HDTV Component output from an NVidia 6200? (1 Viewer)

[htpcoz]

Apologies, that this is not a Media portal related question, as such, although I run MP on the PC that I'm trying to connect

I’ve just installed a XpertVision Nvidia 6200V+ (256 MB DDR2 card) in my HTPC (replacing my venerable Radeon 9200 + KD-VTC3 VGA to component converter as the VTC3 has suddenly died). This is on a HTPC running Media Portal and Powerstrip.

I went for the 6200 as (from the marketing blurb) I should be able to connect up directly to my TV (A Panasonic TX 76pw100A, CRT with 1080i and 576P component input, no VGA or DVI) and get back to my HDTV output (I was typically running with 1080i or 540p via powerstrip custom PAL resolutions).

So now have my 6200 installed with 77.77 drivers (the 71.89 drivers that people talk about do not detect my card for some reason), and I have also tried 77.72 that came with the card. And I have my Pana hooked up by component out. No matter what I do I cannot get the component output to the resolutions that I want.. I try with the Setup wizard, with the HDTV settings, even by setting the timing settings manually (based on my powerstrip timing settings), and no go.

1) use try the preset HDTV modes from the right click menu on the HDTV object in the Nvidia properties, 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p all have the same result, a display set to 640x480 (or sometimes 720x480), with a panning desktop.
2) 1080i unlike the other modes does not result in a 640x480 display, the output correctly jumps up to 1920x1080, but the TV is unable to sync with the image (vertially scrolling random garbage)
3) Custom resolutions base on powerstrip timings – output stays at 640x480 and desktop panning jumps to specified resolution.

If I connect up SVideo or Composite the card correctly recognises the TV as a normal TV, if I connect the component cables the TV is recognised by the driver as HDTV. So it appears that the cabling is basically OK.

I’m also finding that when making some changes in the Nvidia driver property pages the system becomes very unresponsive for long periods of time (minutes) where the system is locked up, with no disk acitivity. I also notice that when making some of the resolution changes that the system slows down, if I look at task manager it indicates 100% CPU (50% on a Hyperthreading CPU), but no process is showing any CPU utilisation (99% system Idle process).

I’m not sure if it is just the card that I am running, but the whole NVidia experience after my old Radeon 9200 is rather off-putting.

I’m hoping that someone has come across and solved these issues. It appears that there are a number of posting with some similar issues that have never been responded to. I'm hoping that I'm just doing something stupid, and it is not an incompatibility with my hardware.

 

[Callifo]

1) use try the preset HDTV modes from the right click menu on the HDTV object in the Nvidia properties, 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p all have the same result, a display set to 640x480 (or sometimes 720x480), with a panning desktop.

I had this problem too but I only use 576i as I have a SDTV. Basically I went into "Screen Resolutions and Refresh Rates" -> Advanced Timing and set mine to the 720x576 @50HZ -P and applied that. I then went out of there and to Nview Display settings and clicked display settings and went to 576i and applied that. It then works as it should.

It seems rather buggy though as it never remembered the selected component out setting. Every time the pc booted up it was set back to Svideo out which made it start up with only blue and green colours. Somehow a result of fiddling made it stick properly.

 

[htpcoz]

Just to share some new findings.

I've found that if I disable (and DISCONNECT!) my VGA display (sony 15"), so that only my HDTV component connection is active, then apply the 576P HDTV mode the output on the Component goes to 720x576P. This isn't perfect, as the best combination I've found for my display is 960x540P (seems to have much fewer colour abberations, must be a better match to the pixel mask).

I'm not sure why having the primary display disconnected and unconfigured affects the HDTV output capabilities on the second display, but it does!!

So things are improving.

Now I'm trying to get my prefered resolutions happening. I'm still finding that the 1080i output from the card just will not sync with my TV. I've tried using the custom resolutions, to set the timing values from my old Radeon Powerstrip configuration, and while the calculations of dot clock etc. come out to be indentical to my old powerstrip settings, the TV just refuses to sync!

Powerstrip just doesn't seem to work with these drivers, if I set a resolution with powerstrip (eg 960x576, what I end up with is a 720x576 screen with a panning desktop. It seems like the card/driver is very limited wrt the control of the HDTV output timing.

Intermittently when I use the custom resolutions dialog I keep getting the problem with something going ballistic on the PC, and the property pages just freeze for a few seconds (maybe 30) before control comes back to the keyboard and mouse. At this point I have to reboot as the system is running at 100% CPU (even though no individual process, other than the idle process at 99% is using any CPU on the task manager)

All in all between the inflexibility in the HDTV output, and what appears to be general instability in the driver, I think the old Radeon is going to be reincarnated, and I'm going to try to get the VGA converter repaired, the combination of the two is considerably better and stable.

