related support



This document applies to HP and Compaq Desktop PCs with TV compatible video connectors using Windows 98, Me, and XP.

This document explains how to connect and set up a television (TV) or a second monitor as a second display. It also contains troubleshooting information.

If you added a video card and are using the video connectors on the card, refer to the documentation that came with the video card before using this document.



NOTE: Not all HP and Compaq PCs ship with a video connector. If your PC does not have a video connection, install a graphics card with a video connector or purchase special video signal processing equipment before using a TV as a monitor.

Connecting a TV or second monitor to the computer
To connect a second display to the computer and best configure the computer for your viewing environment, do the following procedures.


Place the monitor and television

Identify the type of cables you need

Connect the cables

Configure the display settings



Place the monitor and television


Place the monitor and television into their respective locations, depending on how you want to use the displays:


Environment
Placement

Classroom
Place the computer monitor on a desk facing in a manner that allows you to easily see both displays and the audience. Place the television where any member of the audience can easily view it.

Presentation

Work desktop
Place the computer monitor and television side by side. Allow a little more viewing distance between the two displays and the viewer's eyes.

Home computing desktop




Identify the type of cables you need


The type of video cable needed depends on your TV and monitor.


Select one TV cable and one monitor cable:

Video Out connector/cable
Use with
Connector color
Description

Video (composite)


TV
Yellow
The composite video signal combines white (luminance) and color (chrominance) video information onto a single line (wire).

It's the most common video format of the National Television Systems Committee (NTSC).

S-video


TV
Black
The S-Video signal separates the white (luminance) and color (chrominance) signal components and transmits the components separately using multiple lines (wires). Seperate luminance and color signals provide a much higher vertical resolution than composite video devices.

S-Video equipment was originally designed for high-end television production, but it is now available to the consumer market as well. S-Video is also known as Y/C video.

VGA


Monitor
Blue
(Video Graphics Array) Analog computer graphics standard that supports a maximum resolution of 640 x 480 pixels.




NOTE: A TV's resolution is roughly half the quality of a monitor that is set at 640x480. Image quality can appear worse when higher resolutions are used because higher display resolutions bring out the lower resolution of standard TV. This is a limitation of the TV standard.

Verify that the second display and the graphics card have the same type of video connectors. A matching video connector type must be on the back of the TV and on the back of the computer before you can use these steps.


Figure 1: Video connectors


1 - Composite video/TV-Out

2 - S-Video Out

3 - Standard VGA monitor



For a TV, use either an S-Video or standard composite (also known as RCA cables) cable that matches the TV in connector. You can use an S-video-to-composite adapter when the video card only has an S-video connector.

If the television does not have a composite or s-video connection and only has a coaxial or antenna connector, then use an adapter that connects s-video/composite to the coaxial connector. These are readily available from most local electronics supply stores at minimal cost.

Coaxial video is another type of cabling or connection that typically carries a composite video signal. This connection is mainly used by local cable and satellite television companies to deliver their signals. Most graphics cards do not have a coaxial-style out connector because they send out their own TV signal.

For a monitor, use the VGA connector.





Connect the cables


Use the following steps to connect both displays to the computer:


Connect the TV or second monitor to the PC. Select the first available connection from the following list, depending on the television and computer in connections:

Connector
Installation

S-video
Connect an S-video cable to the s-video out connector on back of the computer and the s-video in connector on the back of the television.

Composite video
Connect a composite video cable to the composite video out connector on back of the computer and the composite video in connector on the back of the television.

Second monitor
If you are using a second monitor instead of of a TV, connect the additional monitor cable to the extra VGA or DVI out connector on back of the computer and the VGA or DVI in connector on the back of the monitor.



If you want to use the speakers on a TV for audio, use:


A Y-adapter cable that connects a minijack connector (the connector that plugs into the computer) to two RCA-style stereo connectors (the connectors on a stereo TV).

Or

Use the audio from the computer, if your current audio cables do not connect to the TV.


Turn on the TV or second monitor (not the PC, leave it off).

Change the input source setting to match the incoming signal connection (usually Line-1, Video-1 or S-video). Press the TV remote control input button, if using a TV.



NOTE: This step is very important. If a TV is not on and changed to the proper video source, the video card will be unable to detect the TV.



Configure the display settings


To configure Windows for the extra display, use one of the following sections depending on how you are going to use the TV:


Classroom and presentation environments

or

Desktop environment (extended Windows XP desktop space)



Classroom and presentation environments


Use the following steps to show what is happening on the PC to an audience:


Turn on the computer. Wait until the Windows desktop opens before continuing.

The second display may show the computer screens as the computer starts, depending on the video card.

If the same image of the Windows desktop appears on both the second display and the monitor, move the mouse pointer to see if the cursor moves both inside the monitor and the second display.


If the mouse pointer cursor moves in both displays at the same time, you do not have to continue. The video card automatically uses a presentation environment when it detects the second display. However, you may still want to continue to adjust the video image and see if your video card is capable of reducing flickering, increasing sharpness, and other quality settings for a TV signal.

