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General discussion

LN40A550 as monitor via VGA cable; PC source disabled

Feb 24, 2009 3:50PM PST

Hey all... I bought a LN40A550 recently and was keen on hooking it up to my laptop (HP dv6000t) as a monitor. Of course, I found that using the VGA cable I had the PC detects the TV just fine (and allows me to configure 1920x1080, 60Hz too) but the TV wont "whiten" the PC source.

After a lot of googling and searching, I landed on this forum and found some hope. Now, I've done a lot of info-mining and come up with this list of solutions... but I have supplementary questions on almost all of them. Would appreciate the help if someone could answer them:

Solution 1: Make sure the computer BIOS is updated
My question: does this apply to HP laptops too? I use an NVIDIA GeForce 9400 video card btw. The BIOS on the laptop is probably a year or so old.

Solution 2: Ground pins 6, 7, 8, 10 of the 'bad' VGA cable and see if it works
My question: Do I do this on both ends (I have a male to male cable)? Also, is it enough to just loop a wire around the target pins and connect it to the metal casing, or will I need to find my soldering iron?

Solution 3: Update TV firmware...
Question: Is this necessary? I have the new 40A550 with the 40,000:1 contrast ratio... will it have the latest firmware? What is the latest version?

Also, I have no idea how to go about a) checking the firmware version, and b) updating the firmware if that is indeed recommended.

Solution 4: Check if pin 9 has a +5V for the TV to detect
My question: It probably does, but I'd have to buy a multimeter to be absolutely certain. My circuiteering days are long behind me Happy Can I assume it does and carry on?

Also, does the TV detect a change in potential, or the potential itself? Knowing that might mean I just need to change the sequence in which I boot my systems.

I'm posting this from work and won't be "implementing" any solutions for at least 7 hours... so would really appreciate your clarifications on any solutions listed above, or any additional tips.

Hat tip to budwich for the fantastic cabling tips btw...

Discussion is locked

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Help!
Feb 26, 2009 4:43PM PST

Hi everyone... well its been a frustrating few days for me Sad

Solution 1: Make sure the computer BIOS is updated - Done, but no help
Solution 2: Ground pins 6,7,8,10 - not attempted yet
Solution 3: Update TV firmware - not attempted yer
Solution 4: Does pin 9 have +5V - yes, it does.

Someone please help by answering my questions on #s 2 and 3 in the original post! In the meantime I'm going cable shopping again...

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Firmware
Feb 27, 2009 5:10PM PST

hrishdwn,

I'd probably leave #2 alone. I don't think breaking out a soldering iron is a good idea, at least not yet.

The firmware update instructions are both in the manual, and in the service section online. Here is a quick link jump to the firmware and the update instructions:

http://tinyurl.com/bzzva4

Keep me posted, I have you in my tracked threads now.

--HDTech

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Location
Mar 3, 2009 4:27PM PST

Thanks HD Tech, I haven't been on the forums for a while, so I'm only now seeing your reply. I'll now track the thread.

I should probably mention that I bought the TV in India - not sure if the US firmware site would be the way to go for me. Let me know if the firmware is a globally usable, because I remember reading somewhere that one should stick to regional updates.

I looked through the manual that came with my set and it mentions nothing about firmware updates. Also, I see no option called "SW Upgrade" under Setup...

My problem is still unresolved, so any more tips are welcome. I'll wait till I hear from you before I try the firmware upgrade.

Cheers!

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Update...
Mar 4, 2009 10:05AM PST

Firmwares are region specific.

IF there's no option to do it, it may not be possible. The best way to check would be in the instruction manual - if there are updates available, it should tell you how to do them. Otherwise, the local service network in your area should tell you how to proceed.

--HDTech

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My solution
Mar 19, 2009 9:21AM PDT