S-Video TV-Out Troubles

Mickyw33 · Oct 28, 2006, 05:35 PM

I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get my PC display to transfer over an S-Video cable to my 42" HP Plasma HDTV and woud appreciate any advice or suggestions for things to try.

Windows XP Home Edition
I have a Radeon x1600 Pro 512 MB DDR2 PCI-e video card
Am using Omega Drivers 3.8.291
Have a 10ft S-Video cable reaching my PC to my TV

When I right click on my "desktop -> properties -> settings" It shows I have two displays.
1) Plug and play monitor on Radeon x1600 Series (Omega 3.8.291)
2) (default monitor) on Radeon x1600 Series (Omega 3.8.291)

#1 is the primary and checked to extend my Windows Desktop to this monitor
#2 is greyed out for some reason. When I try and set it to this my primary, extend my desktop to it and click apply my monitor flickers out and just reverts back to being grayed out and both boxes unchecked again.

When I select advanced settings for #1 then go to displays, my TV is shows as detected. Its properties are S-Video, Max Resolution 1024 x 768 and max refresh rate as 60HZ with NTSC M setting.

When I try to select my TV as primary monitor and select apply, my monitor goes black and my TV goes from its blue "no signal" screen to black. No desktop display on either of them. The only thing that shows is a message on my PC monitor that says "Analog Out of Range 15.7 kHZ / 60 HZ"

I have tried a lot of resolutions on my monitor before trying to apply to my TV, but still get the same thing. I also tried to change the refresh rate but that doesn't seem to help. Does anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong here? Would HIGHLY appreciate some helpful suggestions.

Dyre Straits · Oct 28, 2006, 06:30 PM

Greetings and welcome to DriverHeaven!

You need to first activate the TV Out option. If you're using Omega's drivers with ATT, be sure to set ATT to be used upon boot up into Windows. Then, right click on the icon in the taskbar. Now, highlight the Displays option and then select Settings. When you see the next screen, there will be a TV Out function at the bottom. You need to click the ON/OFF button so that the Power 'light' glows.

If you're using the standard Display Control Panel, from the screen where the Display 1 and Display 2 are showing, go down and select Advanced. Now, click on the Displays tab. Next, you want to activate the TV OUT.

Now, when you bring up the screen showing Display 1 and Display 2, you want to click on Display 2 while it's grayed out and then select the box "Extend my Desktop to ...." if you want extended Desktop. Otherwise, you want to CLONE the Desktop to the TV.

Hope this helps.

Good luck!

Mickyw33 · Oct 28, 2006, 07:18 PM

Thanks for your quick reply.

I set ATT to boot with Windows under general options. Set it to operate with the start menu. I then rebooted with my TV on.

Then with ATT I went to Display -> Settings and I click the on/off for the TV-Out but when I press 'ok' or 'apply' I get the same problem as before, my montior goes black and my blue no signal screen on my tv picks up a black feed but no desktop.

If I try using the standard Display Control Panel, from the screen where the Display 1 and Display 2 are showing, and I go down and select Advanced. I then click on the Displays tab, I can ativate the TV OUT. But again, when I press 'ok' or 'apply' I get the same problem as before, my montior goes black and my blue no signal screen on my tv picks up a black feed but no desktop.

Then, when I try and go to display control panel and check the box to extend my desktop on display 2 and press 'ok' it does not save the setting. It will close the display control panel, I'll reopen it and check display two, and the box is unchecked. When I check the box and select 'apply' the monitor flickers for a second then comes back and the box is unchecked.

Dyre Straits · Oct 28, 2006, 09:00 PM

Under the Device Manager, do you see two instances of the video card? One is there and the other is designated as 'secondary'.

Mickyw33 · Oct 29, 2006, 03:14 PM

Yes, I do see that. Under "Display Adapters" it has these two listed

Radeon X1600 Series (Omega 3.8.291)
Radeon X1600 Series Secondary (Omega 3.8.291)

Should I be disabling one of these under their properties or something?

Just Learnin' · Oct 29, 2006, 04:28 PM

I would try disabling the Secondary in Device Manager, it worked for me.

Mickyw33 · Oct 29, 2006, 05:49 PM

I disabled the secondary display adapter, rebooted. Try enabling my TV-Out again. Still get the same as before with both the Control Panel Advanced Settings and ATT; my monitor goes black, my blue "no signal" screen on theTV goes black but never shows a desktop display.

Dyre Straits · Oct 29, 2006, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mickyw33

I disabled the secondary display adapter, rebooted. Try enabling my TV-Out again. Still get the same as before with both the Control Panel Advanced Settings and ATT; my monitor goes black, my blue "no signal" screen on theTV goes black but never shows a desktop display.

OK...at this point we need to look at things other than the TV OUT connection on the video card.

Have you tried a different S-Video cable?

