[RESOLVED] How to enable TV-Out on Radeon X1300

[terryZ]

I just purchased a Gateway GT5023 PC.

I had a ATI Radeon X1300 installed because of the S-Video TV-Out connection (among other reasons).

I have connected the S-Video output on the X1300 card to the S-Video input on my TV. There is no signal being received by the TV. I can find no documentation on ATI's site or on the web as to how to enable the S-Video output from the X1300 card.

There is an "ATI Catalyist Control Center" installed.

From what I *have* seen on the net, I guess I want to "clone" the card output to the TV. But the Control Center doesn't mention "cloning" but talks about "secondary monitor" and "extended desktop mode".

However, I'm not comfortable just playing abound in it since I don't know what I'm doing.

Can anyone direct me in the right direction (for documentation) or tell me how to get a signal?

Thanks in advance

[fink]

http://www.weethet.nl/english/video_connect_pc2tv.php

http://www.svideo.com/compaq1700.html

Flash turorial..

http://www.svideo.com/displayvideo.html

[lgbpop]

Probably been already done, but check the BIOS and make sure the onboard graphics (if any) have been disabled. (This may be in fink's links but I didn't look.)

[terryZ]

Thanks, guys.

My PC monitor is plugged into the Radon X1300 so I'm sure the on-board video is disabled, no?

I have already been to the WEETHET site. They talk about the Radeon 9000 (as does your link, fink) but the screens it shows are not the ones I get with the X1300.

The links to SVIDEO.COM tell me nothing except how to connect the cables. The flash video there talks about dragging programs to the second screen. I don't know what they're talking about.

The X1300 has 3 outputs ... a VGA, S-VIDEO and a DVI. So how do I know this second monitor is not the DVI? If I do transfer the video to the DVI, I will have no way of seeing it and therefore no way of moving the video back to my VGA monitor.

Maybe I wasn't clear in my initial post ...

I am downloading AVI and MOV video podcasts and want to watch them on the TV rather than the PC monitor. I don't want to set up my TV as my PC monitor

[terryZ]

Solved.

I went into the "ATI Catalyst Control Center" and "enabled" the 2nd monitor. I held my breath and then went into the "Wizard" and selected "Standard TV" as my monitor. I followed links through and, voila, my desktop appeared on the TV. Unfortunately, it disappeared from my pcr monitor. I did manage to reverse this and get my pc monitor back.

So I guess it works! Thanks all!

I only wish there was a way to have my desktop on the pc monitor AND on the tv. I'm worried about not being able to get the desktop back from the TV in the future whenever I do this.

Thanks, again.

[fink]

The flash demo shows how to set up the tv as an extended monitor so that you can make your current monitors view extend or stretch onto the second. It initialy would be just a blank desktop with the same wallpaper as your primary (1) monitor but you can drag whatever you want over there as though it was attached to the main screen.. placement is done by the two monitor graphics on the screen... put/drag the 2nd extended monitor where you would imagine it being in real space in the diagram and that's where it will be relative to your existing monitor.

you need to check (extend my windows deskt onto this monitor)

I've never tried it with a tv before though... I have set it up a number of times onto a second vga monitor via the dvi or the vga outputs on the vid card.

[lgbpop]

VGA and DVI are only types of connections, not separate connections for different components. DVI, being digital, is preferable to VGA because the signal remains digital from the PC to the monitor. In VGA the signal is changed to analog for monitors without DVI capability. I've actually seen customers with VGA/DVI cards use an adaptor to plug a DVI monitor into the card's VGA socket. The signal gets converted twice that way, really polluted.

[terryZ]

When I check "Extend my Windows desktop on this monitor" and hit APPLY, everything blinks (monitor and tv) and then the checkmark in this choice disappears.

When I follow the Wizard into the "Available Display Devices", I have the choice of selectiong the monitor OR the tv. If I select both, the "next" key is grayed out and I cannot continue forward in the process - which I can do if only 1 monitor/tv is selected.

[fink]

I have to assume then it just doesn't work that way with the s-video out. You'd need an actual computer monitor to extend it.

[terryZ]

That makes sense to me too, Fink. But it does work as I described ... just not as I wish it did. Thanks again, all.

[terryZ]

I have had some response on another forum and this is what I've come up with ...

There are 3 output on the X1300 ... VGA, S-Video and DVI.

The X1300 has the following listed spec: "Multiple Monitor Suppor - Drive two displays simultaneously with independent resolutions and refresh rates".

In the box with the X1300 are a number of converter cables: S-Video to component, S-Video to composit AND ... what I'm starting to think is DVI to VGA.

Putting this all together ... the suspicion is that the VGA and the S-Video TOGETHER product one shared display and the DVI produce the second display. If this is correct, then all I would have to do is hook up my Samsung SyncMaster 192 monitor to the DVI output using what I think is the DVI/VGA adapter.

I'm not at home now, but will do some research to see if the adapter in the X1300 box is indeed a VGA/DVI.

Now my concern is hooking up the monitor to the DVI output using this adapter.

[fink]

If this is correct, then all I would have to do is hook up my Samsung SyncMaster 192 monitor to the DVI output using what I think is the DVI/VGA adapter.

That's how I have my second monitor hooked up and it works perfectly. The adaptor is all you'll need. If I knew you had a second monitor as well as a regular tv I would have suggested doing that .

[terryZ]

I don't have a second monitor. But I just re-read my post and, indeed, I neglected to mention that my regular computer monitor (the SyncMaster) is connected to the VGA output. Soooooooooo very sorry.

[terryZ]

I'll try it tonight. Let's hope it doesn't blow my monitor up!

[terryZ]

OMG. IT WORKS!!!!!

SyncMaster connects to the DVI ouptut (using DVI/VGA converter). TV connects to the S-Video ouput. Only desktop shows on the TV. At this point I go into the Catalyst software and, lo and behold, there is now a "clone" option. Clone selected. Voila! Video appears on monitor AND television. How simple yet how arcane. You'd think that ATI would say something about how to do this.

Oh well, at least problem is solved. Thanks to all of you for your time and effort.