NVidia TV-Out for Preview?

Johannes_H wrote on 9/20/2006, 6:23 AM
Hi community!

Using the new version Vegas 7.0a I want to use the dualhead function of my GForce / NVidia card to bring vegas preview to the external TV.

What I did:
I configured the NVidia software and windows (secondary display). I tested this config with Windows Media Player and also with Magix Video software. In both cases the output to the TV was exactly as expected. E.g. when playing a DVD with WMP I see the video on the main monitor in its window and I see the same in full size on the TV. So I think the dualhead config is OK?

In Vegas I configured the preview device as the windows secondary display (this option was offered by vegas after I had done the config from above).

What happens:
Now as soon as I enable preview to external monitor (Shift-4) the preview on the TV appears (fine OK) BUT at the same moment the primary display an the primary monitor (where the vegas application GUI is running) switches to full size preview??? So nothing from the vegas GUI is visible any more. Only way to switch back is to use Shift-4 again to switch of external preview. Then the GUI comes back on the primary display and also the preview is not any more visible on the secondary display.

I have found out, that a setting within the NVidia config influences this behavior. If I switch OFF "Video Overlay" within the NVidia settings then the vegas preview on the external TV works as expected? But that means, that all other programs that use overlay on the external TV (e.g. WMP) do not work any more with external TV.

Is this as it should work?
Do I do something wrong?
Any ideas?

One more thing I have discovered:
When vegas gives preview on the external TV the ratio of the displayed picture on the TV is wrong - it looks way to broad. Is there some vegas setting to correct this? I could not find.

Your feedback is welcome.
Thank you
Johannes

Comments

TheHappyFriar wrote on 9/20/2006, 6:43 AM
that must be an nvidia driver issue. I've never heard of that before. I have an ATI & i know it doesn't do that. nvidia shouldn't put both full screen eigther.

as for the aspect ratio, if the project is 4:3 & the tv is 4:3 but it's not right, eigther a) something isn't 4:3 or b) a setting needs to be changed in your overlay settings. On my ATI card i can make the "screen" taller/shorter/wider/thinner in the advanced display options, i'm sure nvidia has the same thing.
jrazz wrote on 9/20/2006, 6:45 AM
I, and I would assume along with others, would recommend not using your video card to preview your footage mainly for the reasons you site- especially the overlays. You will never get an accurate portrayal of what you are working on to color correct. I would use firewire out to a monitor (first choice) or something like ADS or Canopus to output to a monitor as they do the conversion from firewire to component/composite/s-video, etc. This way, you don't run into those problems and you get an accurate portrayal (as long as your monitor is calibrated) of your footage.

j razz
Grazie wrote on 9/20/2006, 6:49 AM
Using the new version Vegas 7.0a I want to use the dualhead function of my GForce / NVidia card to bring vegas preview to the external TV.

Almost the same setup as I


I configured the NVidia software and windows (secondary display).

Good

Now as soon as I enable preview to external monitor (Shift-4) the preview on the TV appears (fine OK)

Excellent


BUT at the same moment the primary display an the primary monitor (where the vegas application GUI is running) switches to full size preview???

I think you have your GUI Prevview on the monitor WHERE you have the larger setup. And yes, I have JUST had this. Freaked me out!


So nothing from the vegas GUI is visible any more.

Correct.

I have found out, that a setting within the NVidia config influences this behavior. If I switch OFF "Video Overlay" within the NVidia settings then the vegas preview on the external TV works as expected? But that means, that all other programs that use overlay on the external TV (e.g. WMP) do not work any more with external TV.

Interesting

Is this as it should work?

You do have 2 monitors, try putting the GUI Preview window on the monitor that is NOT setup as the 2nd PREVIEW preview monitor.


When vegas gives preview on the external TV the ratio of the displayed picture on the TV is wrong - it looks way to broad.

Have gotten "Widescreen" in one of your options? I know I have, and when I don;t reset it I get what you are saying.


bakerja wrote on 9/20/2006, 11:57 AM
Same problem here. Never had a problem with dual displays in V6 but V7 shows the preview on both the internal LCD and the secondary display. My setup has worked flawlessly in V6 with 3 monitors.

Toshiba Qosmio 600 Nvidia go 7300 using component out to JVC component CRT and internal laptop monitor.

Updated driver to latest but that did not fix it. I can just drag the preview window to the secondary display and resize it to fit but thats less than what I had hoped for.

JAB
Johannes_H wrote on 9/20/2006, 1:16 PM
Thank you for your feedback, it looks like I am not alone.

It is correct that firewire output and some kind of D/A conversion is the better solution and I use it if I have to do "more intensiv work", but for a lot of small and simple projects I wanted to use the TV preview via GeForce - does not need extra cabeling and extra equipment, its so simple.

I have to make a small correction to my initial posting. The setting within the NVidia driver is NOT the "overlay" setting as I said, to be correct it is a setting under "Fullscreen-Video". The field is labeled "Fullscreen" and it has 2 possible settings: Automatic and Disable. (All translated from german).

According to aspect ratio problem: I found settings in the NVidia driver to move the picture on the TV (left, right, ...) and to size the picture (both height and width together) - no option for aspect or for width alone.

OK - I think I have to live with this as it is.
Thank you
Johannes
Stuart Robinson wrote on 9/20/2006, 3:20 PM
Oddly enough I've just started tinkering with this today. The setup is Vegas 7a and an ASUS 256Mb PCI-E Extreme N7800GTX/2DHTV graphics card, nVidia based obviously.

I've set up a test CRT as the second display, so in the nVidia control panel the PC monitor has priority. The rest of the set up sounds just as given above with "Display 2" specified as the preview monitor.

It seems to work just fine. Usual caveats about preview quality and aspect ratio apply, but no problems with the set up. This is on Windows x64 by-the-way.
DJPadre wrote on 9/21/2006, 3:47 PM
err.. one thing to note with many dual head display cards moreso for nvidia though, (laptop or not) is that most cases its set to CLONE...
you dont want this..
basically the second head is cloing the first.. good for corporate shit.. bad for vegas editing.. sespecially if u dotn knwo the KB command to kill the full screen preview...

go to ur desktop, right click, go to display properties, advangced properties, and check teh nvidia config tab..
set your secondary diaply as "xtended destop" NOT clone...
when working with this, be careful of your mouse position cause it WILL float over to the second screen... but this will sot out ur problem.. another thing to note is the secondary monitor overlay will nuke ur desktop icons (nukes ATI on 2 of my machines here.. )settings and positions as your monitor will be adjusted to suit your chosen preview video resolution....

vidter wrote on 9/21/2006, 7:57 PM
make sure you have the latest driver updates. I had the same problem until I found a new updated driver on there NVida website.
Johannes_H wrote on 9/22/2006, 1:00 AM
@DJPadre

I already use the "extended desktop" configuration and you are absolutely right: One has to be careful with the mouse!
I will double check once more.

Thank you
Johannes
Johannes_H wrote on 9/22/2006, 1:01 AM
@vidter

I will check this.

Thank you
Johannes
bakerja wrote on 9/22/2006, 5:43 AM
On my system, it is not the "clone" feature, nor a driver issue. Lastest driver from Nvidia and set to extended display. V6 does not have this problem, it is something that crept in with V7.

JAB
Johannes_H wrote on 9/24/2006, 4:35 AM
I installed the lates nVidia driver V 91.47 and after short testing it seems to have fixed the problem -> no more full screen preview on primary display.

Thank you
Johannes
vidter wrote on 9/24/2006, 6:56 AM
I'm glad to finnaly contribute some help. God knows DSE and the rest of you have help me so many times.