Toshiba 14-inch USB Mobile LCD Monitor Problems

SweeterDieter · 07-17-2012, 07:16 PM

Hey there,

so I bought this thing like 2 months ago, because I have my computer in my living room and it's hooked up to my 50" Panasonic flat screen, because I mostly use my computer to play games, sitting on my couch...
So i thought this monitor would be the perfect accesory, enabling me to actually do some work on my computer, which is rather annoying on the big screen, otherwise... hurts my eyes and stuff, when i'm trying to read through documents, you know...

So in theory, the monitor is perfect for me, but in reality, I have encountered 2 very annoying problems with it. Now Im not sure if they are software or hardware issues, Im going to contact Toshiba support right after this, because it is getting unbearable.

1. Problem:
The display freezes.
I have not been able to discover any patter as to when it freezes, it seems pretty random. The work-around is to just unplug it and then re-plug it, but this does not necessarily fix the problem. I mean, sometimes it actually does, like right now, as I am typing this, it's fine. But just before, I had to un- and re-plug every 2 seconds, which ticked me off so bad that I decided to come here and make this post... :/
It is connected and installed properly, though I am using a 2 meter USB extension chord (which should not be the problem, right?)
My Computer is fairly new (also about 2 months), I have an nVidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics card (argh it just froze again as I tried to look up my graphics card lol), its drivers as well as the display link software are up to date.

I have tried to play around with the resolution settings, adjusting my 50" to 1366 x 768, like the mobile display, but it did not help.
(Btw, it rather bothers me that i cannot select any other resolution for the mobile display. Is there any work-arounds here or might I hope for updates that grant more flexibility here?)
I have also tried to look around on google, but not found anything of help.

2. Problem
The monitor has trouble displaying some content. It becomes somewhat "unclear" and overly pixelated. Text thus becomes pretty hard to decipher. With this problem, I was able to make out some kind of pattern, at least. It happens whenever certain animated graphics are moving. For example, I am playing a flash browser game, which is displayed correctly as long as I dont scroll around. After I scroll, the graphics are messed up and remain like that for several seconds. If I stop scrolling and hold still for a couple of secs, the display sometimes recovers and shows the graphics correctly - but only until I scroll again though, then it happens all over again. I have made the same experience playing Diablo 3 or The Settlers 7 and other flash games, too.

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP THIS IS SO ANNOYING, THE DISPLAY FROZE ABOUT 7 TIMES WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS.

thanks in advance and best regards!
SweeterDieter

Dan · 07-18-2012, 12:22 AM

1.
Please can you provide debug logs there are instructions here: http://www.displaylink.com/support/ticket.php?id=269. Follow up and attach the results.

Those products only have a fixed resolution I'm afraid.

2.
Sounds like the 'video' mode is kicking in - trying to maintain frame rate at the expense of quality. Find 'optimise for video' in the DisplayLink system tray item menu, and make sure it's off.

It's also worth checking the latest 7.0 software from our downloads page.

SweeterDieter · 07-20-2012, 11:56 AM

Hey, thanks for the quick reply!

1. It got so bad and I got so frustrated that I again removed all display link drivers and then re-installed them. This was yesterday, and the screen hasnt frozen yet, so I am beginning to think that it's all good now... but I am still sceptical, because before, it was also running fine some days and others not. Anyways, I downloaded the software you pointed out and will run it, once the error recurrs.

2. Enabling video mode does not resolve the problem, though it changes its effects. The graphics become more of a general "mush" instead of being overly pixelated. Also, the effect is then no longer limited to the animated content, but affects the entire screen (e.g. browser game: Before it was just the Flash graphics that got messed up, now the browser itself and the taskbar are also affected). It's kind of hard to describe, but video mode on or off, either way, the monitor does not display the screen content correctly.

SweeterDieter · 08-06-2012, 12:04 PM

Just a brief update:
It seems the USB extension cable did have something to do with this issue. Since the original post, I have switched to an active cable (http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPa...duct_Id=608129), which has nearly eliminated the problem, except for 1 or 2 reocurrences.

Still unsatisfied by the display of "advanced content", such as games and flash, though.

SweeterDieter · 09-16-2012, 07:54 PM

Alright, since this is nevertheless an ongoing issue, I am returning to this topic with some curret and not so great news.
I have recently had to re-install the display link driver every other day in order for my setup to work correctly. Now, I can't get Diablo 3 to launch anymore under a configuration which has worked fine for the most part up until now. I have set the Mobile Display as the main monitor and the other monitor disabled, plus I have set the game resolution according to that of the Mobile Display. However, after launching the game I only get a black screen. I can bring up the task-masager, showing me the following error message from Diablo 3:

"An error occurred resetting D3D. Click OK to try again."

Clicking OK brings the black screen back up, plus the chance for an occasionally appearing Diablo 3 cursor.
So I ran the Debug Tool and it told me my USB drivers are out date, but when I try to update them trough the device manager, Windows tells me their in fact up to date. Going through the Etron drivers page I couldnt figure out what to do, because I am unsure what exactly I need to download.

I am attaching the Log, hope someone can take something from it...

peace

Edit:
I figured out which USB drivers to update and did so successfully. This, however, hasnt helped my case. Problems remain.

SweeterDieter · 10-08-2012, 03:17 PM

I'll keep hitting this post even though noone else seems to care, but whatev.
News:

I am taking back my guess that the USB extension chord had anything to do with the malfunctions...

