Connect PC to TV (1 Viewer)

[jwcolby]

Is it possible to connect the PC to the TV if my motherboard with built-in graphics has only the 15 pin VGA and the DVI-I output?

In the event it is not possible, I have a Saphire X1650 video card which has TWO of the DVI-I outputs as well as the SVideo. What I don't understand is how the audio would connect to the TV. IIRC the SVideo is only a video cable, the sound is not carried on that. Do I have to get an adapter to route the sound to the TV (yea I know crappy sound) or do I just have to bite the bullet and buy a speaker set to talk to the PC? I have one but it belongs in my office and I don't particularly want to move it to the living room.

 

[Psycho Reptile]

What TV do you have?
Does it have DVI, VGA or HDMI connections?
S-Video carries video only and can be connected to older TVs using and S-Video->Scart adapter.
Audio will come from the audio out on your sound card and can be fed into the above adapter.

 

[jwcolby]

It is an analog (CRT) TV, 4 or 5 years old. It has an SVideo input as well as the old three RCA plug cable analog. In fact it has a couple of these with the ability to select between the sets. I haven't looked lately but all I remember seeing were the 4 connectors / set, SVideo and the three RCA plugs.

I just went to Wiki and found that the connector on the motherboard is a DVI-D Dual Link connector. However there is no SVideo or RCA output from the motherboard.

It appears that I have to install my video card. 8-( I was hoping to use my motherboard video to drive my analog tv.

 

[2BitSculptor]

I'm using a PC TO VIDEO EZ adapter by Grandtec. It has a VGA input, and passthrough to connect a monitor, and S-Video (which I use) and composite out to TV. there is also a button to give you overscan... then you must resize the GUI and Video to fit properly.

If you don't mind the lower quality, you can connect either S-video or composite to a RadioShack RF modulator which has audio input to combine into RF to the TV. (I did that for a while)

S-Video is nicer, though, and now I just run my audio out from the SPDIF to my AV Receiver.

Chuck

 

[jwcolby]

OK, I installed an ATI X1650 which has the s-Video, and bought a mini-DIN to RCA to pull sound out of the motherboard sound card. Yea I know, low tech but I am feeding a 5 year old analog (CRT) TV so things are only going to get so good until I can spring for a modern TV.

So the question now, what resolution do I use to feed the TV? I assume that I have to closely match what the TV is capable of painting? IOW my 22" monitor with 1650 x 1080 will not allow the TV to sync, so do I use 1440 x 900? That is the closest I can find in the resolutions that the video card supports. I will be loading specific drivers for this card but the question remains, what resolution should I choose to allow the analog TV to pain a picture?

So much to know, so little time.

 

[2BitSculptor]

US NTSC analog is 480i. I have my screen resolution at 800x600 because normal windows requester boxes, many times, are much larger than that. My PC to TV adaptor scales the output to 640x480. I can't use a higher resolution as the text is then too small to be legible when scaled to the TV display. I don't have a monitor hooked up.

If your video card is dual output, and you are using a secondary output to display MediaPortal fullscreen, then use 640x480 @ 60 Hz (interlaced) You won't have to worry about trying to read any of Windoze' requesters in the MP window. That is, if your S-video output supports it. Your monitor sinc shouldn't effect the s-video out on the second output.

This would be my guess.

good luck

Chuck