[shoco26]

I just got my chromebook yesterday and have been trying to hook it up to my tv via hdmi. For some reason when I plug it in, the screen on my chromebook turns into a square, leaving a few inches on the right side unused, and the image on the tv appears stretched.... I tried acer tech support and they tried to make me buy a service plan. Not gonna do that. Any ideas for why it is doing this? Is there a settings menu for hdmi connections? I haven't had any luck finding anything so far.

 

[shoco26]

Well, I've been in touch with tech support and still no luck. Has anyone else had this problem? Not sure why it won't connect.

 

[russcasey]

When you connect an external display to the chromebook it will switch its resolution to the 'best available' that the external display can handle. If you plug in a screen with a lower resolution than the chromebooks own display, both will drop down to this level - that is why you're getting the black bars on the CB screen. If you plug in a screen with a higher resolution than the chromebooks own display, the CB screen will go blank but you should get a great picture on your external display. The big difference between Chromebooks and other OS is that there are no controls to change the resolution - it does the best it can and you have to like it!

I suspect the issue is with your TV, in that it is asking for the wrong resolution and then stretching the picture to fit.

I'd suggest trying your CB with other TVs, and trying other computers with your TV to isolate the problem. It is also worth exploring your TV's menus to see if you can change the resolution it asks for, and check your TV's documentation about what resolutions it supports.

 

[dgsmith35124]

Unfortunately, the scenario you suggest isn't true. I plugged my C7 CB into a 1920x1080 Samsung monitor using HDMI and I get the same behavior that was described in the initial question. The picture on the CB becomes a 4:3 ratio "square" and the picture is stretched out (and distorted) on the external monitor. I believe that the mirroring function through the HDMI interface is defective. My Samsung monitor doesn't have a VGA input, so I can't test using that interface. BTW, I get the same behavior when connected to a 720p Sony TV.

 

[dgsmith35124]

Turns out to work with the 1920x1080 Samsung over HDMI after all. When first connected, it behaves as I described. The "secret" is that you have to hit CTRL-Fullscreen(F4). That will stop mirroring, blanking out the C7's screen and going to full resolution on the external monitor. Hitting the key combination repeatedly cycles though; display only external, display only internal, mirror, ... Good to know.

 

[FlappyPaddles]

Indeed, thanks!

 

[technovice]

I just got mine on Jan 5th and was having the same issue plugging into my 39" Vizio HDMI TV. The screen would go black for about 1 1/4 inch on each side giving a square image. The CNTL-F4 technique works on mine too except for occasional hesitations in the picture and sound I don't get with the smaller image. So I guess I'll stick with watching the smaller image. It's still a lot better than watching on my 17" laptop.

Does anyone know if this issue is related to hardware or software? I don't have the problem when attaching my HP Windows 7 Internet Explorer laptop to the TV.

 

[JCC]

Turns out to work with the 1920x1080 Samsung over HDMI after all. When first connected, it behaves as I described. The "secret" is that you have to hit CTRL-Fullscreen(F4). That will stop mirroring, blanking out the C7's screen and going to full resolution on the external monitor. Hitting the key combination repeatedly cycles though; display only external, display only internal, mirror, ... Good to know.

I need to try this on my Vizio 42". I am guessing that if you close the Chromebook, it still goes to sleep?