SpectraView, PA271W, and DisplayPort

Donna Brunet , Sep 05, 2010; 07:44 a.m.

I bought an NEC MultiSync PA271W for a new computer. The video card is an Nvidia Quadro FX 1800. When I installed SpectraView, I got a message that it couldn't communicate with a monitor. After a quick Google search, I found a page on the NEC website that said that there could be a communication problem when using a DisplayPort cable instead of a DVI cable. I switched to the DVI cable, but still got the same message.
I then went to the monitor menu and changed from High Bright to Adobe RGB. I opened SpectraView to the same no communication message. Then I went to Edit - Display Configuration - Auto Configure. This time, unlike with the DisplayPort cable, it worked and SpectraView could communicate with the monitor.
Then, I thought that maybe the change from High Bright to Adobe RGB would work with the DisplayPort cable. (Before I bought the monitor, I was told by NEC tech support to make sure I got a video card so I could use DisplayPort.) So, I swapped cables, restarted the computer, changed back to Adobe RGB (didn't expect to find it back on High Bright but it was), Auto Configure in SpectraView II returned with a no communication message.
I guess at this point that I need to return to the DVI cable. But I'm curious if anyone has successfully used a DisplayPort cable. I am running Windows 7 64-bit Professional and SpectraView II 1.1.05.

Responses

Brad Smith , Sep 05, 2010; 10:29 a.m.

I don't have specific info on that, but in two reviews of monitors I've read, they had troubles with the DisplayPort connection (monitor not waking up, no signal), so it seems that all the kinks haven't been worked out with this type of connection (at least in the PC world).

Fortunately there's no advantage to using it over DVI.

Roger Smith , Sep 05, 2010; 02:37 p.m.

I'd stick with DVI and update your graphics card drivers. That solved the DDC problem I had with my NEC monitor (on a PC),

Donna Brunet , Sep 10, 2010; 09:11 a.m.

My mistake was in thinking that I could go to Device Manager and check for an update to the video card driver; I fixed it by going to the PNY site and downloading a Quadro driver.

I asked both a computer technician and NEC technical support about DVI v. DisplayPort and was told that for 10-bit color and the monitor's native resolution of 2560 x 1440, I needed to use a DisplayPort cable or a dual-link DVI cable. A single-link DVI cable can't support the resolution of my monitor. But with the new video card driver, DisplayPort works fine.

Finally, in case anyone else runs into the following problem: installing the new video card caused some sort of driver conflict with the driver for a Wacom Intuos4 and my tablet stopped working. This solved it: Services - TabletServiceWacom - Right-Click - Properties - General - Startup Type changed from Automatic to Automatic (Delayed Start).