I need to leave the laptop screen on to watch movies on my TV via an HDMI cable from my laptop, but I'd like to shut the laptop lid. I went into power options and set the option to say "When I shut the lid ... do nothing," but the screen still shuts off as soon as I shut the lid. I set it both for the Balanced power option and the Powersaver option. I rebooted. Nothing helped. Any ideas?
thanks!
I have been using "turn off monitor" when watching movies via HDMI. its an application... like it said to turn off the monitor. you could try this.
Turn Off Monitor Download - Softpedia
Description:
Is a Utility by which you can turn off monitor using a user defined shortcut key, a shortcut on desktop or an icon in System Tray.Turning off the monitor when not in use saves electricity, which is not the same as running a black screensaver.
Thanks! I'll try that. But I want to know how to make my computer use the power managment settings I chose!
-jackie
Weather or not the laptop screen turns off or stays on depends on the hardware. It most cases the switch the laptop uses when you close the screen is not controllable via software, thus it turns the screen off every time. The computer just wont go to sleep. Understand this varies from laptop to laptop. It seems clear your laptop is designed to turn off the screen when the lid is shut.
If that is the case, then why is there an item in Control Panel | Power Management, that gives me the option of what should happen when I close the lid? Maybe I'll just call Dell and see if what you said is true of this machine.
As for software to turn off the screen, from my lid-closing experience, that turns off the HDMI output as well. I'll test the various options next time I stream. thanks!
-jackie
The setting in Power Management only controls whether the computer will go into standby or hibernate or do nothing. However, if the hardware is setup to turn the screen off when the lid is closed then that is what will happen. Its hardcoded into the hardware, or designed that way. It all depends on how the hardware is setup to handle it.
I have to ask....why would you want the laptop screen to stay on when you shut the lid? Are the keys watching the movie too? Why add more hours to the total of your LCD's life? As long as the signal to the HDMI output is still working, you're fine.
As for why you have that options...the choices tell you why. If you are using the laptop and shut the lid quick to walk out of a room, what do you want the laptop to do? Simple as that.
if he is indeed watching movies on his TV via HDMI, i am guessing he is bothered by the light coming out from lcd of his laptop. or the lid is in the way of view of the TV.
I want the screen to stay on because when the screen turns off, so does the feed to the TV!!
-jackie
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