[RiffWraith]

Howdy. This is a little complicated, so I appreciate anyone taking the time to read.

I am playing video out of a http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=200387021815 Blackmagic DeckLink Pro PCI card in a Windows XP computer. Yes, I have the latest driver. I have the option of either SDI out of the card via the breakout cable, or RGB out. Right now, I do not have a monitor that accepts either, so I am using a http://www.startech.com/item/CPNT2DV...Converter.aspx component > DVI converter[/U][/URL] to take the RGB output of the card to go into my computer monitor. I have two monitors, a new ASUS and an older Samsung Syncmaster 225bw. Both are 22" LCD flat-panels, 1680 x 1050 native res.

My setup works with the new ASUS, but not the Samsung. After some research, I have found the following:

1) The converter has a DVI-I Dual Link output, and both monitors have DVI-D Dual Link inputs. DVI-I DL > DVI-D DL in theory should be no problem.

2) The ASUS has HDCP support; the Samsung apparently does not. However, the content being played through the BlackMagic video card is not copy protected, nor encoded in any way (this I know for a fact; they are videos I receive from clients), and the BlackMagic video card is not, according the their tech support, outputting any copy protection flags or signals. The converter is not also not outputting any copy protection flags or signals; it is merely a pass-through.

3) Apparently, DVI is always going to be RGB color space. I am thinking that the older Samsung is expecting RGB color space, but for some reason receiving YUV color space - but I ave no way to confirm that. If so, it is possible that the ASUS can handle either.

When I plug the converter in to the Samsung, I get this error message:

Not optimum mode
recommended mode:
1680x1050 60hz

Now, the card can output any of these:

720x486
1920x1080
1280x720

...but I have no way of changing the aspect ratio nor refresh rate directly on the monitor; it's not like I can just go to the Windows display properties and change it there - this doesn't work that way.

Does anyone have any ideas on how I might go about getting the Samsung to work? I thought to try a HDCP spoof device between the converter and monitor, but as there really is no copy protected content, nor flags being sent, I doubt this would do anything. Anything I can try?

Thanks much in advance.

[kiwiguy]

Boot in safe mode, you should get a horribly low resolution, but it should enable you to see if you can change the resolution to the recommended, then reboot.

[kiwiguy]

Oh and when in safe mode, make sure the refresh is set to 60 Hz, high refresh rates end up with a blank monitor

[RiffWraith]

Thanks for the reply. Booting in safe mode does nothing; the monitor is looking at the output of the Blackmagic card - it is not looking at the ouptut of the main video card. Therefore, I have no access to refresh rate and resolution adjustments. Through the output of the Blackmagic card, I do not have access to anything OS-related.

Cheers.