Also, are you absolutely sure you have the TV itself set to accept the incoming S-Video signal from the computer? It does require that you select the correct incoming signal before you'll get a good screen.

Also, (and I know this is very elementary, but, I have to ask) are you sure you're connecting the S-Video cable to the OUT connection on the cluster of connections for the video card. The connectors that come with ATI cards have arrows showing the direction of the signal.

Then, of course, there's the format setting which is determined by your location....NTSC vs. PAL.

Mickyw33 · Oct 29, 2006, 08:11 PM

Well, there is only one S-Video port on my video card, and it does say "out" on it. There are two S-Video in ports on my TV. I have tried them both, and they operate exactly the same. My sources available on my TV are as such

1 - Cable
2 - S-Vid/Vid 1
3 - S-Vid/Vid 2
4 - Component 1
5 - Component 2
6 - PC
7 - HDMI

So I have only been using S-Vid 1 and 2. I tried all the others, just to be certain (crazier things have happened to me) and none of them react with the black feed like S-Vid 1 and 2.

My TV Properties are set for NTSC M and United States of America. Select by Format is currently selected. Since I live in Fargo, North Dakota I can only assume that is correct.

The S-Video cable I bought, brand new from Best Buy, 12ft S-Video Cable from Acoustic Research por series II pr 122.

Does it matter which end of the cable goes to the input/output. From what I can tell they both look the same to me.

Dyre Straits · Oct 29, 2006, 11:05 PM

No, it doesn't matter which end of the S-Video cable connects.

12 ft of cable shouldn't be too long, either.

It sounds like you've selected the proper input mode on the TV set itself. That's what I was getting at. Some people forget to actually set the TV itself for the correct input signal.

When I mentioned about the proper Video Out from the video card, I needed to make sure if your system had only the S-Video OUT connection OR if it has a cluster of connections that then plug into the video card.

Knowing that the TV signal from the computer can only handle a maximum of 1024x768 @ 60Hz, have you tried setting your computer to those settings and then see if the signal is accepted on the TV?

NOTE: Usually, you CAN send a larger Desktop Resolution to the TV, but it will not show all the Desktop image on the TV. As you move your mouse cursor around, the screen on the TV will 'float' from side to side and up and down. This is called a Virtual Screen.

However, as you say, stranger things have happened. So, restrict your output signal to the above settings and see what happens.

Mickyw33 · Oct 30, 2006, 06:18 PM

Appreciate all your help and advice. I have tried every resolution below and including 1024 x 768 using 60HZ refresh rate for all of them and varying color ranges. I still get the exact same crap as before.

Grrrr. This is really frustrating as it appears everything is hooked up and set up correctly. The damn thing just will not work.

Dyre Straits · Oct 30, 2006, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mickyw33

Appreciate all your help and advice. I have tried every resolution below and including 1024 x 768 using 60HZ refresh rate for all of them and varying color ranges. I still get the exact same crap as before.

Grrrr. This is really frustrating as it appears everything is hooked up and set up correctly. The damn thing just will not work.

Have you tried using that S-Video cable between two other devices to make sure the cable is good?

Mickyw33 · Oct 31, 2006, 05:13 PM

No, I have not tried that yet, as I do not have another device that would take S-Video.

Turns out however, that it may have been the TV's issue as I am now the proud owner of the biggest paper weight ever. I was watching TV the other day and the picture on it just went out, and has been AWOL since. I reseated the power cord, tried a different outlet and nothing seems to bring the picture back up. I can't even access the menu. I can hear the sound from the cable channel its on though and can even flip through the channels with the remote, but no picture. I've had the TV for 3 months and am in the process of talking with Best Buy (as I did buy the service plan) about finding a "service center" in my area to get me a new one or have a technician come and take a look at it.

I wonder if my TV just couldn't handle the stress of me trying every resolution under the sun with my S-Video from my PC. Who knows. Just my luck I guess.

Dyre Straits · Nov 1, 2006, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mickyw33

No, I have not tried that yet, as I do not have another device that would take S-Video.

Turns out however, that it may have been the TV's issue as I am now the proud owner of the biggest paper weight ever. I was watching TV the other day and the picture on it just went out, and has been AWOL since. I reseated the power cord, tried a different outlet and nothing seems to bring the picture back up. I can't even access the menu. I can hear the sound from the cable channel its on though and can even flip through the channels with the remote, but no picture. I've had the TV for 3 months and am in the process of talking with Best Buy (as I did buy the service plan) about finding a "service center" in my area to get me a new one or have a technician come and take a look at it.

I wonder if my TV just couldn't handle the stress of me trying every resolution under the sun with my S-Video from my PC. Who knows. Just my luck I guess.

Are you sure we're not related? LOL Sounds so much like my kind of luck.

Anyway, here's hoping you get the TV back working again...or get a new one.