PC to HDTV VGA Cable Issue

[wcndave]

I have an HP laptop with docking station, which provides HDMI output, Monitor out, SP/DIF etc...so i can use my laptop and then connect to docking station to watch movies on HDTV + Listen to music.

It works really well in that: If i have laptop open, that is main display, if i dock, i get dual display, if i dock (or start up) with screen closed, the Sony HDTV will become primary display, so whatever i am doing (browsing, watching movies etc...) i get what i want - which is nice.

however i have 2 problems that perhaps others have experienced.

1. my VGA cable from Docking to TV was not really long enough, so i bought a new one - this was "recommended for high quality and large displays" as opposed to others that were "for 14 inch or less" (do they still exist!). Now with the SVGA cable all the above screen transfer does not work at all, and i have to have both displays open all the time (not good for "quick play" from sleep to movie watching without opening the laptop screen etc... (i have to have it simple enough for the missus to accept movies off PC instead of DVD)

2. I get some horizontal banding, which is really only noticable in very dark scenes. If i plus the HDMI from the laptop to the TV it corrects it, EVEN THOUGH i am NOT using the HDMI output in the laptop setup, but clearly using the VGA (it lets me choose from composite, HDMI, VGA, S-Video etc on the laptop), and also the TV is NOT set to have HDMI as the input, it is set to PC/VGA. It's almost as though just the connection stablises some signals somehow...

If anyone has experience / advice on the above, please let me know.

Thanks

Dave

[edDV]

I have an HP laptop with docking station, which provides HDMI output, Monitor out, SP/DIF etc...so i can use my laptop and then connect to docking station to watch movies on HDTV + Listen to music.

It works really well in that: If i have laptop open, that is main display, if i dock, i get dual display, if i dock (or start up) with screen closed, the Sony HDTV will become primary display, so whatever i am doing (browsing, watching movies etc...) i get what i want - which is nice.

however i have 2 problems that perhaps others have experienced.

1. my VGA cable from Docking to TV was not really long enough, so i bought a new one - this was "recommended for high quality and large displays" as opposed to others that were "for 14 inch or less" (do they still exist!). Now with the SVGA cable all the above screen transfer does not work at all, and i have to have both displays open all the time (not good for "quick play" from sleep to movie watching without opening the laptop screen etc... (i have to have it simple enough for the missus to accept movies off PC instead of DVD)

2. I get some horizontal banding, which is really only noticable in very dark scenes. If i plus the HDMI from the laptop to the TV it corrects it, EVEN THOUGH i am NOT using the HDMI output in the laptop setup, but clearly using the VGA (it lets me choose from composite, HDMI, VGA, S-Video etc on the laptop), and also the TV is NOT set to have HDMI as the input, it is set to PC/VGA. It's almost as though just the connection stablises some signals somehow...

If anyone has experience / advice on the above, please let me know.

Thanks

Dave

HDMI froma laptop docking station is a new one for me

Configuration "bugs" and unintended "features" would be unique to that machine + dock. Maybe HP has a user forum for that model.

[wcndave]

sorry, the HDMI is from the laptop, not the docking station. The rest of the connections are all docking station connections which means i get a laptop + media centre in one, which is quite cool