A:Answer 2 things to check.
1. When you have made the switch, do you then open your Dell's graphic-card control panel and 'detect' 2nd display? Some laptops have a Function key to act as a 'shortcut' to detect an external connection. If your laptop has such a Function key, look for it have printed on it, a small pictogram, of either a TV or a Projector. After you have selected your laptop on your switcher, go to your Dell and press the 'Fn' key first, followed by the actual Function key on the top row (F7, F8, etc.). This combination should activate the Detection mode, and you may see a new window appear on your desktop. Follow the information in this window.
2. It is possible that Rocketfish switcher does not support the active termination that the Dell's HDMI depends on to 'auto-detect' a connection. If that is the case, there is not much you can do, except try to exchange for a different unit. Your DVD player does not use active termination, it just always has a signal present at the port.
Many laptops use 'active termination' as a way to conserve battery. A connected display has a characteristic electrical property that tell your Dell when something is connected. In the case of inexpensive switchers, they are not an active device, but 'clunk' devices that are only one for a short time. The cheaper-priced ones do not have the electronics to produce a video black-burst signal (Active termination) needed for a laptop to maintain the link.
Hope that helped. Good Luck.
