Component Converter...

[Xiaou2]

 have a 27" panasonic.. and it has component inputs.

I looked into the manual and it says it supports 480i
signals.

I then looked arround and found this:

http://www.grandtec.com/xppro.htm

A pc to composite converter.  

I wonder if anyone has tried this... or has any comments about this?  I wonder if this would be a better route for me than buying an updated ATI card with the dongle thingy... as im not sure the dongle supports my tv anyway?

With many options on the device already... it might be be better as its deviod of driver problems?  And no need for powerstrip...




 Ps - sorry for double posting this one..  This forum gets more attention than the monitor one... and hopefully will stir up some good responses.

[RandyT]

Thanks for posting this.  

I've been looking for a solution along these lines for an unrelated project that requires a PC->RGB conversion.

I'll pick one up and report back after trying it with a few things (if I can get my hands on one).

RandyT

[DARRYLICSHON]

This looks nice i might have to try it , thanks

[Dave_K.]

There are lots of cheap RGB to component converters out there (just check ebay).  Going Component to RGB is on an order of magnitude more difficult/expensive.

[2600]

I've got one of those.  It works great, I use it for my PVR.  I actually have an ATI 9600 and still use it.  The reason is that you can never get the ATi cards to fill the Television screen(God I hate that).  I hear Nvidia's nview is better at filling the screen, but unfortunately have never tested it.

I highly suggest getting one like the GrandTec with "Controls" on it.  I had also purchased I believe an Avermedia one, but it didn't have any controls and the Hue and stuff were totally off.  I mean really off.  With this it worked, and I still could fine tune it.  Also with this one you could put quality cables on it instead of my other one where it was built in.

With that being said it's not the same as using a monitor, but in my opinion better than coming out of the ATI card.  Let me know if you have any questions on it.

[shmokes]

Thanks Randy....I'm interested in the performance of this little doodad.  I've got an ATI-AIW 9700, but it doesn't like my TV.  I can pick this up on a state contracts for $79 with free shipping from CDW.  Periodically I can get good deals on things for working a gov't job.

I'm looking forward to your impressions.

[RandyT]

Thanks Randy....I'm interested in the performance of this little doodad.  I've got an ATI-AIW 9700, but it doesn't like my TV.  I can pick this up on a state contracts for $79 with free shipping from CDW.  Periodically I can get good deals on things for working a gov't job.

I'm looking forward to your impressions.

This will be in parts, as I don't have eveything at my disposal at the moment, namely an RGB cable.  The unit came with the following cables:

PS/2 to +5
USB to +5
Component (RCA Male x 3)
VGA Splitter
S-video
Composite (RCA Male x 1)

Of course, my main interest was in the RGB capabilities and there was no cable provided.  Also, no pinout for the RGB port.  Perhaps a Euro version would include these, but not the one here in the US.

I'll just list some initial thoughts here, FWIW.

The component video was only marginally better than the S-video output from the same unit.  Text output at 640x480 was barely readable on the AKAI "pure flat" 27" television I used for testing.  I have a nagging feeling that S-video out from a "built by ATi" video card will out-do this one in component, but it's been a while since I've seen the ATi.  Call it a "gut" feeling.

While we're looking at cons, no power supply was included.  You must tap either an unused PS/2 or USB port, or buy your own adapter.  The power also doesn't come back on automatically if you pull the plug on it.  This means you have to hit the power button or the remote to fire it up.

I noticed occasional tearing of the video depending on the size of the screen.   There is also an annoying jerkiness (frame-loss) on objects moving downward on the screen.  There may be an optimal setup where these artifacts don't occur, but I haven't found it yet.

The VGA pass through seemed pretty poor, but I'm using it through a KVM switcher.  It might be ok without the extra stuff in the chain, so YMMV.

Finally, the price is up there for the performance this box provides.  If the RGB output is clear and sharp, it might be well worth it.  But the vertical jerkiness on some things and the tearing will probably still be there.

On a lighter note, the box has a lot of controls on it.  It reminds me of the buttons on a monitor.  It has a remote so you don't need direct access to the box (just to the "eye").  The controls have a lot of range and you should have no problems fitting the screen to your TV.  It's also pretty easy to tweak the brightness, contrast, hue and saturation to get the best image.  The unit is small and lightweight and the picture it produces isn't bad, just not what I have become accustomed to with true RGB.

If you are looking to just get the job done for cheap and use your component inputs, this should do it.  If you are expecting RGB quality out of your set afterwards....you might be disappointed.

I may continue this in a few days after I find the pinouts for the RGB output.

RandyT

[Trenchbroom]

I've got one of those.  It works great, I use it for my PVR.  I actually have an ATI 9600 and still use it.  The reason is that you can never get the ATi cards to fill the Television screen(God I hate that).  I hear Nvidia's nview is better at filling the screen, but unfortunately have never tested it.

I've been comparison shopping both ATI and Nvidia cards for my TV cab.  Came across the following post about expanding the ATI 9xxx display on a TV from TVtool's forum (www.tvtool.info):

"I found out a much better solution now.
Download Rage 3D Tweak. ( You

[bigmoe]

I've been comparison shopping both ATI and Nvidia cards for my TV cab.  Came across the following post about expanding the ATI 9xxx display on a TV from TVtool's forum (www.tvtool.info):

I can't seem to find the post on tvtool...does this specifically address using the ATI with the component dongle on non-HDTVs?  I seem to recall reading, here or somewhere else, that ATI considers their component dongle compatible only with HDTVs.

(Nice tip though, thanks a mil.)

Hopefully within 2 weeks I will have my new ATI card and can test this out.

I would love to hear your results, as I try to plan my own display options!

[LoRDDeVO]

I Have that GT XP PRO.  I bought it in radio shack for $99 I used it for my cab. it works great.  You are able to adjust the contrast, hue, brightness, horizontial and vertical position and size.  It also has a tweak mode where it has preset video settings.  It also has a part where you can change from NTSC to Pal to Jap to A mixture of NTSC and Pal.  It is a simple hookup and the Best part it is it all Remote control operated so you can tweak your settings on the fly as your playing your game... It is well worth it

[RandyT]

I Have that GT XP PRO.  I bought it in radio shack for $99 I used it for my cab. it works great.  You are able to adjust the contrast, hue, brightness, horizontial and vertical position and size.  It also has a tweak mode where it has preset video settings.  It also has a part where you can change from NTSC to Pal to Jap to A mixture of NTSC and Pal.  It is a simple hookup and the Best part it is it all Remote control operated so you can tweak your settings on the fly as your playing your game... It is well worth it

What type of monitor are you using?  

How did you get around the needing to manually turn on the unit after every power-down?  That's a big issue for a lot of folks here.

RandyT

[Trenchbroom]

I can't seem to find the post on tvtool...does this specifically address using the ATI with the component dongle on non-HDTVs?  I seem to recall reading, here or somewhere else, that ATI considers their component dongle compatible only with HDTVs.

(Nice tip though, thanks a mil.)

Hey, glad I can help (maybe).

Go to TVTool's website, click forum.  Under the English category "TV output in general" there is a thread entitled "TV Output on ATI Radeon 9600XT".  The original post was someone complaining about having their DVD movie cut off because the output was larger than the TV screen could display.  Then the same author found the Rage tool that allows custom resolutions for TV output.  Unfortunately no mention of the dongle was made.  You might want to try the forums at www.rage3d.com for that--huge wealth of info on ATI cards over there.