Having a weird issue and I can't seem to find an answer

[Robkhb]

So I am trying to figure out which TV I am going to use for my setup and I am having a weird problem.  I have 2 27" tvs, one is a mitsubishi which is about 20 years old and one is an Akai pure flat which is only a couple years old.  Both are CRT tvs, have svideo inputs and the Akai has component inputs as well, though it is not HD.  The picture quality on the Akai is awesome and this is the one I really want to use.  However, when I hook my video card (Radeon 9800 pro with s-video out and I have the adaptor to output component also), to the Akai, the image comes in black and white.  This happens when I use the s-video input on the TV or the component video.  The image comes through okay either way but it has zero color.  When I hook into the s-video on my old Mitsubishi the color works fine but the image quality just isn't that great.

Has anyone seen this?  I saw one other post on a similar topic but it doesn't look like any answers came out and it's a couple years old.

I need help!

[Robkhb]

Anyone ever see this?

[Ken Layton]

Sorry my experience is with commercial arcade monitors.

[Robkhb]

Anyone else?

[TOK]

TV's are funny like that... What resolution are you running? If you have it at anything greater than 640x480, back it down. My first suggestion would be to get the s-video working first. Its less finicky than component.

I have a flat screen Toshiba CRT in my vert cab that would do weird stuff at 800x600. At 640x680 in s-video (and now 640x432 in component) its fine.

[SirPeale]

I've had this issue.  Try another cable.

[Robkhb]

Yeah I have it set at 640x480, and Peale the S-video cable works fine on the other tv....?  Any other ideas?

[grantspain]

if your tv has an onscreen menu perhaps the signal inputs are set wrong,i have had similar issues with a gamebox on my tv and all i had to do was mess with the settings

[modessitt]

It would appear that the problem lies with your Akai TV and not your cable or card.

ATI's website says that the output to TV's is in NTSC format only, and will display in black and white on some TV's which only accept PAL-M, -N, -B, or -G.  (http://support.ati.com/ics/support/KBAnswer.asp?questionID=761)

Check your TV manual to find out if the TV accepts NTSC input and whether or not there might be an adjustment you can make to the input setection.  A lot of times TV's made for European and Asian markets don't have the NTSC detection.  The Akai website no longer lists a 27" monitor, but the new 25", 29" and larger TV's do support NTSC playback, although there are no manuals online to check for menu adjusting.

More than likely, this is why your Mitsubishi is in color and your Akai is in black and white.

Just feel lucky you got one in color.  I found out after buying a 3D graphics card years ago that although it was great on my computer, it only output black and white on S-Video.  Sigh.....

[Rickn]

Assuming we are talking true S-Video (Super VHS), you should have a small din connection on the back of the tv, sort of looks like a "PS2 Mouse connection"
This connector has one pin for the video information- without any color/chroma information with an associated ground. then there is a pin for Color/chroma information and it's ground.

When you make your connections and have only black and white, the color/chroma connection is bad ( the Akai). When you made the connections with poor image (Mitsubishi)- the video connection is bad.

I do not know the connecting cable or the video card, but it appears that the TV's are likely fine,the cable or the way you are connecting is wrong??

Alot of cards use 2 phono connectors for the out put the cable is such that 2 phono cables merge to 1 din connector, if this is so, you may just need to reverse the connections on the phono connect to the card.

Hope this helps??

Rick Nieman
Nieman Video Displays
Rick@Niemandisplays.com

[Silver]

Hmmmm.

Are you saying you get a black and white image when you connect via component on the akai? (3 cables for video signal)

With S-video (YC), you are sending 2 signals - Y (a black and white picture) and C (all the colour info).

With Component (YUV/YPbPr) you are sending 3 signals - Y (black and white picture) and Pb and Pr (two sets of colour "difference" signals, also somtimes called U and V)

First thing is to use another s-video and component source - e.g. a DVD player - do you get colour picture on the Akai?

If no - then looks like a fault with the TV. If yes, then there could be something slightly unusual about the output of the gfx card.

Forget about the ATI PAL/NTSC issue - that only really applies to composite connectors (PAL/NTSC are picture with colour signals sent over a single signal connector).


EDIT: Also, if you get a black and white over component, what happens when you disconnect the 3 cables one at a time? Does the screen change in tone/brightness, or can you remove 2 cables (Pb and Pr) with no impact on the black and white pic?

Also - how do you get component out of the 9800? Does it come with a special adapter or are you running some VGA->component adapter?

[Jeff AMN]

Also - how do you get component out of the 9800? Does it come with a special adapter or are you running some VGA->component adapter?

I just ordered this today, and I have a Radeon 9800 for my cab. This is a DVI to Component adapter.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814999903