no animated video on external display

[Ogg]

I have connected an external 17" lcd screen, via VGA port on my T40p. Running it at 1280x1024 (apparently the maximum allowed by Windows XP options) 32bit. All seems to look and operate fine. Using it in simultaneous mode (laptop video on too.) No distortion on the external monitor that others have commented when using 1280x1024. Wish I could run it at 1400x1050 (which is the max that the external monitor can support too), but that would be a different matter. What perplexes me is that although everything seems to operate fine, I don't get any video (.wmv, .avi etc..). The media player will open fine, and the audio will sound fine, but the video portion is always a solid black rectangle.

Some other particulars...

Name ATI MOBILITY FIRE GL 9000
Installed Drivers ati2dvag.dll
Driver Version 6.14.10.6547
Driver c:\windows\system32\drivers\ati2mtag.sys (6.14.10.6547, 1.08 MB (1,133,568 bytes), 5/26/2005 1:59 AM)

ThinkPad Video Features(ATI
Mobility-RADEON/FIRE GL series)
for Windows XP
8.133.2.1.1-061116a-040094C

ThinkPad BIOS Update 1RETDPWW (3.21)
IBM ThinkPad Presentation Director 2.10

Meanwhile.. the video on the laptop renders fine.

Is this normal for simultaneos laptop/external operation? Any ideas?

[SteveS]

I think this is the case with all T4x series, including the T43P with ATI Mobility Fire GL V3200 GPU. I don’t think you can do anything about it, as the limitation is in the design of the chip. There is just too much processing needed to render live video in two displays, which may be set for different resolutions. Since this is a mobile application with limited power and cooling capabilities, this was a reasonable design limitation.

[Tim M]

The OP could try running the video with signal sent to the external monitor only (no dual display) and see if the problem persists. Sounds to me more like an overlay issue that might be settings- or driver-related.

[Thomcat]

This is as designed. Video overlay can only be run on the primary display device. If you set the external monitor as the primary device, then the video will display there and appear blank on the lcd.

Only the latest video chipsets (say within the past two years or so) can display video on both screens.

[Ogg]

THANKS TimM and ThomCat... I turned off the laptop display. Now animated video works!