IBM ThinkPad 380 or 380D User's Guide

Using the Computer LCD or the External Monitor

Using the Computer LCD or the External Monitor

This section provides information about using the computer LCD and an external monitor. It also provides considerations when using the DOS applications.

The LCD of your computer uses thin-film transistor (TFT) technology or dual-scan super twisted nematic (DSTN) technology. Both the TFT and DSTN displays computer output with SVGA (800-by-600 resolution) video mode and 65,536 colors.

Display Output Type

To attach an external monitor:
reference #32.

When you attach an external monitor that supports resolution higher than VGA mode, you can get a maximum of 1024-by-768 video resolution.

To display your computer output on an external monitor, you need to set the appropriate display output type (where to display the computer output). You can select one of the following display output types:

• LCD ( ): The computer output is displayed only on the LCD of the computer.

• CRT ( ): The computer output is displayed only on the attached external monitor.

• Both ( ): The computer output is displayed on both the LCD and the external monitor.

You can select where to display computer output among the LCD, the external monitor, or both by using the following functions:

• Using the Fn key function:

  Press and hold the Fn key; then press the F7 key. The output is displayed sequentially as follows:

  External display -> Both -> LCD -> External display ->
  

• Using the ThinkPad Features program:

  1. Start the ThinkPad Features program.

  2. Click on the following icons from the tools bar:

     • The LCD () icon to display information on the LCD.

     • The CRT () icon to display information on the external monitor.

     • The Both () icon to display information on both the LCD and external monitor.
  
  
  

• Entering a PS2 command from the command prompt:

  • Type PS2 SC LCD to display information on the LCD.

  • Type PS2 SC CRT to display information on the external monitor.

  • Type PS2 SC BOTH to display information on both the LCD and the external monitor.

Considerations for the DOS Screen on the LCD

When you use a DOS application that supports only VGA mode (640-by-480 resolution) with your computer, the screen image might appear smaller than the display size, as shown:

This is to maintain compatibility with DOS applications.

PS2 command for screen expansion:
reference #129.

To expand the screen image to the same size as the actual screen, you can use the screen expansion function.

Attaching an External Monitor

Attention:
When you select Both, do not attach an external monitor that supports only VGA mode (640-by-480 resolution). Otherwise, the external monitor screen is scrambled and the output is not displayed, or the screen might be damaged. Use the CRT instead.

The following is a summary of how to attach an external monitor:

1.  Set your monitor type and the display device driver.
   (See "Setting the Monitor Type and the Display Driver".)

2. Change the display output type to Both ().
   (See "Display Output Type".)

3.  Attach the external monitor to the computer.
   (See "Connecting an External Monitor to the Computer".)

Note:
When installing an operating system, you must install the display driver before you can use an external monitor with SVGA mode.

To install the display driver:
"Installing Software".

If you are attaching an SVGA monitor, refer to "Using SVGA Video Mode" for information on the supported color depth or resolution.

Setting the Monitor Type and the Display Driver

Before attaching the external monitor to your computer, set the appropriate monitor type and a device driver type as follows:

1. Start the ThinkPad Features program.

2. Click on the Display ( or ) icon.

3. Click on the Advanced... button.

   You can select your display type from the monitor list, or click on a new resolution or refresh rate.

4. Restart the computer to make the changes effective.

Note:
Refer to the specifications for your external monitor to determine its supported resolutions and refresh rates.

Hints and Tips
The virtual screen function is available in all operating systems. It is used to display a part of the high-resolution screen image that is produced by the computer. Other parts can be seen by moving the screen with the TrackPoint III or other pointing devices. The virtual screen can be disabled on Windows 3.11 or Windows 95 with using ThinkPad Features program.

Connecting an External Monitor to the Computer

To attach an external monitor to the computer:

1. Turn off the computer.

2. Attach the external monitor to the external monitor connector on the rear of the computer, then to the electrical outlet.

3. Turn on the external monitor and the computer.

Using SVGA Video Mode

Using SVGA Video Mode

Note:
When installing an operating system, you must install the display driver supplied with the computer to use SVGA mode.

The ThinkPad 380 or 380D computer has an LCD that supports an SVGA video mode with 800x600 resolution. You can also display information in higher resolutions by attaching an external monitor to your computer that supports higher resolutions. The following table shows the various display modes (resolution and color depth) available with your computer or external monitor. Use this table to set the display output (LCD, CRT, or both).

Note:
Only a portion of the 1024x768 screen is displayed on the LCD (800x600). You can use the pointer to scroll up or down or left to right to see information outside the displayed area.

• Displaying output on the LCD, or both on the LCD and monitor
  (LCD or Both)
  

  Resolution	Supported Color Depth (for both 380 and 380D)
  640x480	256, 65,536, 262,144 (LCD), and 16,777,216 (monitor)
  800x600	256 and 65,536
  1024x768 (virtual screen)	256

• Displaying output on the monitor (CRT)
  

  Resolution	Frame Rate	Supported Color Depth (for both 380 and 380D)
  640x480	60Hz	256, 65,536, and 16,777,216
  	75Hz
  	85Hz
  800x600	60Hz	256 and 65,536
  	75Hz
  	85Hz
  1024x768	60Hz	256
  	70Hz
  	75Hz

Motion Video Playback

When the ThinkPad display device driver is installed in the computer, the computer is equipped with the motion video playback acceleration function. This function is automatically enabled and is ready to play back the motion video driven by an application.

Hints and Tips

If you have changed the display setting and the playback video quality is unsatisfactory, try using the 800-by-600 resolution and 256 colors. If you are playing back video in a WIN-OS/2 full screen, stop the video before you switch back to an OS/2 session. The performance of the playback motion video depends on the speed of the transfer data, other concurrently running applications, and the playback application. For the best playback results, make sure the motion video data has fast data transfer speed and that other applications are closed.