[mythtv-users] Help getting TV out to work - Knoppmyth, MX400 ?

Shawn shawnuth at gmail.com
Sun Mar 12 15:38:43 UTC 2006


ffrr wrote:
> Shawn wrote:
>
>   
>> ffrr wrote:
>>  
>>
>>     
>>> I have an old PC that only supports early AGP specs,  and the only card 
>>> I have found with TV-out is an NVIDIA MX400, which has a composite TV 
>>> out connection
>>>
>>> Following these instructions, 
>>> http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-8178/README/appendix-h.html
>>>
>>> I added
>>>
>>> HorizSync 30-50
>>> VertRefresh 60
>>>
>>> Option "TVStandard" "PAL-B"
>>> Option "ConnectedMonitor" "TV"
>>> Option "TVOutFormat" "COMPOSITE"
>>>
>>> to my X config file
>>>
>>>
>>> and installed the MX400 card  (the box already had a TNT2 card which I was using via an external VGA to TV convertor).
>>>
>>> I watched it boot on the VGA monitor (which I also had connected to the card's VGA out) and as it started X, 
>>> the NVIDIA splash screen appeared on my TV (which had been blank up to this point).
>>>
>>> Next the TV screen went gray, and showed a mouse cursor in the middle.  
>>>
>>>
>>> This is all normally what I see as it boots, and the next thing to normally appear is the blue background of the myth frontend.  
>>>
>>> Unfortunately, it doesn't go any further.  It just sits there with no hard disk activity. Looks like X is only partially initialising.
>>>
>>> I swapped the TNT2 card back in, and reverted the config file to previous, and now it boots normally again.
>>>
>>>
>>> Is the MX400 a problem card for linux/knoppmyth?  Is there any hope of getting this to work?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> mythtv-users mailing list
>>> mythtv-users at mythtv.org
>>> http://mythtv.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mythtv-users
>>>
>>>  
>>>    
>>>
>>>       
>> Take a look at my xorg.conf and use it as a reference.
>>
>> -Shawn
>>  
>>
>>     
> Thanks for posting that. 
>
> Although I see nothing significantly different. In other words, other 
> than the changes to NTSC, and using svideo (which I do not have, just 
> composite), then it looks essentially the same in the lines that the web 
> page IO referenced told me to change..
>
> I freely admit however, I am no expert on the format of this file. 
>
> For example, to me it seems as though you have 2 screens set-up, but are 
> currently using the Acer LCD, not the TV.
>
> There are other differences, but I don't know what is significant, and 
> also what might be because yours is xorg.conf and mine is XF86Config-4.
>   


You're absolutely right, I do have 2 screens set up.  In  fact this
xorg.conf is the same one that I use throughout my house (which is
probably why there is a screen for an LCD in there, simply because I use
pretty much the same graphics card in all the machines.  You can easily
specify a different screen at the bottom in the server layout section. 
Just change "LCD" to "TV".  I've never used composite video out with an
NVIDIA card, perhaps there are some additional configuration entries
that you need, but I doubt it.  My suggestion is to try a newer version
of X, maybe upgrade the Distro that you're running.  Or you could
compile X by itself, but that's risky business and probably more than
you want to get into at this point.  Also check for any errors in
/var/log pertaining to the X server.

-Shawn


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