I am back to a Display that stops working after I disconnect it for the first time. It will only work again afterwards if I re-install the DisplayLink Driver Software. This is completely unacceptable. I am really starting to consider advising other people not to buy this product, as it simply does not work at all as it is supposed to.

For the technicians, here is some more details on my problem: Windows Screen Resolution settings show a second monitor connected after I hit "identify", but it does not "recognise the device"

So, yeah, this is getting to a point where I am really frustrated and aggrevated. Please, someone help me fix this problem!

07-17-2012, 07:16 PM	#1
SweeterDieter Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 5	Toshiba 14-inch USB Mobile LCD Monitor Problems Hey there, so I bought this thing like 2 months ago, because I have my computer in my living room and it's hooked up to my 50" Panasonic flat screen, because I mostly use my computer to play games, sitting on my couch... So i thought this monitor would be the perfect accesory, enabling me to actually do some work on my computer, which is rather annoying on the big screen, otherwise... hurts my eyes and stuff, when i'm trying to read through documents, you know... So in theory, the monitor is perfect for me, but in reality, I have encountered 2 very annoying problems with it. Now Im not sure if they are software or hardware issues, Im going to contact Toshiba support right after this, because it is getting unbearable. 1. Problem: The display freezes. I have not been able to discover any patter as to when it freezes, it seems pretty random. The work-around is to just unplug it and then re-plug it, but this does not necessarily fix the problem. I mean, sometimes it actually does, like right now, as I am typing this, it's fine. But just before, I had to un- and re-plug every 2 seconds, which ticked me off so bad that I decided to come here and make this post... :/ It is connected and installed properly, though I am using a 2 meter USB extension chord (which should not be the problem, right?) My Computer is fairly new (also about 2 months), I have an nVidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti graphics card (argh it just froze again as I tried to look up my graphics card lol), its drivers as well as the display link software are up to date. I have tried to play around with the resolution settings, adjusting my 50" to 1366 x 768, like the mobile display, but it did not help. (Btw, it rather bothers me that i cannot select any other resolution for the mobile display. Is there any work-arounds here or might I hope for updates that grant more flexibility here?) I have also tried to look around on google, but not found anything of help. 2. Problem The monitor has trouble displaying some content. It becomes somewhat "unclear" and overly pixelated. Text thus becomes pretty hard to decipher. With this problem, I was able to make out some kind of pattern, at least. It happens whenever certain animated graphics are moving. For example, I am playing a flash browser game, which is displayed correctly as long as I dont scroll around. After I scroll, the graphics are messed up and remain like that for several seconds. If I stop scrolling and hold still for a couple of secs, the display sometimes recovers and shows the graphics correctly - but only until I scroll again though, then it happens all over again. I have made the same experience playing Diablo 3 or The Settlers 7 and other flash games, too. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP THIS IS SO ANNOYING, THE DISPLAY FROZE ABOUT 7 TIMES WHILE I WAS WRITING THIS. thanks in advance and best regards! SweeterDieter

07-18-2012, 12:22 AM	#2
Dan Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 104	1. Please can you provide debug logs there are instructions here: http://www.displaylink.com/support/ticket.php?id=269. Follow up and attach the results. Those products only have a fixed resolution I'm afraid. 2. Sounds like the 'video' mode is kicking in - trying to maintain frame rate at the expense of quality. Find 'optimise for video' in the DisplayLink system tray item menu, and make sure it's off. It's also worth checking the latest 7.0 software from our downloads page.

07-20-2012, 11:56 AM	#3
SweeterDieter Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 5	Hey, thanks for the quick reply! 1. It got so bad and I got so frustrated that I again removed all display link drivers and then re-installed them. This was yesterday, and the screen hasnt frozen yet, so I am beginning to think that it's all good now... but I am still sceptical, because before, it was also running fine some days and others not. Anyways, I downloaded the software you pointed out and will run it, once the error recurrs. 2. Enabling video mode does not resolve the problem, though it changes its effects. The graphics become more of a general "mush" instead of being overly pixelated. Also, the effect is then no longer limited to the animated content, but affects the entire screen (e.g. browser game: Before it was just the Flash graphics that got messed up, now the browser itself and the taskbar are also affected). It's kind of hard to describe, but video mode on or off, either way, the monitor does not display the screen content correctly.

08-06-2012, 12:04 PM	#4
SweeterDieter Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 5	Just a brief update: It seems the USB extension cable did have something to do with this issue. Since the original post, I have switched to an active cable (http://www.belkin.com/IWCatProductPa...duct_Id=608129), which has nearly eliminated the problem, except for 1 or 2 reocurrences. Still unsatisfied by the display of "advanced content", such as games and flash, though.

10-08-2012, 03:17 PM	#6
SweeterDieter Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 5	I'll keep hitting this post even though noone else seems to care, but whatev. News: I am taking back my guess that the USB extension chord had anything to do with the malfunctions... I am back to a Display that stops working after I disconnect it for the first time. It will only work again afterwards if I re-install the DisplayLink Driver Software. This is completely unacceptable. I am really starting to consider advising other people not to buy this product, as it simply does not work at all as it is supposed to. For the technicians, here is some more details on my problem: Windows Screen Resolution settings show a second monitor connected after I hit "identify", but it does not "recognise the device" So, yeah, this is getting to a point where I am really frustrated and aggrevated. Please, someone help me fix this problem!