My Laptop won't play on my TV (half won't!)

[Sally1979]

This is crazy, if you can help you are a genius!

When I play Windows Media Player on my laptop and the film comes on the video doesn't play on the TV. I get everything else but the video part!
Everything else works and videos on the internet play just not through media player.

Please help as I am completely stumped! Surely whatever is playing on the laptop screen should be on the TV.

[trish432]

Very hard to understand question, could you state more clearly what you mean?

[Sally1979]

When i've got the cables plugged in everything on my laptop screen plays on the tv apart from the video on windows media player. I get all the outline and toolbars but where the film is playing on my laptop it's just blank on the tv. Does that make sense?

Thanks for the reply, hope you can help?

[spheric]

There's likely an option to sort this out in your graphics card's driver settings.

These can be found in control panel, display, settings, advanced (assuming your using classic control panel on XP)

My ATI video card unhelpfully calls the option "theatre mode"

[Sally1979]

no ican't find anything in there that it could be. can anyone help please!

[dabees]

You need to switch on the external video. Press Function (FN it's a blue key on the bottom left) and your monitor switching key. That key varies from laptop to laptop. Mine is F5, but look for the F button that has a square with a vertical line either side.

That should do it.

[Sally1979]

It's not that I can't play my laptop through my TV it's just the film thats playing on Windows Media player that isn't there. It's just black!