Using PC On TV In Another Room - Frustration with Windows opening things on the wrong screens

[Bearded_Ed]

I recently completed a project to run cables from my PC upstairs, down to my TV in our lounge.

 

For reference I am running USB + HDMI and making use of wall sockets/faceplates etc. All works great.

 

Except for Windows being a bit of a pain in the ass.

 

Ideally I would only use an Xbox controller downstairs and that be it, but that's been a bit of a struggle even after installing Controller Companion.  

 

I've unticked the box in display settings that says something like "remember which monitor is used for which application". I hoped that would mean that whichever monitor I opened something from, it would display there. But it doesn't, which means I have to go upstairs and WIN+Arrow Key whatever software to the TV.    The other slight challenge here is that my main monitor is 1440p and my TV is 4K, which can cause some frustrations too.

 

Anyone got any tips for this sorta setup? 

[Hairless Monkey Boy]

Turn off your PC monitor when not in use.

 

Get a USB Bluetooth adapter and a bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo for the TV area. I have a Rii i4 that works well.

 

Get a separate system for the TV. 

[Bearded_Ed]

1 minute ago, Hairless Monkey Boy said:

Turn off your PC monitor when not in use.

 

Get a USB Bluetooth adapter and a bluetooth keyboard/mouse combo for the TV area. I have a Rii i4 that works well.

 

Get a separate system for the TV. 

Huh.... Turning of PC monitor might well be the most simple and effective answer.   I can't believe I didn't consider that. 

 

Thank you for the suggestion of the Rii i4, this isn't something I was aware of and will likely be a good backup option. Although I can't say my girlfriend will be too keen on me adding yet another "controller" type device to our TV area .  PS4, 2xSwtich, Xbox and now this is rather a lot.  Ah well.

 

Separate system is definitely not going to happen as frankly I can't justify or afford it. 

 

Thanks again. 

[KaitouX]

Getting a keyboard to use at the TV and using Win+P to keep only the TV/Monitor in use by windows is the easiest way to achieve what you want in my opinion.

I had a similar setup that I did that, it also avoid annoyances with the cursor disappearing to the other display.

[BabaGanuche]

If you do not want to shut off the monitor/TV you can always use Win+arrow keys to move windows from one screen to another. This is something I have to do all of the time for my work computer.

[Bearded_Ed]

11 minutes ago, KaitouX said:

Getting a keyboard to use at the TV and using Win+P to keep only the TV/Monitor in use by windows is the easiest way to achieve what you want in my opinion.

I had a similar setup that I did that, it also avoid annoyances with the cursor disappearing to the other display.

I think the Win+P might cause frustrations with resolutions right? Because it'll "project" 1440p to 4K and upscale it, plus games will not run native 4k?  I could be wrong, I'll have to test it though thank you. 

3 minutes ago, BabaGanuche said:

If you do not want to shut off the monitor/TV you can always use Win+arrow keys to move windows from one screen to another. This is something I have to do all of the time for my work computer.

Well the whole idea is to not have a keyboard or mouse downstairs. Just the controller, which functions as a mouse via Controller Companion software.  I think turning off the monitor upstairs when intending to use the TV is the simplest solution. Certainly it's worth me trying it before adding anything else. 

[KaitouX]

13 minutes ago, Bearded_Ed said:

I think the Win+P might cause frustrations with resolutions right? Because it'll "project" 1440p to 4K and upscale it, plus games will not run native 4k?  I could be wrong, I'll have to test it though thank you.

The options "PC Screen Only" and "Second Screen only" do the same thing as going in to the Windows/GPU options and turning the monitor/TV off. The selected display will act like it's the only display connected to the PC. If you select the TV, the monitor will automatically turn off due to signal loss, if you select the monitor, the TV will show the Signal loss/No Input screen and probably eventually turn off.

The option "Extend" is probably what you're currently using.

The option "Duplicate" is going to make one of the screens look bad, due to scaling/resolution mismatch.

[Bearded_Ed]

18 minutes ago, KaitouX said:

The options "PC Screen Only" and "Second Screen only" do the same thing as going in to the Windows/GPU options and turning the monitor/TV off. The selected display will act like it's the only display connected to the PC. If you select the TV, the monitor will automatically turn off due to signal loss, if you select the monitor, the TV will show the Signal loss/No Input screen and probably eventually turn off.

The option "Extend" is probably what you're currently using.

The option "Duplicate" is going to make one of the screens look bad, due to scaling/resolution mismatch.

Ah that's brilliant thank you, that definitely sounds like a good idea to me. I'll have to try it.

 

Yes I'm currently using "Extend" for now as that seemed like the best option.

[LogicalDrm]

3 hours ago, Bearded_Ed said:

Ah that's brilliant thank you, that definitely sounds like a good idea to me. I'll have to try it.

 

Yes I'm currently using "Extend" for now as that seemed like the best option.

Dublicating is probably best if you don't have two screens side to side.

 

Note on shutting down though. Unless you manually select from Windows to deactivate other screen, you will still have issues. Windows isn't that smart to know whether monitor is turned on or not. For different monitor profiles, you will need 3rd party software. I have only used DisplayFusion, but there are alternatives to it.