Radeon X300 with TV. Need Advice.

[moman]

Hi guys,

My PC has the Radeon X300 video card.  I am running it to a Samsung 24in flatscreen with the S-video connection.  The picture is ok, but could be better.  I can navigate windows barely, and games are just ok.

The TV does have a component in, and based on most people's opinion, it seems it is perfered to use component over S-Video.  Will those DVI-I to component adapters work with the x300??

Does anybody have a similar set-up that had good luck or can anybody recomend away of getting a clearer picture (such as settings, or different video card, etc)

I really appreciate any info you can give.

[leapinlew]

Hi guys,

My PC has the Radeon X300 video card.  I am running it to a Samsung 24in flatscreen with the S-video connection.  The picture is ok, but could be better.  I can navigate windows barely, and games are just ok.

The TV does have a component in, and based on most people's opinion, it seems it is perfered to use component over S-Video.  Will those DVI-I to component adapters work with the x300??

Does anybody have a similar set-up that had good luck or can anybody recomend away of getting a clearer picture (such as settings, or different video card, etc)

I really appreciate any info you can give.

This is quickly becoming a frequently asked question. CRT Televisions just aren't capable of displaying the resolution needed to give you the kind of clarity you need to use windows. You need a LCD, Plasma or DLP.

[moman]

Thanks for the reply leapinlew.

I know this topic has been done to death (but video stuff is not my strong area and I can use any help I can get with this specific set-up). 

I was hoping that since the tv has an available resolution of 480i w/component inputs that I would have at least decent clearity in widows.  I guess I am wrong.

Can anyone confirm the compatibility of the dvi-i to component adapter for the x300 video card?  Any other suggested tweaks to get the best I can get with the current set-up for games (or windows).

Thanks everybody.

[ahofle]

What resolution are you running windows?  Try manually setting the resolution of your games to 640x480.  I find the picture to be excellent over S-video at that resolution.  Not as good as an arcade monitor, but better than a PC monitor IMO.

[jWin]

Hi, the component connection is a lot more clearer then s-video, and with that card you do not need the ATI DVI to component adapter, it will not work as far as I know, it is made for ATI 9x00 series.  However your card may have came with a component cable, I purchased a Radeon X1300 made by Diamond and it was bundled with a component cable.   The picture quality is outstanding, compared to svideo and it has no jitter or flicker.  You will most likely need power strip or to know how to access the service menu of your TV in order to fix over or underscan.

I run 800x600 over component and it will support up to 1024x768, I dont think a card that uses the DVI to component adapter supports above 640x480.  Newegg has the x1300 (PCIXpress) for around 75 and is offering a 20$ mail in rebate currently,  this is a good card for component TV's.

[moman]

Thanks for the info guys.  I bought a used desktop PC, so it came with no cables.  What you are saying is one of those S-video to Component cables will probably work for this card.  That would be outstanding.  I will look into getting a set.  I see E-bay has a bunch of them for cheap.

[jWin]

Right, its a universal connector on the card itself...  make sure it has the same amount of pin holes on the card as pins on the cable.

also you probably wont get a picture in DOS, in other words nothing will show up on screen until windows loads.

[jWin]

here is what you should need, 9 pin ATI component cable, count the holes first on the card though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-ATI-Radeon-HDTV-Component-Video-Out-Output-cable_W0QQitemZ200064761411QQihZ010QQcategoryZ11196QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[moman]

Thanks Jwin.

The S-video female connector on my PC card is 7 pin.  There are 7 pin to componet cables out there.  Should I get one of those? 

Interestingly, I think that the 9 pin cable that you showed me might work because the extra two holes might fit into a larger hole that doesn't look like it has any conductors in it.  Any ideas? 

[jWin]

go for the 7 pin cable if thats how many holes your card has,  it *might* not work though (nither would the 9 pin),  im not 100% sure if the x300 supports component but I know the x1300 does.

[Timoe]

at 640 x 480 Interlaced I run my Radeon X300 card directly to a Normal NON high def TV and the picture is fine.


It is good


not great

but all my emulators and my front end are set to 640 x 480.  And I can navigate windows fine.  It is not preffered for long hours but definitely fine.

[releasedtruth]

I have a 24" flat tube Toshiba and I run 640x432 component video and the clarity in windows is just fine. Actually quite sharp. You do need to up the font size a bit for viewing from a distance, but unless I need a large amount of desktop space, I can do what little I need to without a second screen at all. Just my experience.

gT

[Biscuit]

Okay, so I have the same card, I think (Radeon X300 SE) which I bought off of Ebay with no cables.  It comes with S-video, VGA, and DVI output.

I'm still a leetle bit confused regarding using the DVI port on this card to go to the component inputs of my TV.  Can I use one of those DVI-I to component cables to plug into my TV?  Does this card require a converter of some sort before I can hook it to the component inputs of the TV?  Am I going to have to find an S-video to component cable?

[xmenxmen]

According to other forum, you need the dvi to component adaptor, not the svideo to component adaptor.

http://thegreenbutton.com/forums/thread/33482.aspx

[Biscuit]

Hey, thanks for the response and the link.

Well, now I'm sort of torn between trying the $30 purple adapter that I'm not 100% convinced will work, or maybe scrapping that card and going with something else.

I've searched and found plenty of recommendations for cards that would work with the more common ATI black adapter, but they are all AGP-based cards.  I originally got the X300 because it was PCI-E, which is all I have aside from regular PCI slots.  Anyone know of a PCI-E card with DVI-I output that I could hook up to the component connections of a TV?

Thanks.