If the mouse pointer cursor only moves in one display, continue using these steps to setup up the presentation environment.


NOTE: If the Windows desktop never appears on the monitor, disconnect the second display from the computer and reconnect it again after the computer is turned on and after Windows opens. If you have a TV, this has to be done on the monitor because a TV does not show enough detail, making it very difficult to finish the rest of these steps.

Right-click anywhere on an open area of the Windows desktop and select Properties.

Click the Settings tab.


NOTE: If you are using a TV, at this time, you may change the display resolution for the computer as low as it can go to help the image quality on the TV. Icons and other items appear larger and can be seen much more easily on the TV if a lower resoution, like 640 by 480 pixels or 800 by 600 pixels, is used. Click Apply if you change the resolution setting.

Click the Advanced button.

This step greatly depends on the options that the video card provides. Click through the advanced video card display properties screens and look for a display feature that copies the image from the computer onto both displays.

The following table shows video cards that are common to HP and Compaq PCs, how to find dual display windows from Advanced Display properties, and how to use their display copying features:

Video Card
Procedure

ATI Radeon- TV
Do the following:

Click the Displays tab.

The monitors and TVs are shown. The upper-left corner of each display icon is a button and a status indicator. A red corner indicates an inactive display; a green corner indicates an active display. (YPbPr displays if component video is selected.)

To view the display on your monitor and TV simultaneously, click the upper-left corner of the TV icon. It becomes green. Both the monitor and the TV should have green corners.


nVidia GeForce 6XXX - Clone
Do the following:


Ensure nView Display Settings is selected in the left side list.

Select Clone from the nView Display Mode drop down menu.

Select the Primary and secondary displays from the drop down menu.


nVidia GeForce 4/FX - Clone
Do the following:

Click the tab that contains the name of the video card.

Select nView Display mode from the left side list.

Select Clone from the tab window.






NOTE: You can make more adjustments at this point to try and increase the quality of picture on the TV.

After the appropriate selection is made, click Apply at the bottom of the window.

When the image appears on the TV screen, click Yes to keep the setting. You have 15 seconds to accept this new setting before it returns to the previous setting.

Click the OK button to save changes. Click OK again to close the window.

Both the monitor and the second display show the same image. You are done.

Figure 2: Example of ATI video card display window




Figure 3: Example of nVidia video card display window




Desktop environment (extended Windows XP desktop space)


Use the following steps to configure Windows so that it uses the TV as extra desktop space:


Turn on the computer.

The TV may show the computer screens as the computer starts, this depends on the video card. Wait until Windows open before continuing.

If Windows never appears on the monitor, disconnect the TV from the computer and reconnect it again after the computer is turned on and after Windows opens. You have to do it this way because a TV will not show the details of the monitor, making it very difficult to continue using these steps.

Right-click anywhere on an open area of the Windows desktop, select Properties, and then click the Settings tab.

The number one blue rectangle represents primary display and the number two blue rectangle represents the secondary display (usually the TV).

Click on the number one rectangle and adjust the Screen Resolution setting to 1024 by 768 pixels and set the color quality to Highest (32 bit).

Click OK.

If a Monitor Settings window appears after the screen properties change, click Yes.

Right-click anywhere on an open area of the desktop, select Properties, and then click the Settings tab.


Figure 4: Multiple displays as shown in Display Properties



Click the number two rectangle. If a Monitor # 2 message appears, click Yes to enable the television signal.

Select Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor.

Adjust the Screen Resolution setting to 1024 by 768 pixels and set the color quality to Highest (32 bit), and then click OK.

Click and drag the blue rectangles that represent the displays and position them next to each other. Position them so that they visually represent how the display devices are sitting on the desk. For example, if the TV is sitting on a shelf directly over the monitor, you would click and drag the blue rectangle that represents the TV so that it is directly over the blue rectangle that represents the monitor.

Click OK. If a Monitor Settings window appears after the screen properties change, click Yes.

The extended desktop is configured and ready for use



Troubleshooting TV setup
Try the following items if you encounter problems when trying to connect a TV to the computer:


Certain display adapters need to have TV set as the primary display adapter before it can be recognized at all. If the PC is not "detecting" the TV as a display device when the computer is turned on, set TV as the primary display device in Windows and restart the PC.

Turn on the TV before turning on the computer.

TVs require their source setting changed to the video source that the video card is using. Select either Input 1, Input 2, or S-video by pressing the Source or Input Source button on the TV's remote control. This can vary depending on the type of TV you are using. If your TV does not have this capability, then you will not be able use it as a second monitor without using special video signal processing (not covered in this document). For more detailed instructions consult the manual for your TV.

Try setting the screen resolution to 800 x 600 or less from Display Properties on the PC.

Try using only one video source. Do not connect two cables to the TV or monitor at the same time.

A TV accepts either a PAL (Europe) or NTSC (North America) signal, depending on the country it was made for. Make sure that the signal format of the TV matches the signal output that the card produces (for on-board TV-output, this setting can be changed in the BIOS).