It was thanks to the graphics cards from NVidia to the gForce 4x TV tool no problem, setting an existing TV output to match the capabilities of the respective television is no longer that easy. Anyone who has tried it themselves probably knows what I'm talking about. Notebook cards such as the "6600 Go" in particular are a difficult chapter because the current Detonator drivers are not available and you have to rely on the driver updates from the notebook manufacturer. If it doesn't provide anything "sensible", there is the possibility of modifying the detonators a bit so that they can be installed on the notebook after all, but that can't really be the solution for the normal customer ... Whoever still want to test with it: here are the instructions: http://tvtool.info/go.htm?http://…/download_e.htm
In the following, we will limit ourselves to the possibilities offered by the existing drivers.
The NVidia card usually has a mini-DIN socket as a TV output. This is assigned as follows by default:
It all depends on the right adapter
For most TV sets you have to use an adapter or adapter that has either a cinch coupling or a SCART plug at the other end, depending on the input situation on the TV. Strangely enough, not all adapters are the same here, even if they look identical:
Although these adapters are equipped with exactly the same connectors, they have different pin assignments. One adapter only works on the gForce2 Pro, the other only on the gForce Go 6600. If you use the wrong adapter, the TV output cannot be activated! The fact that there are actually differences only came to light after several unsuccessful attempts by measuring ...
The adapter to Cinch is included by most graphics card and notebook manufacturers. If you use it, you have to instruct the graphics card to accept the image signal at the TV output as so-called. Output a "composite" signal, ie the information for the color (U, V) is superimposed on the image signal for the brightness (Y). This is possible because the signals are transmitted with a time delay, but because of the possible overlap it generally means a loss of quality compared to transmission on separate wires. If the graphics card does not offer an option to provide a composite signal (or if this is not implemented in the driver), you can always help yourself by subsequently superimposing the color information on the luminance signal. In this case, the corresponding signal is always on a separate pin of the mini-Din output of the graphics card. To do this, you simply solder a capacitor of a few pF between the two wires or the corresponding pins on the connector. Adapters with an integrated capacitor are available in stores for little money but ready-made. If you still want to solder: Here is the circuit diagram.
With a little experience it can be done in two minutes: http://camp0s.altervista.org/sVideo/sVideo.htm There are also higher quality adapters with more complex circuits for correct feeding and filtering of the signals.
Some graphics cards only offer a cinch socket instead of the mini-DIN. This has the advantage that you often save the adapter and the configuration of the inputs and outputs, but you buy it with the disadvantage of poorer picture quality: If the card has such a cinch output, you need to use composite or non-composite No more thoughts to worry about, it only "can" be made of composite.
The composite signal (FBAS, YUV) can also be fed to the TV via pin 20 of the SCART input instead of a cinch input. Most TVs that do not support S-Video can handle this. There are also adapters for this, both with and without the capacitor mentioned above. And here, too, the following applies again: If the graphics card is able to deliver the composite signal, you don't need an additional capacitor in the cable.
Better than FBAS: S-Video
Better (or newer) devices offer S-Video with separate Y and U, V lines. Usually this is implemented as a SCART input. In order to benefit from the improved quality, you need an adapter directly from Mini-DIN to SCART, in which both luminance (Y) and chrominance (U, V) are transmitted on two separate wires. Here is the corresponding circuit diagram:
From what has already been said, it becomes clear that with S-Video it is by no means the same if you clamp two adapters one behind the other, i.e. usually the one. Supplied from Mini-DIN to Cinch and then another from Cinch to SCART! This would result in a poor quality composite signal.
Since the SCART connector ("EuroAV", "Peritel") was not originally designed for the transmission of S-Video signals, PIN 15 is assigned twice and the TV receiver may have to be set manually so that instead of RGB Signals via the SCART socket, S-Video is now accepted. (Whether and how this works can be found in the operating instructions for the device.)
How is it that everything is only seen in black and white on TV?
Unless it is actually a B / W device There is basically only one explanation for this (if there is no defect): The color information is lost on the way. Most of the time, the graphics card delivers * no * composite signal, or the television receiver does * not * support * S-Video (or is not set accordingly), and there is * no * built-in capacitor to superimpose the signals in the adapter.
Solution approaches are then specific:
1.) Check whether the TV can really receive luminance and chrominance via SCART on separate wires (S-Video) and is correctly set for this. (For example, what is in the operating instructions?)
2.) Check whether the adapter used passes both wires through correctly. A flashlight and a piece of bell wire are sufficient for this if you don't have a multimeter ...
3.) To make matters worse, there are a few devices that expect the chrominance signal on pin 11 instead of pin 15 of the SCART socket, consequently also adapters that use pin 11 instead of pin 15. This must be taken into account when purchasing an adapter! Here too: consult the operating instructions.
