Video TV OUT Issue

[Myth2Sage]

When installing my Sage Box into my current Home Theater system, I had everything tore apart, TV moved out and a plethora of wires everywhere. I hooked up my Sage box to my TV via the TV-OUT from a GeForce4 Ti4200 128 MEG Video Card and had a really good picture on the TV, both with the Sage Menus and LiveTV/Video.

So, being a very happy camper, I proceeded to put everything back in and make it all look nice and clean. Sorta..

Anyways, once I get everything back in place and powered on, I seemed to have lost my great TV picture. Now things on the TV are VERY grainy, pixelated and "loud". As if you take a normal TV and crank the COLOR setting all the way up. The screen
"shimmers" and "pulses", if that makes any kind of sense. The attached pic doesn't really show the effect that is the problem, but it might give some idea.

Is the Ti4200 *too* much a card for this setup? Although I never thought such a concept was possible. Like being TOO rich, you can never have TOO much power. At least, I thought not, anyways. In any case, if that is the problem, I can plug in a TNT2 Ultra 32MEG AGP card.

Can anyone point me to a FAQ or info that might shed some light on this problem?

Thanx

[JasonJoel]

If it was all working before, but not now I would say maybe it is a connection issue... Double and triple check that your connections are good and that the way you ran your wires you aren't picking up a bunch of interference (I've had this before running even GOOD video cables along side power cables).

Jason

Originally posted by Myth2Sage
When installing my Sage Box into my current Home Theater system, I had everything tore apart, TV moved out and a plethora of wires everywhere. I hooked up my Sage box to my TV via the TV-OUT from a GeForce4 Ti4200 128 MEG Video Card and had a really good picture on the TV, both with the Sage Menus and LiveTV/Video.

So, being a very happy camper, I proceeded to put everything back in and make it all look nice and clean. Sorta..

Anyways, once I get everything back in place and powered on, I seemed to have lost my great TV picture. Now things on the TV are VERY grainy, pixelated and "loud". As if you take a normal TV and crank the COLOR setting all the way up. The screen
"shimmers" and "pulses", if that makes any kind of sense. The attached pic doesn't really show the effect that is the problem, but it might give some idea. A better showing of the issue is at THIS LINK No laughing at my camera skills..

Is the Ti4200 *too* much a card for this setup? Although I never thought such a concept was possible. Like being TOO rich, you can never have TOO much power. At least, I thought not, anyways. In any case, if that is the problem, I can plug in a TNT2 Ultra 32MEG AGP card.

Can anyone point me to a FAQ or info that might shed some light on this problem?

Thanx

[Myth2Sage]

Originally posted by JasonJoel
If it was all working before, but not now I would say maybe it is a connection issue... Double and triple check that your connections are good and that the way you ran your wires you aren't picking up a bunch of interference (I've had this before running even GOOD video cables along side power cables).

Jason

Thanx Jason. I'll give that a shot, although I dread diving back into that mass of cables, cords and connections..

Another thing that might indicate the problem. At boot up when the WINDOWS 2000 Splash screen is shown with the indicator bar is across the screen.... On my monitor that is in full normal color, but on the TV it is black and white. After it finishes and goes into the desktop screen, color returns to the TV. I don't know if it means anything or not.

M2S

[Myth2Sage]

Seems I have a fix for my issue, but I have no idea why it works. :^)

Loading up TVTool 9, there is an option for COMPOSITE connection or SVIDEO (Y/C) connection. Seems my setup was set for COMPOSITE, although I have no idea why or how.

In any case, I set it for Y/C and 'viola! Perfectly clear screen.

Can't wait for 2.0!

M2S

[JasonJoel]

Well, that IS weird... I mean, usually there is a setting for that in the display properties, but I am surprised that fixed the problem you were having.

In any case, glad it is working!!!

Jason

Originally posted by Myth2Sage
Seems I have a fix for my issue, but I have no idea why it works. :^)

Loading up TVTool 9, there is an option for COMPOSITE connection or SVIDEO (Y/C) connection. Seems my setup was set for COMPOSITE, although I have no idea why or how.

In any case, I set it for Y/C and 'viola! Perfectly clear screen.

Can't wait for 2.0!

M2S

[stanger89]

Not directly related to your question, but is that an HDTV? If so you would get a much better picture using a Component or VGA connection to the TV.

I ask because it's a 16:9 RPTV, and AFAIK there aren't too many of those that aren't HD.

