xps1, radeon 9800

when hooked up to my tv i can see my desktop, etc. but when i open any media player it doesnot show up on the screen. i get a blank. any suggestions?

it worked a few days ago and now it wont so i imagine a settiong or two is off

power dvd wont even show up
in control panel tv is enabled and the the drivers seem ok for tv and for the other 5 default monitors

2nd ques.
can i get my video camera to use this lappy as a display or do i need more hardware?