Nvidia GeForce 4 mx 440 and using TV OUT

[zstingx]

Hello,
Has anybody any experience with installing
Nvidia GeForce 4 mx 440 and using TV OUT
in order to transmit video files
(mpeg/avi) from Linux to a TV ?

(I will appreciate also if the tupe
of distrobution will be specified ;
I am using RH9)
(the TV is PAL , but I would also appreciate
opinions on NTSC ).
regards,
sting

[bog]

Hello


I have had excactly the same problem as you. I worked a while, but i have found a workin solution now. But there is a hatch with mine. You cant have a resolution higher than 1024x768. I ran 1280x1024 before, but the change went pritty well.

I'm using redhat 9.0, and geforce 4 mx. The way i run my tv-out is by copying my primary display. It works wery good with avi/mpg ore other video types, but when i only have my desktop on video ut it flickers a lot, but it work fine when playing videos full screen.

The first thing you have to do is to dowloand a source kernel. The nvidia instaler wont work if you dont have this installed. (it works with older kenrnels, but i couldent get it to work on the newest. (.4.20-20.9)
The kernel source i downloaded that worked for me was "kernel-source-2.4.20-20.9.i386.rpm".

I also had to download a program named gcc to install the kernel source. (I used a program named apt-get. You can get it at http://freshrpms.net/apt/
(I wrote apt-get install gcc in the command line).

The instructions to install the kernel source can be found at:
http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/l...m-upgrade.html

When you have installed the kernel source i would recomend to check that youre bootloader is properbly set up. I didnt=>bootloader crash. You can finde help on this on the above link.

I downloaded the nvidia driver with the EXTREMLY good readmy file..
http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_d..._ia32_1.0-4496


When i had done all this i quitet X by using the command (tellinit 3)/(tellinit3).
Went into the folder where i had the nvidia installer. I also opend the redme file I had downloaded inanother wiev (alt f2). You can finde the install instructions in the redme file.

Afther all this i edited a bit in my XF86Config file.

Here it is:
(Dont be confused off all the mess, i'm also running a matrox dual head pci card) The importent part is the one under Driver "nvidia")

Section "ServerLayout"

# Screen "Screen4" LeftOf "Screen2"
Identifier "XFree86 Configured"
Screen "Screen1" 0 0
Screen "Screen2" LeftOf "Screen1"
Screen "Screen3" LeftOf "Screen2"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
Option "Xinerama"
EndSection

Section "Files"
RgbPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"
ModulePath "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/CID/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/"
FontPath "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/"
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dri"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"
Load "record"
Load "xtrap"
Load "speedo"
Load "type1"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "keyboard"
Option "XkbLayout" "no"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"

#DisplaySize 320 240 # mm
Identifier "Monitor1"
VendorName "ACT"
ModelName "10ab"
HorizSync 30.0 - 70.0
VertRefresh 50.0 - 130.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor2"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 10.0 - 50.0
VertRefresh 10.0 - 60.0
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor3"
VendorName "Monitor Vendor"
ModelName "Monitor Model"
HorizSync 30.0 - 50.0
VertRefresh 60.0 - 60.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Card1"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
BoardName "NV17 [GeForce4 MX 440]"
VideoRam 131072
Option "hw cursor" "off"
Option "MGASDRAM" ""
Option "IgnoreDisplayDevices" "CRT, TV, DFP"
Option "NvAGP" "1"
Option "IgnoreEDID" "1"
Option "TwinView" "on"
Option "SecondMonitorHorizSync" "30-50"
Option "SecondMonitorVertRefresh" "60"
Option "MetaModes" "1024x768, 1024x768; 800x600, 800x600; 640x480, 640x480;"
Option "TVStandard" "PAL-B"
Option "TwinViewOrientation" "Clone"
Option "TVOutFormat" "COMPOSITE"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Card2_1"
Driver "mga"
VendorName "Matrox Graphics, Inc."
BoardName "MGA G400 AGP"
Option "hw cursor" "off"
Option "MGASDRAM"
Option "IgnoreDisplayDevices" "CRT, TV, DFP"
BusID "PCI:2:0:0"
Screen 1
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Card2_2"
Driver "mga"
VendorName "Matrox Graphics, Inc."
BoardName "MGA G400 AGP"
Option "hw cursor" "off"
Option "MGASDRAM"
Option "IgnoreDisplayDevices" "CRT, TV, DFP"
BusID "PCI:2:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen1"
Device "Card1"
Monitor "Monitor1"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen3"
Device "Card2_1"
Monitor "Monitor2"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen2"
Device "Card2_2"
Monitor "Monitor2"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "DRI"
Group 0
Mode 0666
EndSection


I hope this will help, but if I can help with more => replay

BOG

[zstingx]

Hello,
Thnxs ; this clears things a lot
since my main ambition is to view
video and not the desktop.
I want to get some more clarifications , f I may.

First , is your card a PCI or AGP ?
is it makes a diference?

Second , what is the RAM size of your video
card ? (If understand , it is 128 MB ?
and again , is it have a real significance
if the card has 64 MB RAM?)

This :
What is the cable that gets into the
TV set ? is it 3 cables (red/yellow/green ,
what is called Composite if I am not wrong?)

And what is the type of the TV-OUT socket
on the video card ; is it S-video
or composite ?

Fourth:
can you play the video when you are in X WINDOWS ?
Or must you be in terminal mode ?

(because I heard that Matrox 400 card has a sever problem when in X mode ,
so you must shutdown X to play on
TV).
And again , thnxs.
regards,
sting

[bog]

Helo again

Answers

My card is a 128Mb, Geforce 4. It is on AGP. I use the s-video out on the card (the only one I got) I dont think it will do any difference if the card is less than 128 Mb. (They used tv-out in Geforce 1/2 times)

The cable that goes into my TV is a scart cable. (A wide thing) I dont think this i importent, the only thing that matterts is the composite/SVideo option and the TVStandard option (Pal). (Here it is a little bug, maby just on my card, but when i choose the S-video option that i use, i get this bad black and white picture. But when i change the option to composite whish i don't use I get good picture.

I can play videos when I am in X. The bad thing about my settings is that I just copy the main display, everything thats there I get on my tv, included all video types. (more than in Windows, I even got my tvcard to function on my tv-out.
So you can play videos on the tv-out, when it is played on the mainscreen also.

I have tride to get video-overlay to work but have not gotten this to work yet, but I think it works pritty well as it is right now.

Hope this helps

BOG
Norway