The other option I guess is one of those new 80cm LCD TVs hooked up by DVI Back to the finance department

 

[SiLenTYL]

i have a new nVidia 6600 and im experiencing similar problems
im using the same drivers as u htpcoz

the tv im using is apparently 1080i compatible with component...so it "should" work at that resolution..however im not getting sync either..its just a blue screen(no signal)....im only using a TV..so its not a cross-monitor problem

its possible htpcoz..that your monitor(not your TV) is not compatible at the exact same resolution/htz/etc as the other TV..or perhaps 2 displays will not give a picture when using the component cable output

i AM able to get a 576i picture using my component cables..however its a 4:3 tv and im getting a quarter of the screen cut off normally.....there is a setting to use "Overscan Correction" ..which fixes the problem...but it does not keep its setting after boot up or after starting a directx game(*very annoying*)....MP is fine however....

the nVidia tech demos require "1024x768" ..which in my option is crazy as the demos will not run in 576i ..i just get major epilepic flashes on the screen if i look too much ..lol ...sort of like "japanese fighting siesure robots" from the simpsons

normally...in windows the image is super sharp, clear and bright with component...just cant seem to figure out how to get any resolutions higher working...i have heaps of 720p and 1080i videos and they would be awesome to watch in MP at its native resolution....oh well...

if any1 has any driver/config solutions i would be very much appreciative

 

[htpcoz]

My TV is definitely 1080i compatible (worked flawlessly with my Radeon and a VGA to Component converter). However as I found when setting that up the timing on the Panasonic TV for the HDTV was very specific, I needed to use powerstrip to get the timing just right, the built in 1080i support in the Radeon driver didn't seem to work.

Strange, as I would have thought 1080i was 1080i, ie a very specific set of timings that were compatible between devices. If I buy a HD STB that outputs 1080i I would expect that would work without tweaking on my TV which is 1080i compatible. Why is it so difficult with a video card that supposedly outputs 1080i???

There does seem to be some variance there, and the Radeon in combination with powerstrip gives the level of tunability that will allow it to work nicely.

Sounds like we are definitely seeing the same issues. One thing I'm interested in trying is to take the PC to a friend who has a 1080i compatible LCD TV and see if it syncs. I have a funny feeling that the 1080i implementation on the Nvidia isn't right.

The drivers otherwise seem very flakey in comparison to the Radeon I had, and just the general support for HDTV (which for me was the major selling point) just doesn't seem to be there. Certainly support for configurable resolutions is in the driver property pages, but it just doesn'y work.

As for the dual monitor situation, I've taken that entirely out of the equation (which is why I can now successfully get 576P). I'm almost writing off 1080i, although I hate to say that as high def programs at 1080i were just mindblowing on my old setup.

If I can just get 960x576 or similar I think I will be back to a position of having nice crisp text again, at 720x576 the text is not right, they are clear, but you can obviously see the chromatic abberation around the white text.

It would be nice to have a solution with native HDTV output without the converter in the middle, but that is looking a little ways of. I've tried posting to the Nvidia forums (as have a few others from what I've seen) and the response is zero. The feeling I get from that is people on those furms are either using DVI to a LCD/Plasma, or they are just gamers.

 

[gmanning]

While I don't have a solution for you, I can confirm that my 6200 does sync up with my Sony LCD TV at both 720p and 1080i from the standard dropdown list near the the top. I have the same display problems as you if I try to use other custom resolutions and timings.

Gary

 

[htpcoz]

This is actually where my concern lies...

I find 576i/576p is perfect (well, syncs at least, it isn't the best resolution, as horizontal resolution of 720 doesn't match the dot mask and causes colour distortion. I believe 576i/p are specifically PAL countries, and so is not a US SDTV spec, so is operating correctly at 50Hz (ie 25Hz interlaced).

However as soon as I go to 1080i (which is a US HDTV spec) I'm wondering if that is internally defaulting to 60Hz (30Hz interlaced) assuming that it is outputing to a US TV, and I am just unable to force it to switch over to 50 Hz.

I'm thinking that perhaps my TV can't sync to the 60Hz 1080i signal.

Whereas it assumes that 576 must be a PAL signal and so correctly sets 50Hz first time. No Proof on this point, just a hunch

 

[gmanning]

Did you look into the ATI Radeon 9550? It has component out like the Nvidia 6200. I was considering the 9550 before I went with the 6200. Nvidia seems to have a larger HTPC following, but if you had good results with ATI previously, the 9550 might be good for you. Assuming you can still return/exchange the 6200.

I don't know if the ATI drivers will have the same issues syncing up to your TV though. Sounds like they can't be much worse than Nvidia's.

Gary

 

[htpcoz]

I'm struggling to find a 9550 with a HDTV out.

Is it possible that you meant using a 9550 with the ATI HDTV dongle?

I believe the dongle only operates for the US market. I've found that with all the 9550 versions (of which there are a staggering number!) provide TV Out, but no HDTV out.

If you knew of a particular one, that would probably help out.

Thanks.

 

[htpcoz]

So near, but yet so far

With a little more investigation, (using vnc temporarily to try to work out what is going on when the sync is lost) I'm finding that when I set the component output to 1080i, if I have a look in the custom resolutions screen (of the driver properties, as well as powerstrip) I can see that 1080i is running at 30Hz, rather than the expected PAL 25Hz. It seems that 576 based resolutions are expected to be at 50Hz by the drivers. Whereas, the standard 1080i resolution provided by the driver is only outputting in 30hz, of course it does, doesn't everyone live in the US! :roll:

I've tried the various other standard resolutions provided in the drop down list, none of which sync to my screen.

I've tried configuring the custom resolution manually, based on the timing settings from my previously working powerstrip timings, however from what I can see it looks like the units of measurement between the powerstrip custom res and nvidia custom res screens are different. I'm trying to work out how to map between the two measurements and then hopefully shoud have 1080i 25Hz (in theory), by entering the correct timings in the Nvidia pages.

This is complicated by two other problems.

1) Whenever I apply a custom resolution in the Nvidia property pages something in the driver goes crazy and chews up most of the CPU on the machine until I reboot.

2) Also my old friend powerstrip just doesn't seem to like talking to the Nvidia drivers. Where the Radeon card would obey exactly what powerstrip requested, the Nvidia drivers force me into virtual desktops. So it is all but useless.