[Hobbesw]

Hi all I am new to xbmcubuntu as well as to Linux. I have installed xbmcubuntu onto an older laptop running windows vista. I did the partition and got it installed as a dual boot. I finally with lots of searching was able to figure out how to enable they twinview on my nvidia card so I can directly connect it to my tv via an HDMI cable. I also have the computer connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable.

Anyway when I turn on the tv and boot up the laptop into xbmc I do NOT see anything on the tv even though on my laptop it shows the xbmc menu and such.

If I boot up into xbmcubuntu I have twinview on and I see the same picture on the tv as what is on the laptop. I am sure it must be a setting that I am missing but if you can help out it would greatly be appreciated. Been frustrating myself to no end trying to figure out what to do and even get this far and to be so close and not there is heartbreaking.

Thank you and if you need specs just ask or logs just tell me how to get them since I am a newbie to Linux and xbmc.
Thanks

[anthony.selby]

I want to make sure I'm understanding correctly

when you boot in to xbmc no video but when you boot in to the desktop view of xbmcbuntu you have video ?

and if you run xbmc from the desktop do you get video where you want it ?

[Hobbesw]

With the laptop running xbmc it only has video (ie movie, music, tv etc) on laptop screen. But if I am in the xbmcbuntu mode where I am in I guess the Linux window to access terminal, nvidia setup, google etc I do get video (twinview clone) on both the laptop and the tv.

The tv is connected with a hdmi cable

[anthony.selby]

in xbmcbuntu mode what if you check on xbmc from the "start" menu do you get it on twinview ?

[artrafael]

Does your laptop have hardware keys to toggle your video display from laptop to TV (or both)?

[wsnipex]

Xbmc doesn't work properly with dynamic twin view. Use hardware keys to switch the output to _only_ the TV

[Hobbesw]

Anthony- no matter how I access xbmc it will not come up on tv even though buntu does.

Artrafael- I don't know, don't believe so but what should I look for to find out if it does. Never had a reason to look for it before.

Wsnipex- ok, how would I go about doing that?

[artrafael]

Look in your laptop's user manual and/or on the keytop labels of your laptop keyboard for a function key that toggles the video output from the built-in LCD to an external monitor.

[Hobbesw]

Look in your laptop's user manual and/or on the keytop labels of your laptop keyboard for a function key that toggles the video output from the built-in LCD to an external monitor.

Ok found out that Function F2 will change my laptop to either my laptop screen or TV or both.
It worked fine in windows but that function would NOT work in XBMC or XBMCBuntu. Does that mean that it is disabled in the Linux settings and I would have to enable it? If so how would I do that?

Thanks again in advance I really do appreciate the help.

[wsnipex]

ok, if the hardware key is not recognised, you can always use xrandr.

use this to find your TV's output name:

Code:

xrandr -q

look for HDMI.

example output:
Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1366 x 768, maximum 8192 x 8192
LVDS1 connected 1366x768+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 310mm x 174mm
1366x768 59.6*+
1360x768 59.8 60.0
1024x768 60.0
800x600 60.3 56.2
640x480 59.9
VGA1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP1 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
HDMI3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP2 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)
DP3 disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

now use xrandr to switch to HDMI1 (might be a different output in your case)

Code:

xrandr --output HDMI1 --auto