Most cost effective way to hook up to my CRT TV.

[brownicus15]

Hey all,

I'm really struggling connecting my computer up to my CRT TV (not computer monitor) and need to figure out the most cost effective way to do it.

Computer: Dell Precision T3400 running Windows Vista (not proud of it, but it's what I have).  Video card: Nvidia Quadro FX1700 (two DVI-outputs and 1 s-video)
TV (27" monitor which fits my cab perfectly, making downsizing my last resort):  Component, composite, cable, and S-Video.

For whatever reason, the S-Video out on the PC is not working.

I'd really like to learn about some other potential options people have used to connect to a CRT TV without a VGA option.  Any suggestions are appreciated.

[dmckean]

What version of Windows are you running and what resolution is your desktop? You probably need XP and 640x480 desktop resolution to get  S-Video to work.

[brownicus15]

I'm running Vista and the resolution for the TV is probably 640x480.

[BadMouth]

The S-video port on the card has more pins than a standard s-video cable.
Using a pigtail cable, it can output different formats which are different types of signals.
An S-video cable will still work without the pigtail, but you need to tell the computer to put out the correct signal for it.

You probably just need to install the video card software and tell it that you have s-video connected.
You'll have to do this using a monitor connected to one of the DVI ports.
After it's set and the S-Video output is set as the primary monitor, you can disconnect the DVI one.

If you have the correct pigtail, you'll get the best picture using the component output.

EDIT:  I ran most of my old setups over S-video at 1024x768.  The TVs seemed ok with it and it was a bit easier to read than 640x480.

[BadMouth]

This is the screen you're looking for.
Not sure if it would require an older version of Nvidia control panel.

[Well Fed Games]

I did not use a PC exactly (instead a 60-in-1 jamma card with a VGA out) but one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Lenkeng-104724-Monoprice-VGA-RCA/dp/B001CJOLBW/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1459391544&sr=8-9&keywords=s-video+to+vga

has been working perfectly on a cabinet I built about 18 months ago for my sister.