It continues with a slightly reduced quality:
4.) Check whether the graphics card can deliver a composite signal and whether the driver is configured accordingly. Composite should be understood by every television that has a different input than its antenna socket.
Or with even further reduced quality:
5.) Use an adapter with a built-in capacitor for signal superimposition. This cheap variant of the signal overlay is intended for emergencies when no other means can help.
Only the correct driver configuration brings an image to the screen
Another chapter is the driver configuration for controlling the TV output. I limit myself to the standard drivers for an nVidia gForce Go 6600. The forceware preinstalled by the notebook manufacturer is used, which is version 71.50
If someone has experience with other cards and versions: Cheerfully texted and added below!
Unfortunately, the tried and tested TvTool is not available for current cards, because NVidia has only been using its own special chips or solutions integrated in the graphics processor instead of the well-documented standard TV chips (as can still be found in the GForce2 and 3), and none of them Information is given to programmers. The TvTool project then had to be discontinued, it is apparently no longer possible to develop free software for it. If NVidia is of the opinion in future that the functionality of the supplied drivers will be sufficient, the customer will kindly have to put up with it. In view of the nested menus and submenus, which are not always available as well as the (intentionally?) Limited driver functions, which do not fully utilize the capabilities of the card, this is an impertinence, especially when you compare it with the well-organized TV tool ... What's more, nVidia uses MACROVISION in its drivers so that the TV screen remains black when playing DVDs. An artificially created temporary defect in the output, so to speak, which prevents the laptop from being used as a DVD player. But why else do you buy a graphics card with a TV output? Do you think that the Windows desktop is so interesting that you have to transfer it to a television? In any case, the purpose of this exercise should be to prevent the computer owner from plugging in a video recorder instead of a TV in order to record a weak VHS cassette from the DVD in an analogue way.
Apart from these shortcomings, which the current nVidia cards have due to their drivers, they are extremely good. If you search long enough, you will find the necessary settings in the jumble of menus and submenus that nVidia has prepared there.
First of all, the TV output must be activated, only then are the necessary setting menus even available. Apparently they have never heard of preconfigurability ... It is activated using the "Recognize display devices" button in the "nView graphics settings" branch of the "NVIDIA GeFore Go 6600" menu.
To do this, the TV output must already be connected to a television. The detection succeeds as soon as the connection to the TV has been established correctly (see above!).
If the output has been activated correctly, something does not necessarily have to be visible on the TV.
There are two ways to use the TV screen: as a clone of the PC desktop, and as an extension of the same. Clone means: Everything that can be seen on the PC monitor is shown exactly as it is on the TV, including the taskbar and mouse movements. Extended means: An additional area is provided on the TV into which windows and icons can be pushed, which then disappear from the PC monitor. The taskbar is missing on the TV screen.
How you want it is a matter of taste. It works both, even if some manufacturers write that films can only be seen on the TV in clone mode. I personally prefer the extension for playing films, as it allows you to have the controls on the PC monitor, but watch the film on TV, without the annoying mouse pointer or menu bars suddenly appearing ...
To do this, select the "nView graphics settings" menu again in the branch. In the selection field "nView" you switch from "Single display" to "Dual display (DualView)", and in the field below ("Primary / secondary display") you select the combination "Laptop display + TV". If this selection is not yet available, you can try shutting down and switching off the computer. Usually the option appears after the restart. Pressing the Fn key combination to select the screen on the laptop can also help (see the documentation for the respective device)
If you've finally managed to get at least * something * to appear on TV, you've won. As already described, there is no way to switch the TV output on manually if the automatic system does not work. That would be Tv-Tool ...
The context menu on the desktop (right click on free space) should now look like this:
The picture on the TV is probably now in black and white, possibly distorted and has frayed black weeping borders, unless by chance all the parameters of the standard setting for the TV set used already match. But there is a remedy.
One chooses on the picture in the menu the monitor 2 and click on the button "device settings >>>". Select "Select TV format" from the context menu, here you set the required video format (mostly PAL g or b). This gives the picture color and stops shaking.
Select "Device adjustments" from the same context menu. Here you can now set the size of the picture on the TV so that the frayed edges disappear from the visible area of the TV. This overscan is usually set to around 7-9% of the image size. An exact setting is not important here, just push and pull until it fits.
In the branch full-screen video, the setting in the selection field "full screen" must now be changed from "deactivated" to "automatic selection" (a definition of the TV set as a full screen target is obviously not intended.)
That should have been the most important settings. Oh yes, one more thing. Just don't call that weird "TV wizard" or "Ad wizard". At least he just adjusted everything rather pointlessly for me, without conjuring up a picture on the TV ...
If it still doesn't work: This monitor dummy connector can help: http://tvtool.info/german/dummy_d.htm This makes it unmistakably clear to the graphics card by means of simple 75 ohm resistors that a second display device is connected.
Good luck, and afterwards: Have fun with it.
Regards
Spark pluck.