Thanks in advance for any help.
I am hoping someone with any expertise can help fine tune my efforts to do this! Basically I am trying to create a "media center" to view pictures and listen to iTunes with. No interest in gamin just the best picture I can get for those.
Setup: PIII 1.0 GHz Intel PC, eVGA FX 5500 video card (nvidia chip set, 128 MB, s-video out, DVI out), and Sony Wega 27" tv
I have no problem getting the tv to pick up the signal (s-video) using either the nvidia interface or using TV tool (I see no particular advantage with either software). However, the picture is not great. At resolutions higher than 800x600 it is hard to read any text. At 800x600 it is bearable (not clear though) but I am having problems with menus extending off the screen on the tv when they don't on the computer monitor. I think I currently have it set up for clone.
If the resoultion of my tv is 480i, can I expect to get a good pictures at 800x600 or do I need to go to 480x720?
Would I get a better signal by using a DVI to component converter and then connecting to my tv's component input?
Does anyone have any recommendations for settings I should use to try and get the best clarity without comprimise?
Thanks Again
Hi zzmiller!
It looks like you have few different questions in there. Let's see if we can knock them out one at a time.
"I have no problem getting the tv to pick up the signal (s-video) using
either the nvidia interface or using TV tool (I see no particular
advantage with either software). However, the picture is not great.
At resolutions higher than 800x600 it is hard to read any text. At
800x600 it is bearable (not clear though)"
S-Video connections are limited to a maximum resolution of 480i (720x480 interlaced). The TV encoder in the graphics card scales the desktop resolution and outputs the video in a format compatible to your TV. The higher you set your desktop resolution, the finer the details get, and the more difficult it becomes for the card to scale with any level of quality. You can get the best image quality from your PC by setting the desktop resolution at 480x720, but this will also increase the size of everything from icons to web pages (making the computer harder to use). Provided your goal is to view pictures, 800x600 is a good compromise between image quality and ease of use.
"I am having problems with menus extending off the screen on the tv when
they don't on the computer monitor. I think I currently have it set up
for clone."
Most consumer televisions overscan 3% to 10% of the picture (5% average) for various reasons. PC displays typically don't overscan. That's just one of the limitations when hooking up PCs to most types of consumer televisions. Make sure you're running the latest nVidia drivers, and you may find some options to help alleviate some of this buried in the in-depth graphics setup menus.
"Would I get a better signal by using a DVI to component converter and then connecting to my tv's component input?"
It depends on the TV. If the television is analog, going through component video will only yeild subtle improvements to image quality. If your TV is HDTV capable through the component inputs, you could connect the PC using higher resolution than 480i, which would look better and more "PC like".
Does anyone have any recommendations for settings I should use to try and get the best clarity without comprimise?
If you're using an analog display, there's not much you can do. The 480i limitation will prevent you from seeing PC quality graphics on your display. A no-compromise approach would be to purchase a fixed pixel HDTV (LCD, DLP, or Plasma based) with PC capable inputs.
Hey Matt, thanks for the response. I figured the limitations laid in the TV but was hopeful that maybe somebody had a workaround. I am currently using the 800x600 settings and iTunes and Picasa work out pretty good. I'm gonna see what Uncle Sam gives me back and maybe I'll update my Entertainment center! Thanks again.