[mythtv-users] HDTV / Widescreen with nVidia FX5200

[Jarod Wilson]

On 08/10/2009 06:35 AM, William wrote:
> Leigh Sharpe wrote:
>> Hi All,
>> I have a Panasonic TV which has only Composite, SVideo and Component
>> inputs, no DVI or VGA. I have just built a Mythbuntu box with an
>> nVidia FX5200 in it, which has a VGA, DVI and SVideo output. The only
>> one I can connect to the TV, obviously, is the SVideo. I'm having a
>> hell of a time getting it to talk proper widescreen, though.
>> Watching live TV, or replaying recordings are OK, if I set the TV to
>> 'Auto' mode, so it adjusts it's picture to suit the signal being fed
>> to it, but I am having problems with the Myth menu. The TV enlarges
>> the picture vertically, and I lose the top and bottom of the picture.
>> From a bit of googling, it would seem that the SVideo standard only
>> allows for 4:3 signals, anyway, and the nVidia card will ignore all
>> attempts to change the resolution when using the SVideo output, so I
>> am left with the option of trying to connect to the component input on
>> my TV (which should also give me a proper HD picture).
>> I have seen some reports somewhere of being able to connect these
>> cards to the component-in on a TV, but I can't seem to find out a) how
>> to physically connect it, and b) whether my card actually supports it.
>> Any ideas welcome.
>>
>> Leigh
>>
>>
> Welcome to my world. You might be able to use your component input if
> your tv supports RGBHV which is just a non standard vga port hidden
> behind coax inputs. If you do not have RGBHV and only have standard
> component inputs you can buy a converter cable but perhaps the best
> option is to purchase another video card such as one of the nVidia 8000
> or 9000 series cards. They will cost about the same as the adaptor cable
> and will allow you to run VDPAU hardware decoding.

...but if you're pushing an FX5200, its likely agp, and nVidia decided 
to stop making agp cards after the 7 series, so you have to go either 
pcie or pci. Most boards with agp slots don't have a pcie slot (but I 
have seen one that does), so pci would be the only option. Which feels 
criminal to me. I have an old shuttle cube just begging for a 
VDPAU-capable agp card... Oh well.

So far, I can't even bring myself to buy a pci gf 9 series card to 
tinker with in a system that only has pci slots to play with. But it 
would amuse me to no end (well, for a minute or two) to see this old 
compaq deskpro en (p3/933) playing h.264 material perfectly smoothly...

-- 
Jarod Wilson
jarod at wilsonet.com