Another B&W TV-OUT SVIDEO

[StevenJ]

I have a MX 440SE video BIOS version 04.18.20.13.30 running driver version (I think) 1.0-4363 dated 4/19/2003 on Debian. It works fine on my monitor, but when attaching to my 32" Sharp TV via a standard SVIDEO cable (no adapter to composite) I only get black and white on the TV. My XF86Config-4 file is attached along with the log. If I change the Option "TVOutFormat" "SVIDEO" to Option "TVOutFormat" "COMPOSITE" it does show color, but it's all washed out since I'm not connected via a composite connection. Same thing if I comment out that line so I think that means something???

I've tried two different SVIDEO cables that both work on another computer in Windows (no bent pins). I've read so many threads on this problem but it seems like nearly everyone else is using an SVIDEO to COMPOSITE adapter and setting their's to COMPOSITE fixes the problem. Does anyone know how I can fix this on mine since I'm not using COMPOSITE at all? I am using Twinview and it's in perfect color on my regular monitor.

Steve

[otchie1]

Firstly, thanks for posting your .conf file. I've had majot grief getting the nvidia twinview to work and a massive cut'n'paste job from yours sorted it. Our files looked very similar but yours worked.

On your colour/mono problem, the video card will only output either svideo or composite at any given time but it will do it out both ports simultaneously - not relevant to you really.

The four pins of your s-video cable carry the luminanace and chrominance separately (two pins for each). Your TV is obviously receiving (or maybe de-coding) only the luminance and hence you get mono.

I'm not familiar with your TV set.....are you using a proper svideo in port or a scart converter? If it's the latter then you will have to setup that scart port to receive s-video in your config menu on your TV. An awful lot of TV's do not have a s-video compatible scart port.....If it's the former then again you will probably have to setup your TV to look for an s-video signal on that port. At the least I'd expect you to have to select a specific AV channel to see s-video (probably a channel suffixed with 's')

You could check all of that using your normal DVD player as an s-video source (you'll probably have to configure that in it's menu as well).

As an aside, using windows to check s-video output is not always perfect...some apps will continue to pump composite even though you tell them to use s-video.

Any help so far?

[StevenJ]

Thanks for your response. Glad my file helped you. But I got it from someone else.

More background. My video card only has SVIDEO and VGA outputs (no composite). My TV has both SVIDEO and composite inputs on the back (Input 1) and composite inputs on the front (Input 2). I'm not very familiar with SCART but I'm not using that. The TV detects when an SVIDEO cable is attached to Input 1 and automatically disables the rear composite video jack. But I also made sure I don't have anything connected to that composite video jack. So, no there is no SCART converter--straight SVIDEO from video card to TV.

The TV is 1998 vintage. I just went through all the TV menus and can't find anything to specify SVIDEO/Composite. Like I mention, that seems to be automatic. I just select Input 1 as the input source. I just re-connected my DVD player to the TV with this same cable and it comes through with very nice color.

So, I'm thinking it's not the TV. I'm beginning to think it might be a bad chrominance pin on the video card itself. Does that sound like that could be? I may go buy another identical card to test it out.

One more point I forgot to mention yesterday. The video output outside of X scrolls vertically continuosly on the TV so it's unreadable. Do you know if SVIDEO also uses one of the chrominance lines for vertical sync?

Any other ideas?

Steve

[otchie1]

After close examination and a bit of playing around I've found that the critical setting for the TwinView was the Vertical refresh...I had followed instinct and advice and set it to a PAL compliant 50. Using your NTSC 60 has it working just fine. Odd as my set is is native PAL but also NTSC compatible. Hohum, what works, WORKS ;-)

SCART is a primarilly European connector. It's intelligent in that it can accept lots of variance in signal from RGB component down to composite and also shifts audio in varying formats....very handy it is too.

Yes, sync is sent down with the chrominance signal so it's not surprising that your o/p rolls - no colour, no sync. If your TV was just reading it as a composite signal then it would map the four signals to just two and that way get its sync. I'm with you in as far as suspecting the source hardware as the problem. For what it's worth, using your .conf file I can get both composite & svideo with just changing the string and restarting X.
So, your conf is fine, your cable is fine, your TV is fine...kinda only leaves the card itself so long as it's installed okay.
The MX4000 is a cheap possible alternative...many brands use it, it has no fan (blessed silence) and has VGA/composite & Svideo outputs. It's about £20 here so maybe $30 there? Not the best but adequate for purpose.

If you're in the quest for the ultimate in quality picture on your TV then, if your TV supports RGB (you didn't mention that) then you can power that straight out of the VGA port with a suitable adapter cable.

Best of luck with it.

[StevenJ]

Well, it was the video card itself. I purchased a new one (an MX4000) today and it works great. Thanks so much for all your help. I really appreciate it.

[otchie1]

Glad you're sorted fella.

Enjoy your DVDs :-)