Component video anyone?

[Brax]

Has anyone had any luck with the new video cards and outputting to component video to your tv?

[shmokes]

I've got an All-In-Wonder 9700.  It comes with the component adapter.  I wired it up to my HD widescreen and it sucks.  It overscans (I think that's the term for when the edges of the desktop go past the viewable area on my TV).  For regular TV out the utility will allow you to make the image smaller or bigger to make it fit your screen, but if you're using component that feature isn't available.  Maybe it's something that will be added in a future driver release.  It's hard to use Windows, though, when you can't get to the start button.
Also, if I turn the resolution up above 640x480 it displays the correct resolution on my screen, but there's a wierd scroll thing going on so I can only see about 30% of my desktop at any given time and when you move the mouse to the edge it scrolls, kind of like when you're playing a real-time stragegy game and the map is way bigger than your screen so you have to scroll around to see the whole thing.
Anyway...that's my experience so far.

[HeadRusch]

Are you using a utility like PowerStrip to adjust the video settings??  You can change resolutions this way to ones that are HD compatible.  

[shmokes]

No...I'm just using the program that comes with the card (unless that IS powerstrip).  If ATI makes powerstrip than I'm probably already using it.  If not, I'll have to try it.  Thanks.

[Sasquatch!]

No...I'm just using the program that comes with the card (unless that IS powerstrip).  If ATI makes powerstrip than I'm probably already using it.  If not, I'll have to try it.  Thanks.

Report back, soldier!    I'm curious to see if this Powerstrip program works.

[Brax]

do you think you would have different results on a regular tv?

[shmokes]

Yes, well, it depends whether I'd have differing results on a regular TV.  If I'm using S-video or composite out, no problem - the picture can be stretched and shrunk and so on.  So if by regular TV you mean, not using component video, then you shouldn't have a problem.

If I'm using component out this option just isn't there so if I have overscan problems with ANY TV, regular, projection, LCD, Plasma, I can't adjust the size.  Also, back when I was researching it I remember reading in ATI's knowledgebase or something that this overscan problem only happens on certain models of TV's (there was no list) so ymmv.  Mine is a Toshiba, um...I forget the model, 40" widescreen HDTV, about 1 - 2 years old.

Since there seems to be interest I'll try to remember to get on this powerstrip business tonight when I get home from work.  I don't have cable TV anymore (cutting costs, my tuition was just raised 25%) so having Tivo functionality isn't that cool anymore; I was planning to just get to it when I got to it.