help with tv

[johnnysmitch]

ok, i'm having a problem with my cab - i can't seem to get it to output to my tv unless i have a normal monitor hooked up as well.  I'm using an ATI Radeon 8500 with the latest drivers, and hooking up to the tv using an s-video cable.  Even when both a monitor and tv are hooked up, I don't get anything on the tv until the computer boots into windows.  Any suggestions?

~ Mr. Smitch

[MiKman]

Seems to me I had a "Powered by ATI" radeon card that did that as well at one time.  I got rid of it and went back to my "Built by ATI" Rage Pro sorry not much help I know.  But I just wanted you to know that not all cards are built alike and I can sympathize with you.  I'm still on the lookout for a decent higher end card that will display to the svideo port from the get go.  If you find out the fix post it here for everyone. I will do likewise.

[cdbrown]

I have not had this problem with my Hercules 8500 LE.  I never used to have a monitor at all and just used the tv.  Did you also get the latest ATI control panel?  Make sure you have TV enabled and disable the monitor, go through all the settings to make sure your TV looks right (height, width, sharpness, etc).  Also make sure its 800x640 resolution - then reboot with just tv connected.  I'm sure you've already done this before but you might come across a setting you hadn't noticed before.  Also make sure that the s-video cable is firmly plugged into the card and tv before turning on.

Like I said I never had this problem, in fact I was surprised when I turned on this pc for the first time ever and the boot screen loaded on the tv.

Good luck
-cdbrown

[javeryh]

I don't want to hijack your thread but I have a newb tv question and I didn't want to start an entire new topic when a 'yes' or 'no' answer will do.  Here goes:

Is it possible (without taking anything apart) to connect a 13" tv without s-video to a computer?  I've got a 12 year old 13" color TV lying around and I thought I might put it into a mini-cab one day...  Thanks!

[MiKman]

I don't want to hijack your thread but I have a newb tv question and I didn't want to start an entire new topic when a 'yes' or 'no' answer will do.  Here goes:

Is it possible (without taking anything apart) to connect a 13" tv without s-video to a computer?  I've got a 12 year old 13" color TV lying around and I thought I might put it into a mini-cab one day...  Thanks!

Yes if your card and your tv both have a composite out connection on them (looks like an rca phono type plug). But the picture quality would be poor at best. Instead you might be better off getting a very cheap used 14 or 15 inch monitor.