Tech Support > Microsoft Windows > Working Remotely > Remote control and color quality
Remote control and color quality
Posted by Srdjan Kovacevic on October 25th, 2005


Hi there,

I have a laptop with ATI Radeon 7500 graphics card and a 15" display and a
desktop comp with ATI Radeon 9600 graphics card and a 17" display. When I do
an RC from the desktop to laptop I can never get my color quality more than
16bit.

When I adjust RC options, the resolution works fine (1280x1024 works well)
and the RC listens to me whenever I choose any color quality equal to or
lower than 16bit (i.e. if I put it on 256, 15bit or 16 bit, it is exactly
the color quality that the RC will be displayed in when I launch it), but if
I choose 24bit, the RC will be launched at 16bit color quality nevertheless.

While in RC, when I right-click the desktop, then click Properties >
Settings tab, the color quality choices therein are limited only to the one
that I have chosen in RC options.

Even if I reduce the resolution in RC options (e.g. to 1024x768), the
highest color quality I can get in RC is still 16bit (even if I chose
24bit).

While I work directly on laptop (i.e. not from desktop via RC), I work on
1024x768 res (it's the max res allowed) and 32bit color quality.

Can you help me launch the RC from desktop to laptop in higher color
quality?

Thanks!!!




Posted by Patrick Rouse on October 31st, 2005


The default maximum color depth is set to 16 bit for Terminal Server and
Remote Desktop on Windows XP Professional.

The highest color depth currently supported by the Remote Desktop Protocol
is 24 bit. The maximum color depth allowed by an RDP Client is set in the
Terminal Services Configuration, or in Group Policy/Local Policy.

MMC -> Group Policy Object Editor -> Local security policy -> Computer
Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Terminal
Services -> Limit Maximum Color Depth

RDP Client does not support increasing color depth or screen resolution on
the fly.

--
Patrick Rouse
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
http://www.sessioncomputing.com


"Srdjan Kovacevic" wrote:

> Hi there,
>
> I have a laptop with ATI Radeon 7500 graphics card and a 15" display and a
> desktop comp with ATI Radeon 9600 graphics card and a 17" display. When I do
> an RC from the desktop to laptop I can never get my color quality more than
> 16bit.
>
> When I adjust RC options, the resolution works fine (1280x1024 works well)
> and the RC listens to me whenever I choose any color quality equal to or
> lower than 16bit (i.e. if I put it on 256, 15bit or 16 bit, it is exactly
> the color quality that the RC will be displayed in when I launch it), but if
> I choose 24bit, the RC will be launched at 16bit color quality nevertheless.
>
> While in RC, when I right-click the desktop, then click Properties >
> Settings tab, the color quality choices therein are limited only to the one
> that I have chosen in RC options.
>
> Even if I reduce the resolution in RC options (e.g. to 1024x768), the
> highest color quality I can get in RC is still 16bit (even if I chose
> 24bit).
>
> While I work directly on laptop (i.e. not from desktop via RC), I work on
> 1024x768 res (it's the max res allowed) and 32bit color quality.
>
> Can you help me launch the RC from desktop to laptop in higher color
> quality?
>
> Thanks!!!
>
>
>
>
>

Posted by Daniel Gurney on November 8th, 2005


Hi Patrick

Your reply below was exactly the information I needed.

Working with Remote Desktop to a Windows 2K Server at the moment it will
only allow 256 colors - this making Sage accounts unusable.

Where can boost the color settings to get it to 16 bit or maybe 24 bit?
If I need to follow your instructions below, what is "MMC"?
PLease excuse my ignorance.

Thanking you in advace for you kind help.

Daniel Gurney

"Patrick Rouse" wrote:

