[mythtv-users] Which Nvidia card for TV-OUT?

[Jarod C. Wilson]

On Nov 4, 2003, at 11:38, Jim Valavanis wrote:

> Yea damn it stop top-posting.  continued below....

=]

>>> On many of the Geforce 4 Nvidia cards there is the standard VGA 
>>> output,
>>> the S-Video output, and a "DVI" output which goes to a digital 
>>> display
>>> (like a LCD monitor). So if you install the official Nvidia drivers 
>>> you
>>> can output X to the DVI adapter without a problem, or the TV 
>>> adapter, or
>>> the regular VGA adapter..
>>
>> Jim, this of course assumes you *have* a DVI input on your TV for 
>> starters, and on top of that, that it is one that will allow you to 
>> connect a computer's DVI output to it. Some won't. That said, there 
>> ought to be at least one way you can connect to your 40" Plasma TV 
>> that is far superior to S-Video. I have my system hooked to a 47" 
>> HDTV using a VGA->Component Video adapter.
>
> OK, my hardware vendor recommends the following but knows nothing 
> about Linux, for a DVI output adapter. COMPAQ NVIDIA QUADRO4 380XGL.  
> Now to look for drivers and make sure it will work before spending 
> $240.00 (damn!).

Your hardware vendor is trying gouge you. That, or they're just that 
stupid. A Quadro is massive overkill. Get a GF4MX. And if you can't 
find one of those w/a DVI (assuming you still want DVI on the card), 
get a GF FX 5200. Both easily had for under $100.

> The Panasanic Plasma TV does have a DVI input, but as you say, maybe 
> it won't work from this DVI output?

Maybe, maybe not. Hard to say without having the manual (and that may 
not even help) and actually trying it out. Some work, some don't. It's 
a huge crap-shoot.

>>> I haven't actually done this *yet* but I will be sometime soon 
>>> sending
>>> the output to a widescreen TV which has component inputs. And this is
>>> really from my brother telling me that there is a DVI to Component
>>> converter.
>>
>> Warning: That'll only work if you have RGB Component inputs on your 
>> TV. If you have YPbPr Component inputs, you need a transcoder, and 
>> the only such devices I've seen are VGA->YPbPr, no DVI->YPbPr. My 
>> HDTV has YPbPr Component inputs, which I feed from the VGA out on my 
>> nForce2 board through an Audio Authority 9A60 transcoding adapter.
>
> So Jarod,
> Do you think I should go with an nForce2 and use the VGA out with a 
> transcoder to the plasma display?  If this is good enough, it will 
> save some $ and time.

Well, it may not save a huge amount of money. The transcoder I got was 
$108, though for me, it was well worth it. See if you can confirm if 
you have RGB or YPbPr Component inputs, because if you have RGB, a $20 
DVI->RGB Component cable should do the trick. If you can get the exact 
model number of your TV, I can try to take a look at the specs and 
probably make a better recommendation that way.

> Thanks again!

No problem.

-- 
Jarod C. Wilson, RHCE

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