I finally got around to hooking up my HTPC to my projector last night (had been feeding it via a Helios DVD player) and I'm experiencing a problem I hope some of you can help me correct.

I'm running 720p, component out of a Geforce 7600 GS, into a component distribution amp > 50 feet of cable > Genesis controller > 10.6" Samsung.

The projector is functioning as a secondary monitor. I have a touchscreen as primary that controls the HTPC and my other gear.

When I look at the desktop, or an application window, I see a small vertical jump or flicker several times a second. It only shifts a fraction of an inch, so you have to be fairly close to the screen to catch it, but once you lock on it is hard to ignore. The flicker is also present during video playback, but is much harder to catch due to the dynamic nature of camera shifts, cuts, etc.

Couple more data points:

1) This symptom does not show up on my HDTV, which is fed via the same video amp and card.
2) Removing the distribution amp does not solve it.

Could this simply be a problem with the Genesis controller? I don't recall reading about it before...

Have you tried plugging in directly to the card using a shorter length of component cabling? I would try using maybe a 3 foot component cable from your video card to your genesis controller and see if you get the same symptoms.

Also, why not use the VGA or DVI connection?

If I recall correctly, when I was trying to get native resolution working with DVI on my old Realtec board (RTD2523B) I noticed some jumping similar to what you describe. I believe the cause was a timing issue since I was still trying to guess which setting would work with Powerstrip.

Hope you figure it out.

- iPO

Good suggestions iPO. Unfortunately, for WAF and other reasons, I need to keep it simple and utilize the component switcher in my AVR so I can more easily switch between cable, HTPC, and DVD player to both the projector and my HDTV. 50 feet of component is also a hell of a lot cheaper than 50 feet of DVI > HDMI.

I may end up moving the HTPC temporarily, just to test a shorter component and/or digital connection, but I'd rather fix the existing setup if possible.

I hear ya regarding the WAF. Actually all I meant was to plug it in and test, not to have it as a permanent solution. If you test it that way, you should hopefully be able to determine what is causing the issue and then go from there.

50' HDMI/DVI cable from Monoprice
50' Component Cable from Monoprice
I never bothered looking for cable runs of that length before, but yeah, quite a difference in price! $67 for 50' of HDMI ain't bad though. Especially when most big box stores charge over $100 for 6 feet!

So nobody else gets a vertical jump/bounce/flicker sending component from a PC to the 10.6" ?

(maybe nobody else is using component...)

I do get a bounce flicker (pixels anyway) on my 15" using my HD standalone tuner vga to vga but nobody has said anything about it i posted a topic but nobody knew I am going to try to power my lcd off a different outlet far far away I think the ballast might be doing it but i dont know.

Not sure if this is the same issue, but I was getting a big jump/flicker on my 17" untill I found a couple big ferrite beads off an old VGA cable and put them on the power cable next to the controller...