> The default maximum color depth is set to 16 bit for Terminal Server and
> Remote Desktop on Windows XP Professional.
>
> The highest color depth currently supported by the Remote Desktop Protocol
> is 24 bit. The maximum color depth allowed by an RDP Client is set in the
> Terminal Services Configuration, or in Group Policy/Local Policy.
>
> MMC -> Group Policy Object Editor -> Local security policy -> Computer
> Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Terminal
> Services -> Limit Maximum Color Depth
>
> RDP Client does not support increasing color depth or screen resolution on
> the fly.
>
> --
> Patrick Rouse
> Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> http://www.sessioncomputing.com
>
>
> "Srdjan Kovacevic" wrote:
>
> > Hi there,
> >
> > I have a laptop with ATI Radeon 7500 graphics card and a 15" display and a
> > desktop comp with ATI Radeon 9600 graphics card and a 17" display. When I do
> > an RC from the desktop to laptop I can never get my color quality more than
> > 16bit.
> >
> > When I adjust RC options, the resolution works fine (1280x1024 works well)
> > and the RC listens to me whenever I choose any color quality equal to or
> > lower than 16bit (i.e. if I put it on 256, 15bit or 16 bit, it is exactly
> > the color quality that the RC will be displayed in when I launch it), but if
> > I choose 24bit, the RC will be launched at 16bit color quality nevertheless.
> >
> > While in RC, when I right-click the desktop, then click Properties >
> > Settings tab, the color quality choices therein are limited only to the one
> > that I have chosen in RC options.
> >
> > Even if I reduce the resolution in RC options (e.g. to 1024x768), the
> > highest color quality I can get in RC is still 16bit (even if I chose
> > 24bit).
> >
> > While I work directly on laptop (i.e. not from desktop via RC), I work on
> > 1024x768 res (it's the max res allowed) and 32bit color quality.
> >
> > Can you help me launch the RC from desktop to laptop in higher color
> > quality?
> >
> > Thanks!!!
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >

Posted by Patrick Rouse on November 8th, 2005


1. Two ways to acheive color depth greather than 8bit:

a. install Citrix Presentation Server on top of 2000 Terminal Server and
use their ICA Client
b. Upgrade to Server 2003

The limit for 2000 Server RDP Sessions is 8 bit, or 256 colors.

MMM = Microsoft Management Console. Start -> Run -> MMC

--
Patrick Rouse
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
http://www.sessioncomputing.com


"Daniel Gurney" wrote:

> Hi Patrick
>
> Your reply below was exactly the information I needed.
>
> Working with Remote Desktop to a Windows 2K Server at the moment it will
> only allow 256 colors - this making Sage accounts unusable.
>
> Where can boost the color settings to get it to 16 bit or maybe 24 bit?
> If I need to follow your instructions below, what is "MMC"?
> PLease excuse my ignorance.
>
> Thanking you in advace for you kind help.
>
> Daniel Gurney
>
> "Patrick Rouse" wrote:
>
> > The default maximum color depth is set to 16 bit for Terminal Server and
> > Remote Desktop on Windows XP Professional.
> >
> > The highest color depth currently supported by the Remote Desktop Protocol
> > is 24 bit. The maximum color depth allowed by an RDP Client is set in the
> > Terminal Services Configuration, or in Group Policy/Local Policy.
> >
> > MMC -> Group Policy Object Editor -> Local security policy -> Computer
> > Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Terminal
> > Services -> Limit Maximum Color Depth
> >
> > RDP Client does not support increasing color depth or screen resolution on
> > the fly.
> >
> > --
> > Patrick Rouse
> > Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> > http://www.sessioncomputing.com
> >
> >
> > "Srdjan Kovacevic" wrote:
> >
> > > Hi there,
> > >
> > > I have a laptop with ATI Radeon 7500 graphics card and a 15" display and a
> > > desktop comp with ATI Radeon 9600 graphics card and a 17" display. When I do
> > > an RC from the desktop to laptop I can never get my color quality more than
> > > 16bit.
> > >
> > > When I adjust RC options, the resolution works fine (1280x1024 works well)
> > > and the RC listens to me whenever I choose any color quality equal to or
> > > lower than 16bit (i.e. if I put it on 256, 15bit or 16 bit, it is exactly
> > > the color quality that the RC will be displayed in when I launch it), but if
> > > I choose 24bit, the RC will be launched at 16bit color quality nevertheless.
> > >
> > > While in RC, when I right-click the desktop, then click Properties >
> > > Settings tab, the color quality choices therein are limited only to the one
> > > that I have chosen in RC options.
> > >
> > > Even if I reduce the resolution in RC options (e.g. to 1024x768), the
> > > highest color quality I can get in RC is still 16bit (even if I chose
> > > 24bit).
> > >
> > > While I work directly on laptop (i.e. not from desktop via RC), I work on
> > > 1024x768 res (it's the max res allowed) and 32bit color quality.
> > >
> > > Can you help me launch the RC from desktop to laptop in higher color
> > > quality?
> > >
> > > Thanks!!!
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >


Similar Posts