This is a controller that I have heard plenty of people mention around here so I figured I would throw in my 2 cents on it. It was bought off ebay (http://cgi.ebay.ca/VGA-AV-S-TV-TFT-LCD-Panel-LVDS-Controller-R-C_W0QQitemZ180148880292QQihZ008QQcategoryZ61398QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) and has VGA, S-video, Composite and cable inputs, as well as a remote control. It uses a 20 pin connector to the LCD and is suppose to work for panels up to 1280x1024. I have it running on a 1024x768 panel and it works great.

What I did find interesting about this panel is that although it says it supports up to 1600x1200 input resolution, I was actually playing GT4 on playstation2 in 1080i and the controller supported that. nb, this was using component cables and X2VGA2 transcoder, so this was through the VGA input. I got all resolutions from 800x600 to 1920x1440 to show on the screen, although some of the high ones were not centered. The important thing is that this controller will downscale 1920x1080 and 1280x720 successfully. The s-video was also fine and I never tested cable or composite. The controller is not very strong and has to be pointed directly at the reciever.

I have two investigations left to do with this controller. A) Will the VGA port accept YPbPr signal with an adapter. Probably a long shot, but worth a try. It doesn't mention anything about widescreen monitors, just "up to 1280x1024, so I will be hooking up a 1280x800 panel to the controller to see if it will drive this. If both of these come back positive, this would be a very good way of getting an entry level 720p projector.

Keep in mind, that the controller is programmed to support a specific LCD panel (that you specified) and it will only support panels with the same native resolution as that panel, with the same specifications.
It also doesn't necessarily use a 20 pin LVDS cable, the cable depends upon what it is programmed for.
I have one with a 20 pin cable, for a 14.1 LCD at 1024x768 (and the firmware that supports that supports about 45 other panels), one with a 30pin LVDS cable at 1280x1024 (and that firmware supports about 15), and another with a TMDS cable that supports only one panel at 1280x1024.

So, if you do attach it to a panel that it is not intended for, it may or may not work, and you may or may not damage both the LCD and the controller.

Of course, if you have verified that the 1280x800 panel has the exact same specs as what you purchased it for (especially including the cable pinout), then, you may have no issues at all, but, unless the panel you purchased it for is also a 1280x800, then it isn't as likely to work. (I notice you mention using it now with a 1024x768 panel)

The controller doesn't really support any panel up to a certain resolution, it still depends upon the firmware programmed into it and supports 1 or more panels depending upon that. All LCD controllers output a single resolution. (the native res of the panel it's programmed for)

Also, keep in mind that all LCD panels have a single resolution. The only way they support any other resolution is via a controller that has the ability to accept other resolutions, and can upscale downscale, crop, or whatever into the native resolution. There are absolutely no exceptions to that.

Also... you said: "The controller is not very strong and has to be pointed directly at the reciever."
I assume that meant the 'remote control is not very strong'?

Good Luck!

Do you have an LCD with a 30 pin connector or you have a 30 pin cable for this controller board. I've had a couple LCDs I tried to get working with this but they wouldn't give me a cable that was 20 pins. I ended up going out and finding an LCD that matched the connector at a local laptop repair shop.

What the company says about the resolution is that it supports all resolution panels from 640x480 up to 1280x1024. Technically 1280x800 is in this range... but I suspect that widescreen probably isn't programmed.

Yes, the remote control is not very strong. My mistake for the confusing language on the last post.

The first question in regards to 1280x800 LCD panel being supported. Answer... sorta. Shows up fine, but its showing only the 4:3 aspect of the screen. It just leaves the right portion black. Even when using VGA at 1280x800 it compresses it to the 4:3 aspect ratio and slides the image to the left edge.

Yes, I said that above, I have one with a 30 pin LVDS cable, which plugs into the 30 pin socket on a Samsung 17" panel that is 1280x1024.

I'm confused by what you are saying here. You mean, when you ordered it, you didn't specify what panel it was for, and they just sent you some random 30 pin cable and put just some randon firmware image on it?

As far as the resolution, you didn't read what I wrote I guess. Yes, I am aware that the controller supports numerous resolutions, but, that does not mean it can support any resolution with any panel with the firmware you received it with. That's just not how it works. The firmware has to be different to support different panels, as panels have different timings etc that must match.

If you bring up the OSD, it will tell you what resolution it detected that you are sending it.
If the firmware isn't intended to support that resolution, then, no, it can't display it properly.
It's probably not that it's showing a 4:3 aspect, it's probably that it can't scale it properly, because it's likely not programmed to output at 1280x800, unless that was what you asked for.
If it was firmware intended for a 1024x768 panel, then it's probably trying to downscale what you are sending it and and is probably displaying something like 1024x768.
Again, all controllers output at exactly a single resolution, because all LCD panels only have a single native resolution.
The resolutions a controller can accept is a different thing. The controller will still only output to the panel the resolution the controller was programmed to output, and if you are using a panel that does not match the output res that the controller was programmed to send, then it cannot work as expected.

The controller does have adjustments in the OSD menu.
You can try playing with it, but, again, I guess the big question is still, what panel was the controller programmed for?
They will usually have a sticker on the Eprom that gives the name of the firmware installed. For example:
It may have something like: M150X2, or LP141X2
Those 2 examples are for a base 15" panel and a base 14.1" panel firmware.

Oh, and it's good that your 1280x800 panel did obviously at least have the same pinout as the power, grounds, data signals and clocking signals must have been using the same pinout as what the controller was programmed for! I'd hate to see you fry a panel or controller.

Yeah I checked the pinouts before i hooked it up. The controller was oringinally programed for a LP141x2, but it turned out that one had a socket connecting the circuit boards on the LCD with no FFC so it couldn't be used. What I did eventually was go to a laptop shop and get one that works... which was a 14.1 1024x768 chie mei or something like that. I guess I just lucked out on it working on this second panel. I'll get ahold of them and see if the can program for a widescreen 15.4.

What I had thought you were saying was that it was programmed for all of the resolutions... I didn't realize they programmed them individually. What happened as far as the connector was that I had gotta the proper connector for the first panel, then the second I got had a 14 pin connector, then I got the one I am currently using which has the same connection as the first.

You haven't tried running component through VGA have you? I doubt that it will work, but its worth a shot.

Thanks for the input.

Quick note: my WXGA LCD panel is cracked in the corner... so thats why I was willing to risk it lol

Ok, then that makes sense. The firmware that supports most 14.1 panels will work with nearly any of them, and a bunch of 15" panels also, altogether, it will work with about 45 1024x768 panels.


No, have never tried that, I have no need to do it.


Ah, yes, the sacrificial panel... I have a few of those unfortunately.

It came to an unfortunate end... I pulled a tie out from under it while getting ready to head to my brothers wedding, slid off the box it was sitting on, fell 1" and broke

Amazingly, I just thought it through and the orginal panel was a 13.3 XGA... guess I just have a horse in an unmentionable place.