[mythtv-users] TV out for unlisted card?

[Rod Smith]

On Thursday 29 March 2007 22:55, Angus wrote:
> It seems that TV out isn't quite as well supported as I thought. I've
> read through the Wikis and mailing lists and I can't figure out where to
> get started. If I have a very low-budget card with a TV out (say, a
> KWorld Global Terminator, which has a SAA713? chipset, still) and I want
> to connect the TV out to my TV, how do I go about beginning with that?

The KWorld Global Terminator is a TV *capture* card, meaning you plug in an 
antenna, cable TV cable, or the like to *record* TV using the card. AFAIK, it 
lacks the ability to send output *to* a TV. To be sure we're talking about 
the same thing, check these URLs:

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/KWorld_Global_TV_Terminator
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150106322966

The first is the MythTV wiki entry for the card; the second is one of several 
eBay auctions for the card. The second URL includes a photo with marked input 
and output connectors, which is why I selected it. Note that both the coaxial 
(TV) and composite/S-video connectors are for inputs.

For TV output, you need one of several things:

1) A regular computer video card and a separate converter box that takes the
   VGA output from the video card and converts it to a TV standard suitable
   for your TV, such as composite, S-video, DVI, etc.

2) A computer video card that includes a TV output suitable for your TV, such
   as composite, S-video, DVI, etc.

3) A Hauppauge PVR-350. This is a video capture card that includes TV
   output functionality that's supported by MythTV; however, that support is
   likely to vanish in the future, so this isn't really a good option except
   for the short term.

In theory, a device that combines a regular video card and TV capture card 
functions would do the trick, too; however, I don't know if such devices 
exist, aside from the Hauppauge PVR-350, which I don't believe can really be 
used as a regular video card, at least in Linux. I'm not an expert on the 
PVR-350, though, so I could be wrong about this.

Most people go for option #2 because a video card with TV outputs isn't much 
more expensive than a video card without TV outputs, whereas a converter box 
(needed for #1) is moderately expensive. They can be had fairly cheaply on 
eBay, though, so if you've got an otherwise suitable video card, #1 might be 
a reasonable way to go.

-- 
Rod Smith
http://www.rodsbooks.com