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Frequently Asked Questions

If you don't see the answer to your question here, please email us.

  1. When I click the "full screen" option on Hulu and other flash sites my TV goes blank
  2. I installed my HDMI cable but cannot hear any sound
  3. What is the difference between HD (high definition) video and SD (standard definition) video?
  4. How can I test my monitor resolution?
  5. How can I maximize my window size with Windows XP or Windows Vista?
  6. How can I make Windows Media Player full screen?
  7. My TV won't let me select "PC mode." It's "greyed out"
  8. Do you sell cables to connect my Mac to my TV?
  9. While watching movies my screen goes blank. What's wrong?

When I click the "full screen" option on Hulu and other flash sites my TV screen goes blank

There is an incompatibility between Windows Vista and Flash 9. You can upgrade your Flash Player to version 10 to resolve this issue.

I installed my HDMI cable but cannot hear any sound.

Your video graphics properties controls the video but not the sound. HDMI sound is controlled from your sound card. Click START, CONTROL PANEL, SOUND, SPEECH AND AUDIO DEVICES to access your sound card properties. Refer to your computers documentation for assistance or email us with your computer make, model and operating system.

If your screen saver kicks in while you are watching a movie your audio properties may become disrupted. You may have to close and restart your browser to correct this problem. We recommend disabling your screen saver.

Here's some helpful resources for configuring your sound card:

Sound Cards: Frequently Asked Questions

Tips for fixing common sound problems

What is the difference between HD (high definition) video and SD (standard definition) video?

Older televisions have a resolution of 704 x 480 pixels (standard definition). These old tube TVs are hard to find today. Almost all televisions sold today are of the flat screen, high-definition (HDTV) LCD or plasma variety. High definition is 1280 x 720 pixels or 1920 x 1080 pixels (720p or 1080p). The second number (720 or 1080) refers to the number of pixels in the vertical dimension. Todays PCs all support high-definition video with 1024 x 768 resolution being the most popular .

Our HDMI and VGA cables support high definition and our S-Video cable supports standard definition. Here's a comparison:

Standard definition sample image

High definition sample image

Standard Definition

High Definition

These images are pictures of a 32" Samsung 720p HDTV. The image on the left is with an s-video cable and the image on the right is with a VGA cable.

How can I test my monitor resolution?

Here are some useful tools for checking your PC or TV screen resolution:

How can I maximize my window size with Windows XP or Windows Vista?

You can easily toggle your window full screen with the F11 key. Try it now. Press a second time to undo.

How can I make Windows Media Player full screen?

You can easily make Windows Media Player full screen by pressing <ALT> and <ENTER> at the same time.  Press <ESCAPE> to return.

My TV won't let me select "PC mode." It's "greyed out."

This is a common issue with Samsung televisions. Please see our blog entry "Solving the Samsung HDTV "PC input is greyed out" Problem".

Do you sell cables to connect my Mac to my TV?

Apple sells adapters to convert your Mini DisplayPort or Mini DVI jack to standard VGA. This will allow you to use our VGA cable.

    Click here to visit the Apple Store

While watching movies my screen goes blank. What's wrong?

Here's two things to check for:

  1. Make sure your screen saver is disabled (or set to an interval longer than your movie, such as 3 hours)
  2. Make sure your Power Management is not shutting off your screen. This is especially common on laptop computers. Here's instructions for an HP laptop with Windows Vista:

      3. 1. Click on Start.
      2. Select control panel.
      3. Click on Power options.
      4. At the selected power plan, click on change plan settings.
      5. At Turn off display under battery and plugged in options select the drop down menu and select Never for both.
      6. Click on Save settings.

Please email us with your questions. We respond to all inquiries within 24 hours.

PCTVCables.com Customer Support