DisplayLink chip and external TV tuner

AlbanRampon · 04-22-2017, 06:22 PM

The monitor has a channel to talk with the device and this is captured in logs. There are also indications of the mode being set, with which timings.
You are putting something in the middle, so it has an influence anyway.

Without any data, I am unable to see how I will be able to help.
The chip passes the conformance of the different standard it is supposed to implement. This is checked with different test equipment in our labs with protocol analyzers, by third parties as well, and interoperability is also tested. The fact you have two devices implementing a standard is unfortunately by no mean a guarantee they will work together. That's why you have so many "plugfests" in the electronics industry.

May I get these logs now, please, when the issue is present?

Kind regards,
Alban

GTM · 04-23-2017, 02:31 PM

Log files attached. Note that since the instructions in the "How can I report Windows installation issues to DisplayLink" article seemed to be for problems with the installation or removal of the DisplayLink software, and that isn't what my problem is, here are the steps I followed to create the log files for my specific problem:

1. Download 'Windows DisplayLink Support Tool'.
2. Run the tool.
3. Click on 'Advanced Options'.
4. Check the "On" radio button under 'Advanced Installer Logging'.
5. Check the "On" radio button under 'Advanced DisplayLink Logging'.
6. Switch the external TV tuner from its default 'PC mode' (where it displays the PC video signal only) to 'full-screen TV mode' (where it displays the TV signal only). THIS MODE WORKS FINE.
7. Switch the external TV tuner back to 'PC mode' after ~ 10 seconds in 'full-screen TV' mode.
8. Switch the external TV tuner from 'PC mode' to 'window TV' mode (where it displays the PC video signal and the TV signal in a small always-on-top window). THIS MODE DOES NOT WORK: instead, it displays a partial PC video signal and no TV video signal. It stays in this mode for ~ 5 seconds and then reverts to 'full-screen TV' mode on its own (this must be a feature of the external TV tuner).
9. Click on 'Gather Support Information'.
10. Click the "Turn Off" radio button under 'Advanced Installer Logging'.
11. Click the "Turn Off" radio button under 'Advanced DisplayLink Logging'.
12. Close the tool.

So basically I didn't install or uninstall the DisplayLink software, and I didn't reboot my PC. If the steps I followed are incorrect, please let me know how to correct them and I'll send a new log.

Thank you!

AlbanRampon · 04-23-2017, 04:51 PM

Hello GTM,

Thank you for the logs.
Windows indicates that there is one ACER P221 monitor connected at 1680x1050.
The following article I found online claims the max resolution of the Box 9 is 1280x1024.
http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/aver-box9/

Do you use two monitors simultaneously on this machine?
Can you check which resolution the box expects and which resolution is in the Display settings menu?

I don't see the EDID file from the monitor in the logs and USB errors are filling the logs so I don't see what resolution the dock is actually sending.
Seeing a partial display would fit with having the tuner video mixer not being to able to cope with the resolution.

Kind regards,
Alban

GTM · 04-23-2017, 08:56 PM

I'm only using one monitor - the Acer P221W.

If I set the resolution from the Windows desktop (right-click --> Display settings --> Advanced display settings --> Resolution) to 1280 x 1024, and then set the TV tuner box resolution to the same 1280 x 1024 resolution (using its on-screen configuration menu), I get essentially the same results that I've been getting: in 'full-screen TV' mode the entire TV video signal is perfectly visible (as it should be), but in 'window TV' mode I see almost the entire PC video signal (a bit of the bottom is truncated) - more than when the resolution of the TV tuner and the resolution set in Windows matched - but NO TV SIGNAL AT ALL, and after a few seconds in 'window TV' mode the TV tuner box reverts back to 'full-screen TV' mode on its own.

Should I be concerned about USB errors filling the logs? What are these errors? It seems important that you can't see what resolution the UD-3900 is sending.

What about the lack of the EDID file from the monitor: is that a concern? Why is it missing? I'm using a 3rd-party DVI-to-VGA adapter that I purchased, instead of the DVI-to-VGA adapter that was shipped with the UD-3900. I believe I've tried both, but I can retry the one that was shipped with the UD-3900 if you think that could matter.

What about the driver for the UD-3900: am I using the most recent version? Could that matter in this case?

04-22-2017, 06:22 PM	#1
AlbanRampon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 1,685	The monitor has a channel to talk with the device and this is captured in logs. There are also indications of the mode being set, with which timings. You are putting something in the middle, so it has an influence anyway. Without any data, I am unable to see how I will be able to help. The chip passes the conformance of the different standard it is supposed to implement. This is checked with different test equipment in our labs with protocol analyzers, by third parties as well, and interoperability is also tested. The fact you have two devices implementing a standard is unfortunately by no mean a guarantee they will work together. That's why you have so many "plugfests" in the electronics industry. May I get these logs now, please, when the issue is present? Kind regards, Alban __________________ Alban Rampon Senior product manager, universal docking stations and accessories Where to download the latest DisplayLink drivers How to clean up a corrupted installation How to report issues to DisplayLink for a speedy resolution

04-23-2017, 04:51 PM	#3
AlbanRampon Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 1,685	Hello GTM, Thank you for the logs. Windows indicates that there is one ACER P221 monitor connected at 1680x1050. The following article I found online claims the max resolution of the Box 9 is 1280x1024. http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/aver-box9/ Do you use two monitors simultaneously on this machine? Can you check which resolution the box expects and which resolution is in the Display settings menu? I don't see the EDID file from the monitor in the logs and USB errors are filling the logs so I don't see what resolution the dock is actually sending. Seeing a partial display would fit with having the tuner video mixer not being to able to cope with the resolution. Kind regards, Alban __________________ Alban Rampon Senior product manager, universal docking stations and accessories Where to download the latest DisplayLink drivers How to clean up a corrupted installation How to report issues to DisplayLink for a speedy resolution

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04-23-2017, 08:56 PM	#4
GTM Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 4	I'm only using one monitor - the Acer P221W. If I set the resolution from the Windows desktop (right-click --> Display settings --> Advanced display settings --> Resolution) to 1280 x 1024, and then set the TV tuner box resolution to the same 1280 x 1024 resolution (using its on-screen configuration menu), I get essentially the same results that I've been getting: in 'full-screen TV' mode the entire TV video signal is perfectly visible (as it should be), but in 'window TV' mode I see almost the entire PC video signal (a bit of the bottom is truncated) - more than when the resolution of the TV tuner and the resolution set in Windows matched - but NO TV SIGNAL AT ALL, and after a few seconds in 'window TV' mode the TV tuner box reverts back to 'full-screen TV' mode on its own. Should I be concerned about USB errors filling the logs? What are these errors? It seems important that you can't see what resolution the UD-3900 is sending. What about the lack of the EDID file from the monitor: is that a concern? Why is it missing? I'm using a 3rd-party DVI-to-VGA adapter that I purchased, instead of the DVI-to-VGA adapter that was shipped with the UD-3900. I believe I've tried both, but I can retry the one that was shipped with the UD-3900 if you think that could matter. What about the driver for the UD-3900: am I using the most recent version? Could that matter in this case?