full screen to tv

[SteveTyrakowski]

Most of my TV use of GBPVR for the last few years has been with MVP. SInce it won't handle my dvr-ms AC3 recordings, I took the plunge and got an LCD TV. I planned to have my computer hooked up to the TV to use GBPVR with the remote. I was hoping to get just the PVRX2 application to show on the TV (connected via HDMI video card to VGA port on TV), but the TV is just showing the entire PC display.

My only previous direct to TV experience was with an old PVR350 and for that one, the output of the PVR350 nicely just displayed the GBPVR app on the TV.

I was playing with it till 2am last night and did not get a chance to try setting up another 15-inch lcd as the main PC display and seeing if the HDMI output might then get used for just PVRX2.

Is it possible to get behavior similar to the PVR350 (i.e. one screen showing the full computer desktop, and another with just GBPVR that I can control via a remote)?

I normally just access the main computer desktop via VNC from another computer anyway. I was hoping I could just have it near the TV and work similar to the MVP where my wife and kids could just use the remote to control GBPVR and not even see the PC desktop at all.

My video card has VGA, DVI and component video output options.

Before I start tearing it apart again, I was hoping to know if it is even possible, and what combination of output options might work. I've got to go buy some cables today anyway, and depending on what combination I may need to get some more.

My ideal setup would be to put a 15in LCD on the VGA port (or no screen at all if possible to just use VNC for accessing the desktop), use the DVI to go to the LCD TV and use the component video to go to my LCD projector.

Besides that, I can't seem to get any sound out of that PC, so I have to try to figure out that issue too. If the video stuff is not designed to work the way I was hoping, then I don't need to figure out the audio issue either if I'm gonna just put this PC hidden away back in the corner of the basement again.

Thanks,
Steve Tyrakowski

[Deusxmachina]

Is it possible to get behavior similar to the PVR350 (i.e. one screen showing the full computer desktop, and another with just GBPVR that I can control via a remote)?

You might want to check out my support forum thread from a couple days ago with Extended Desktop in the title. I was trying to do something like this and posted various tidbits of the tribulations.

You should be able to just switch to Extended Desktop mode, drag GBPVR to the second monitor, and then maximize it, and then maybe have to play slightly with the overscan/underscan if there are borders on the top and bottom. I'm not sure if the remote would still work if you are using the desktop and Windows has its focus on that screen then, though.

For one screen, I'm thinking you could just maximize GBPVR and if the windows taskbar or something still shows up use a program (maybe even Windows itself) that will hide the start and taskbar when x program is maximized.

[sub]

A lot of people, myself includes, have dedicated HTPCs which connect only to the TV. This works best and is really easy to setup.

A shared environment like you're after, with the PC still being used for other tasks is also possible, but you may need to grapple with a few issues. In this type of setup, you'd set Windows to extend the desktop across both monitors, then tick the 'start on second monitor' option in the config app. Since it sounds like you want to be able to continue to use the PC at the same time, the one complication you'll need to deal with relates to the use of the remote. Most remotes will only interact with the application that has focus. GB-PVR will not have focus if a VNC user (for example) is using Internet Explore or Microsoft Word on the other monitor. If you do a forum serach you'll find how some users have got around this (using MCE remote with HIP or custom settings in irremote.ini with Hauppauge remote).

I dont suggest dragging it to the second monitor as suggested above, since this will result in the loss of hardware acceleration, and cause the use of an offscreen buffer and slow frame copies to the app on the second screen. Its best to use the 'start on second monitor' setting instead.

[SteveTyrakowski]

A lot of people, myself includes, have dedicated HTPCs which connect only to the TV. This works best and is really easy to setup.

A shared environment like you're after, with the PC still being used for other tasks is also possible, ....

No, the PC will not be used for anything else, it is the dedicated server with 2 HVR1600s that also serve several MVPs. The only time I access it via VNC or directly is for maintenance stuff like installing updates, running config, copying archived videos to another dedicated file server. I couldn't seem to get GBPVR to take over the screen. I tried looking thru the config and Wiki but didn't find anything.

I'm more than happy to let GBPVR have the whole screen as long as I can toggle easily to the desktop when I need to do occassional maintenance, but when I do that, I'd just be using the TV as the monitor so I'd obviously not be watching videos at that time.

What are the steps to go to full screen?

Thanks,
Steve T

[sub]

Did you untick 'show in window mode' setting on the first tab of the config app? If this is unticked, then it should fill the entire screen.

Otherwise from window mode you can press Alt-Enter to toggle between window mode and fullscreen.

[SteveTyrakowski]

Did you untick 'show in window mode' setting on the first tab of the config app? If this is unticked, then it should fill the entire screen.

Otherwise from window mode you can press Alt-Enter to toggle between window mode and fullscreen.

Sigh, I knew it had to be there somewhere. I should have known you'd hide it somewhere hard to find like the FIRST tab in the config.<g> Not the first time I've been stumped by the "Hide in Plain Sight" effect.

Thanks for the help, hopefully I can work out my audio problems and then I'll be all set.

Steve T