[Myth2Sage]

Originally posted by stanger89
Not directly related to your question, but is that an HDTV? If so you would get a much better picture using a Component or VGA connection to the TV.

I ask because it's a 16:9 RPTV, and AFAIK there aren't too many of those that aren't HD.

Hiya Stanger (Name derived from an ST novel, perhaps? Blood-something??)

In any case, I was going to respond to your post last night, but it gave me an idea..

First of all, yes the TV is HD ready. Unfortuanatly, it doesn't have a direct VGA (ie DB15) connection. All it has is a wierd kind of DVI connector. I say wierd, because it is different then the DVI connector that is on my Radeon 9700 Pro video card.

However, this is where my idea came in. I DO have an RCA VGA/HDTV Component Video adapter. I had it hooked up to an RCA HDTV unit that had a DB15 connector. I would plug the adapter into the DB15 and then hook up Component Cables (Y Pr Pb) to the adapter and then to the COMPONENT INPUTs of the TV and lo and behold I had HDTV

Now, what I was thinking is I could hook up the adapter to the DB15 connector of the Video Card on the Sage Box, hook the component cables up to a COMPONENT INPUT on the TV and get that better quality picture you were talking about.

So, this morning, I tried that. No luck. I got the text boot screen and the beginning WINDOWS 2000 splash screen, but it was skewed and wierdly offset. Once it booted into Windows proper, I lost all picture. I replaced the SVIDEO connection and was able to play with resolutions. The best I could get was a scrambled picture at resolutions 720x480 and 720x586 @60mhz . Any other setting simply gave me a black screen on the DB15 connection.

Is what I am thinking even possible? Or am I making things a LOT more complicated then they have to be?


M2S

[stanger89]

Actually I've got an 89 Mustang GT.

The bad news:
The reason you got no picture is probably because you had your desktop set to some resolution your display doesn't support.
The good news:
Hey, you've already got a transcoder (VGA->YPbPr). Now you get to play with powerstrip to get your video card to output a resolution your display will support. I'll refer you to the authority on this:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=206854

BTW, I'm lucky in that my TV has a VGA in, but the 1280x1024i resolution I'm running is based on the one in this guide. For you, you'd be better off running one of the 16:9 resolutions.

[Myth2Sage]

Originally posted by stanger89
Actually I've got an 89 Mustang GT.

The bad news:
The reason you got no picture is probably because you had your desktop set to some resolution your display doesn't support.
The good news:
Hey, you've already got a transcoder (VGA->YPbPr). Now you get to play with powerstrip to get your video card to output a resolution your display will support. I'll refer you to the authority on this:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...hreadid=206854

BTW, I'm lucky in that my TV has a VGA in, but the 1280x1024i resolution I'm running is based on the one in this guide. For you, you'd be better off running one of the 16:9 resolutions.

Thanx for the info, Stanger...

Unfortuanatly, all the timings listed in that URL are for the ATI RADEON series. On my Sage box, I have the GeForce4 Ti4200. But I did get PowerStrip and will be playing with it .

Incidentally, the Adapter I have is an RCA VHDC300..

Thanx again..

M2S

[eruji]

Start at 640 X 480 all HDTV's will support that natively.

then check out www.avsforum.com and go to the home theater computer forum, at the top are some guides to HD resolutions.

check those out, there is plenty to read and learn there.

[eruji]

Start at 640 X 480 all HDTV's will support that natively.

then check out www.avsforum.com and go to the home theater computer forum, at the top are some guides to HD resolutions.

check those out, there is plenty to read and learn there.

[Myth2Sage]

Originally posted by eruji
Start at 640 X 480 all HDTV's will support that natively.

then check out www.avsforum.com and go to the home theater computer forum, at the top are some guides to HD resolutions.

check those out, there is plenty to read and learn there.

Yea, that's what I tried. But I couldn't even get a picture when at 640x480. Although the RCA VHDC300 says it's a VGA to COMPONENT converter, I am beginning to think it doesn't work with computer VGA.

I'll check that forum you mentioned and see if there is any info there for me.

Thanx..

M2S

[stanger89]

You might want to try 720x480 instead of 640x480. Some TVs are more picky than others, but the timings listed on that page should get you started. Also, I just remembered reading that the newest Detonators (or Forcewares or whatever) have built in support for HD resolutions so you could try those.

If you can't get your transcoder to work, then you could get a new one from Key Digital or AudioAuthority. However these are costly. The other way would be to a Radeon and the Component adapter which might be less expensive than a transcoder, and will almost guarantee better PQ.