Display

From SpinetiX Support Wiki

This page is about the HMP Video Output. For details about media formats and video resolutions within projects, please see Video encoding page.

Contents 1 Video output 2 Display Settings 2.1 Display tab 3 Troubleshooting 4 Cable length limitations 4.1 HDMI 4.2 VGA

Video output

• HMP has two video output connectors: an HDMI connector (type A) and a VGA connector (DE-15).
  • The HDMI output includes digital audio signal.
  • For DVI displays, a HDMI to DVI adapter can be used.
• The HMP100, HMP130 and HMP200 support HDMI 1.3a.
  • CEC is not supported.
  • HDCP is not supported (HDCP protected content will not be played back. HDCP-compatible screens and other endpoints can be used with the HMP but their HDCP capabilities will be ignored).
• The HMP will output the same signal to both VGA and HDMI ports, therefore you can connect displays to both output ports in the same time. However, we don't recommend this for various reasons:
  • This will increase the operating temperature of the device, which is of particular importance with the HMP200.
  • The display settings will be identical for both displays and will match those on the Display Settings page of Control Center (e.g. you cannot use particular display settings if the other display doesn't support it).
  • When using the VGA output, the power consumption will increase considerably since VGA power consumption is up to 50% of the total power consumption of the player.
• Resolutions above 720p will show considerable quality degradation when using VGA. This is a limitation of VGA and we recommend HDMI for any HD resolutions.
• HMP supports underscan - see Advanced video settings page for more details .

Display Settings

The Display Settings page from Control Center has the following tabs:

1. Display - for basic display settings.
2. Power Save - for power management settings.
3. Interactivity - for interactivity related settings.
4. Splash Screen - for splash screen images settings.
5. Advanced - for advanced display settings.

Display tab

The first tab of the Display Settings page allows you to:

• Select the HMP video output signal mode, appropriate for the attached display, from a fixed number of common video modes. These are divided in three categories: TV Screen (for HDMI), Computer Monitor and Wide Computer Monitor (for VGA).
  • 1080p at 50Hz / 60Hz can only be used with HMP200.
• Enable / disable the audio output.
• Force an aspect ratio for your screen between 4:3, 16:9 or 16:10.
• Select the screen orientation between horizontal, vertical, rotated or flipped.

Note: If your screen supports other modes that not present on this page, you can still configure them manually on the Advanced tab.

Troubleshooting

• Display connected through VGA has no signal - see the Power management page.
• Display connected through HDMI has no signal - the selected video mode is probably not supported by your screen. Change the display settings (see also the Advanced video settings page) or reset the HMP to factory default settings.
• Some older LCD/Plasma screens, often without HDMI (like Samsung SyncMaster 242MP LCD TV) have a low-capability analogue-to-digital converter inside the display which cannot handle resolutions above 1024x768. You will not see an image on the screen when using the VGA connected with an HMP configured with a higher resolution. The solution is to buy an HDMI to DVI adapter.

Cable length limitations

The HMP is primarily designed to be local to the screen(s) it serves. If extension over long distances if required, note the limitations below and/or consider using a combined distribution system (such as those based on HDBase-T).

HDMI

• Although no maximum length for an HDMI cable is specified, signal attenuation (dependent on the cable's construction quality and conducting materials) limits usable lengths in practice - see HMDI Cables page for more details.
• Running Long Cable Lengths requires a better quality of HDMI cable and / or HDMI extenders.

VGA

• VGA cable length depends on a few factors, but as with HDMI the quality of the cable is the significant factor. However because VGA is an analogue signal, poor cable quality and/or over-extended cables will result in a progressive reduction in capability in terms of resolution and refresh rate.
• If you experience the splash screen of the HMP being displayed, but then the screen staying blank, this is an example of the low 640x480 VGA resolution being displayed, but the higher resolution of the player with a higher effective bandwidth (e.g. 720p) not being displayed because of the signal loss being too great.
• If long VGA cables are being used (e.g. 5m+) ensure they are high quality coaxial cable bundles. Alternatively use a booster or Cat5 balun (this will allow for sending up to 100 metres, depending on the Cat5 cable spec).