CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

yonexsp · Joined: 25 Apr 2006 Posts: 311

I wish it was cheaper. Soon a refurb VP50 will be close to that price. I know it's the dogs bollock s and all, but $450 right now is a stretch.

I'm only bitching coz want one, but not gonna pay $450 for one with the way things are going. Sad

**kal** · Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 8:07 pm Post subject:

For a limited time, Moome's dropped the price on his NEC XG and Marquee HDMI input cards by $50!

Click [HERE] to order the XG-FULLHD NEC XG HDMI card

Click [HERE] to order the Marquee VIM-FULLHD HDMI card

Kal

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

I finally upgraded my moome DVI card to the HDMI card, All I can say is wow what a diffrence, the layout of the card is so much better (electronicly speaking).

I modified my dvi card to the hilt (just about all of the output section and that made a huge difference in PQ), and when I tried the new HDMI card, at first look not really too much I can improve on, its really nice out of the box! and you can see that in the PQ (my NEC is modded also, and you can really see what the imporved hdmi chip and output dacs with the 1gz output buffer does, soooo much better than the dvi card).

I am how ever having some troubles with it, I use a HTPC, with DVI to HDMI converter, what I find is the HDMI chip seems to lockup? only on first projector switch on, I did not have this problem at all with the moome DVI input card.

I have set the HDMI card to the RGB 255, as per user manual and it still does it.

What happens is I boot windows, then switch on the projector, it fires up and I get a blank screen with the input number showing at the top right (projector menu type output), and no PC picture, and a RED light on the moome card, If I press the change input button (on the moome card) its does not change the input either (why I suspect the HDMI chip has locked up or something simular), note : when you do have a picture the pressing ther input button makes the light go from one hdmi input to the other.

I then turn off the projector(I hate turning off the project straight after turning it on) , reboot windows, turn the projector back on and it works!

If I dont restart windows after turning the projector off, I still get no picture, although windows does see the projector on first boot, says it connect to XG series monitor(I suspect this comes from the EDID Chip rather than the HDMI chip though)

I emailed moome about this but did not get a reply from him.

Has any one else had this sort of problem with it?

also does anyone know what the other jumpers do on the card?, some are in the power supply section, (I have not had a close look at these, mostlikly can work them out), maybe even these can help with my problem, like maybe supplying power to the HDMI chip when projector is off, so I dont have to do the whole turn off reboot power back on thing...

Anyway All in all this HDMI card is very nice and far superior to the DVI card he did, I just dont like the problems I have with the initial connection..

Cheers
Ryan

moome · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 497

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

No I have not had time yet, I have noticed that all I need to do is turn on the projector then turn off(I still dont like doing this), before I turn on the pc, once the pc has booted I turn on the projector again and it displays the picture. (I dont normally leave the projector on during bootup because of all the mode changes etc),
Its like the circuit needs to be powered up at least once before it will link correctly with the pc..

What do the jumpers do in the power supply section (pm me if you like)

Thanks,
Ryan

moome · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 497

so if you power the PC first, then power up XG, does picture show up?
for jumper, it select the +5V source either from projector or on board DC-DC converter~

thanks

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

>so if you power the PC first, then power up XG, does picture show up?
no - that is the problem, I must power up XG first then the pc for the picture to show up.

with your dvi card, I power up pc then power up xg and picture show up ok, now with hdmi I must power up xg before I power up the pc for the picture to show.

so now I power up xg, power off xg, power up pc wait for pc to boot, the power up xg and picture show ok.

moome · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 497

which graphic card you use? I think it may a power sequence on EDID~
I will check at my side~

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

I use Geforce 8800gtx,
when there is no picture ( I run two screens in cloned mode - always have) I look at nvidia control panel and it says one dvi port is connected to the NEC XG series and the other dvi port is connect to the viewsonic 28" so I think it can read the edid?. because it does read that it is connected to the NEC XG series.

when I power projector on first then pc, so now with a picture on projector, the nvidia control panel says the same thing - one dvi port is connected to the NEC XG series and the other dvi port is connect to the viewsonic 28".

moome · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 497

OK~ so ig you power up the PC with XG connected but XG at power off state, can PC read that XG is connected?

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

yes it can, and the windows show the correct video modes the projector can support on the resolution slider so I has read the EDID.

Then I turn on projector, no picture, If I change resolution on pc still no picture on projector, until I reboot pc.

moome · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 497

so, I think the PC graphic card only talk with hdmi card when boot up, what will happen, if you connect the PC to LCDTV hdmi input,
will you get same result?

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

I use a HDMI LCD Monitor and it is fine, I will try the HDMI TV tonight and see.

Thanks,
Ryan

moome · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 497

OK~
wait your result~

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

Ok looks like I have found the problem, the XG Card does not run power to the HDMI interface on standby mode.
I had a good test with HDMI HDTV and HDMI Monitor, both are ok if power off or on.
But If I unplug them from the wall, then plug back in when PC booted, I get the same result as XG.
So they must send power to the HDMI interface chip in standby, but it looks like the XG Card does not send power to HDMI interface chip in standby mode.
Does this sound correct to you Moome?, Is this easy for me to correct ?, what powers the interface on your card, is it the onboard dc-dc psu?, does that get its power from 12v that is not there in standby?

Mark_A_W · Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:05 am Post subject:

Ryan

Does it work if you turn the XG fully on first, not just standby, ON?

moome · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 497

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

Yes I can mod it myself, send me a pm with instructions on how to mod it if you like or post here.
Thankyou

moome · Joined: 01 Jun 2007 Posts: 497

oh, I forgot one thing, when hdmi card is on, it will drawn +5V 0.5A, I have not check the +5V supply current capacity, can you check if this +5V is enough when standby mode?

nzryan · Joined: 02 Jul 2007 Posts: 41 Location: New Zealand

Hi Moome,
I have been testing it again, what would make the Select HDMI input button not work on the HDMI Card? because this happens sometimes.
During the new tests, I left the projector off booted the pc and then turned on the projector - and the picture was there! but only one time, the other times I tried this again, the picture was not there but if I pressed the HDMI input select button on the card the light would not move to the other HDMI input socket, could this be something to do with it?

Thanks,
Ryan