# newbie with Dell HTPC, HDTV problem



## rob0 (Nov 16, 2010)

Hello All,

New to the site and just got my first HTPC, a Dell XPS 7100 with ATI Radeon HD 5450 (1gb) video card. I know, not the most powerful system, but it was cheap. Now I'm having an issue getting full 1080P from this system to my Insignia HDTV(NS-L42Q-10A).

My problem is that when the windows splash screen comes up, the TV detects 1080P/60hz, but when the login comes up, it goes down to 1080i/30hz. When I try and change the screen resolution back to 1080P in the ATI Catalyst control center, 1080P is not even an option.

I've tried updating the ATI software/drivers, but still no option for 1080P. I've even tried re-installing the OS, no good.

I've been told that when using HDMI, the TV will tell the PC what resolution it is capable of, but both are 1080P capable. 

Any ideas?

Thanks,
rob0


----------



## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Yes. Mine has done this as well, don't know why. The fix for me is to change the screen resolution in the Windows Display Property settings to 1680 by 1050. Then when I open ATI Catalyst Control Center 1080p is back in the drop down. Though I can't remember if I have to reboot or not.


----------



## rob0 (Nov 16, 2010)

Update: 

After some checking on insignia website, others are having similar problems with their TVs not being recognized by ATI video cards. The problem seems to be with the "EDID" transmitted back to the PC. In my case the TV is not truely recognized, so it defaults to a monitor called "BBY TV". I've also found some help in creating a custom .inf file for my TV so that the ATI card knows it can handle 1080P. 

I'll be trying this tonight, and update the forum later.

Thanks,
rob0


----------



## rob0 (Nov 16, 2010)

nova said:


> Yes. Mine has done this as well, don't know why. The fix for me is to change the screen resolution in the Windows Display Property settings to 1680 by 1050. Then when I open ATI Catalyst Control Center 1080p is back in the drop down. Though I can't remember if I have to reboot or not.


I'll try this as well....

Thanks,
rob0


----------



## sparky77 (Feb 22, 2008)

When I had trouble with my computer connecting to the tv at 1080p it was the result of a cheap hdmi cable causing it to cut back to 720p.


----------

