You just need to get a video card that supports full tv out without the need of software. Just get some sort of GeForce2 card. It will be enough. I'm using an Asus v7700 I think. It has SVideo out. Yes, it can be used without the monitor. When I turn on the computer, it shows everything on the tv, even the bios bootup. But don't go too cheap. Try to find a GeForce2 card with a Chrontel (brandname) tvout chipset on it. In my experience, that has been the best tvout chipset for that pricerange of card. I believe that 'most' of ASUS's cards use Chrontel chipsets in them.
jakobud