Scaling problem on older HDTV connected by Svideo/component dongle

D

Disarray

[H]ard|Gawd
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Aug 19, 2003
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I have an older 55"HDTV connected to an ATI 700 with a Component/svideo dongle. When the tv is connected with a DVI cable, scaling is not a problem, I can select 800X600 or 1280X1024 for example and see everything fine, just the video quality is not good.

So, I have connected with the dongle to the Svideo output on my video card. The quality is much improved but I can only see a portion of my desktop. If I move my mouse around, I can see the other portions of the desktop and if I play video full screen, I can only see portions of the screen as I move the mouse around. (The entire screen moves so I can see other areas of the desktop)

If I set my card at 640x400 iirc, the image fits properly, but I am not able to use that resolution with IE and WMP. Any suggestions?
 
For the HDTV, it all depends on what it is..

720p/1080i - Use 1280x720 or 1366x768 resolution
1080p - Use 1920x1080 @ 60hz resolution

You also may have to do some video scaling. This should be available through your video card drivers.

Connect using DVI, HDMI, VGA, or component depending on your inputs. Svideo and composite are only good for about 800x600 max.
 
Maybe I am not describing the problem properly. Imagine cutting out a small square and laying over the tv. Then you move the square around the tv to see the entire desktop. That is the problem I am having. The entire TV displays a portion of the screen, then when I move my mouse to one side of the screen or the other, the screen moves to reveal that portion of the screen
 
yes.. your resolution is set too high, or the display isn't supporting the resolution you are sending it so it is going to pan&scan mode in windows.
 
Pan and scan mode sounds like what it is doing. Do I have any options? The 640x400 resolution that the TV wants is not acceptable.
 
your problem is you're using S-video. It's a very lowly signal format, 480i to be precise.
 
So there is no way to fix the problem using that SVideo out looking port on the video card? Using a DVI cable, the signal quality is much poorer, thats why I was hoping to use the SVideo solution.
 
Your settings just aren't right. Use the DVI cable and set it to your TV's supported resolution. I posted the values up in the second post.
 
Sometimes older hdtv's can be fussy with their dvi and hdmi inputs, especially if it's an analog CRT rear-projection set.

Personally, i'd first try w1retap's advice, since you've already begun troubleshooting that route. Exhaust your options there first, then maybe you can try using the component dongle on your video card (if you have one). Oftentimes component can look better than hdmi/dvi on older RPTV's, but that all depends on the TV set and the electronics onboard.

Have you tried googling your exact model television yet? There's often other people who have had the same issues, and the correct info is often floating around on the net.

BTW, when you say "the video quality is not good". Are you sure the source material is decent quality to begin with? If it's transmitted in garbage quality, there's little you or your TV can do to make it look better (garbage in = garbage out theory)
 
I have had 3 differant HDTVs hooked up to my computer, all 3 were only 720p (1366x768 native resolution). All 3 had crappy performance with HDMI or DVI. However I found that all 3 worked awsome useing the VGA input. I dont know why this is, it tried everything to get it to work with DVI but just couldn't get a clear picture.
I also find it odd but alot of the TVs I have looked at call/label the VGA port with somthing refering to PC. and the instruction manuals tell you to use VGA when connecting to a PC.

if your TV does not have a VGA port then you can try useing HDTV out cables on your video card if you have that option.

if your stuck with useing S-Video you can try setting a custom resolution of 800x480 so you will maintain the 16/10 ratio. Useing Resolutions higher than 800x600 will cause the pan and scan.


PS, I found some good cheap DVI to VGA cables on Ebay so you don't have to use an adapter if you only have dual DVI. Puts alot less stress on the video ports.
 
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