[mythtv-users] Recommended graphics card with tv-out?
Mark
fairlane at voyager.net
Tue Aug 5 19:45:34 EDT 2003
The overscan function on the Nvidia driver works great. No borders on mine.
Joe V wrote:
>Mark,
>
>In my quest to find the best TV Out picture, as I'm
>sure you know, I'm exploring different options (I
>know, I'm beating a dead horse here). My goal is to
>have the picture scale on my TV set, as close to as
>well as my TV displays the incoming cable signal (I
>hate borders). If a GeForce4 card will do that, I'd
>be willing to get one (as either a little treat, or
>once I get myself a job, depending on the price).
>
>Anyway, I was wondering how small you can shrink the
>borders to without losing any of the picture (it seems
>that the binary nVidia drivers are half-decent for
>that, so I'm hearing on the list). Here's what I've
>measured with a ruler (yeah, I know, not quite
>scientific):
>Normal TV: 1/4" border left, right, bottom, 1/8" top
>G400 TV Out:: 1 1/4" left, 1/2" right, 1/2" top, 1/8"
>bottom.
>
>I think that the normal TV borders are a restriction
>of the TV, where's the G400 borders are a restriction
>of both the TV and the video card. Up close, the G400
>border matches the color of the TV border, or so it
>seems.
>
>I was wondering, could you tell me the best you've
>managed to get with your card (should be similar
>across most nVidia cards, assuming they use the same
>TV Out chip)? Muchly appreciated.
>
>Anybody else with scan converters or other setups that
>they have working properly are more than invitied to
>chip in.
>
>Thanks,
>Joe
>
>--- Mark <fairlane at voyager.net> wrote:
>
>
>>I put a disclaimer in the first sentence. "If your
>>time is worth
>>something to you.... "
>>If you are unemployed, your time is worth something
>>less than it was, no?
>>
>>Joe V wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Mark,
>>>
>>>Like I said, at the moment, I'm currently
>>>
>>>
>>unemployed,
>>
>>
>>>and have been so for the last two months. Spending
>>>
>>>
>>an
>>
>>
>>>extra $45 to get a MythTV box working is not an
>>>
>>>
>>option
>>
>>
>>>for me right now, considering that I live in
>>>California, and $45 is about 5% of my monthly rent.
>>>
>>>At the moment, I'm trying to build a MythTV box out
>>>
>>>
>>of
>>
>>
>>>parts that I have lying around my apartment. I
>>>
>>>
>>tend
>>
>>
>>>to upgrade a fair amount, so I typically have parts
>>>lying around.
>>>
>>>In addition, should I get this working (which I
>>>
>>>
>>think
>>
>>
>>>I might be able to), it might save some people $45
>>>
>>>
>>(if
>>
>>
>>>they, like me, have an older Radeon card lying
>>>around), which they can use to offset the cost of a
>>>hardware MPEG encoder or something.
>>>
>>>I figure there'e no harm in trying. I'll be buying
>>>
>>>
>>a
>>
>>
>>>new box to run MythTV on anyway (since I'm finding
>>>
>>>
>>my
>>
>>
>>>Athlon 1.4 to be a bit sluggish), but I figure that
>>>
>>>
>>if
>>
>>
>>>I can reuse some of the other hardware, then I
>>>
>>>
>>don't
>>
>>
>>>have to spend as much money. Worst case scenario,
>>>
>>>
>>I
>>
>>
>>>shell out the money for a scan converter (I'd
>>>
>>>
>>rather
>>
>>
>>>do that than buy yet another video card, as I have
>>>
>>>
>>two
>>
>>
>>>perfectly good video cards here). And heck, it's
>>>
>>>
>>fun,
>>
>>
>>>I get a kick out of solving problems.
>>>
>>>Maybe I lose some time, maybe I don't. It's quite
>>>simple to get TV Out working at an older ATI
>>>
>>>
>>Radeon,
>>
>>
>>>and most of the time spent is the computer
>>>
>>>
>>compiling
>>
>>
>>>stuff. I start the compile, walk away, and check
>>>
>>>
>>on
>>
>>
>>>it inbetween innings of the baseball game. I was
>>>thinking about it, and it might be as simple as
>>>recompiling the X server and Qt, which for me is
>>>
>>>
>>easy.
>>
>>
>>>On the other hand, if I was employed right now, I
>>>probably wouldn't be messing with any of this.
>>>
>>>Now then, for the rest of you, if I actually get
>>>
>>>
>>this
>>
>>
>>>working, without it being completely convoluted
>>>
>>>
>>(which
>>
>>
>>>I think is possible), I'll post instructions to the
>>>list, and later on, get them on my website.
>>>
>>>-- Joe
>>>
>>>--- Mark <fairlane at voyager.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>I don't know what your time is worth to you, but
>>>>mine is fairly precious.
>>>>With that said, go out and buy a Geforce4 MX440SE
>>>>card w/TVout.
>>>>I got mine from newegg.com, it cost like $45.
>>>>Install nvidia driver.
>>>>flawless TVout in less than 30 minutes. Mines' an
>>>>Albatron. Unless you
>>>>are the type
>>>>that needs to bang your head on a wall to feel
>>>>
>>>>
>>like
>>
>>
>>>>you did something,
>>>>then get an ATI or something.
>>>>
>>>>Joe V wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Myself, I've tried with both a G400 and an
>>>>>All-In-Wonder Radeon (the original R100 series),
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>and
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>have had trouble with both. There is a kind soul
>>>>>(thanks, Matt) who is assisting me with the G400
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>right
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>now, and there's a possibility that I'll actually
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>get
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>it working. Hopefully. :)
>>>>>
>>>>>Somebody else on the list once said, "the Radeons
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>will
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>work, but if you spend more time than $30-$45, go
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>out
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>and buy a GeForce card". I'd have to agree with
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>this
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>sentiment, even though at the moment I'm
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>unemployed
>>
>>
>>>>>(so my time isn't worth much right now). I don't
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>have
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>a GeForce card kicking around here, and I'm not
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>going
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>to buy one, but I do have the G400 and Radeon
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>here.
>>
>>
>>>>>As for the Radeon, you can get TV Out to work -
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>it's
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>quite the complicated procedure, and probably
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>won't
>>
>>
>>>>>work too well with many Linux distributions. You
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>have
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>to install an older distro that has XFree86 4.2,
>>>>>recompile the X Server with the Gatos "devel"
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>branch,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>and then TV Out will work. Unfortunately for me,
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>in
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>doing that, and building MythTV, well, MythTV
>>>>>segfaulted right away, definitely because of the
>>>>>rebuilding of the X Server. (If anybody wants
>>>>>detailed instructions on how I built it, let me
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>know,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>and I can post them. After getting TV Out
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>booting
>>
>>
>>>>>with X though, I don't think I can help).
>>>>>
>>>>>If you're going to use a Radeon, expect to have
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>to
>>
>>
>>>>>build everything from source. I know how to do
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>it,
>>
>>
>>>>>it's just not worth my time.
>>>>>
>>>>>At this point I'm looking at trying to get the
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>G400
>>
>>
>>
>=== message truncated ===
>
>
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