Suggestions on Video Card w/TV-Out?

CArnesen · Post by **CArnesen** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 1:33 pm

I'm looking to purchase a video card for a spare computer that has TV-out for the following purpose:

I'm going to have a regular monitor hooked up to the computer for me to select AMVs (or any other AVI or MPEG files) to play, I believe that I want to find a TV-out card that will output the Windows Media Player DirectShow output to the TV full screen while it is playing in a window on my regular PC monitor.

Any suggestions? The computer won't be the most powerful thing in the world (P3 500 or so), as such the video card doesn't need to be the "latest and greatest". Thanks!

iserlohn · Post by **iserlohn** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 1:54 pm

I've got an ATI and can recommend that you don't use it one of their cards...at least not an older card that you may find on eBay (like mine which is 3 years old). I've heard that the new GeForces are pretty good for tv out though. You can always just buy a scan converter and hook yourself up to a TV from your VGA port as well...or get a projecter =)

ErMaC · Post by **ErMaC** » Sun Nov 24, 2002 7:36 pm

Best cards to do this are the Matrox dualhead cards. You can make it so one of the outputs (either monitor or TV) is just a single window, like a DVD Player or Windows Media Player. I'm not sure if all of them can do this - I know the marvels can, and I think the standard G2/400's can do it.

TaranT · Post by **TaranT** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 12:32 am

I was going to suggest the Hollywood Plus card along with Quu's MCIPlay, but I think that only plays MPEG files (not AVI).

I have the Matrox G550 in my new machine and followed ErMaC's suggestion to put it in dual-head mode. It almost works.

I can drag the Media Player to the second screen. And when I click an MPG file in the explorer window, Media Player will play it. But when I select full-screen-play, it will play full screen...on the first monitor. Media Player continues to play a small-screen on the second monitor. Weird.

Maybe there is some option I'm not setting.

Prices: Hollywood Plus goes for $50-$60. The G550 (32MB DDR 360MHz retail) was about $100 at GoogleGear.

*********

ErMaC · Post by **ErMaC** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 1:22 am

From what I've been told the options is some DVDMax thingie, I've heard people talk about it. You don't drag the file to another monitor, the other monitor is literally a clone of your playback window on a TV. The option may not be available on the non-Marvel cards, however. I'd look up to see if there's a specific screen mode or a program that comes with the card that does it.

TaranT · Post by **TaranT** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 4:03 am

Hey, it works. I had to go to the display advanced settings page and enable DVDMax, then reboot.

When I select an MPEG or AVI file, Media Player opens to play it, and it shows simultaneously on the second monitor with the full screen. Pressing alt-enter makes it full screen on both monitors.

The odd thing is that the main monitor goes completely black for 1-2 seconds whenever Media Player opens or closes itself.

********

CArnesen · Post by **CArnesen** » Mon Nov 25, 2002 10:55 am

That's the exact function that I'm looking for. I do more research on those video cards. Thanks!

TaranT · Post by **TaranT** » Tue Nov 26, 2002 4:07 am

The G550 came with a cable adapter that attaches to the HD15 jack and brings out the analog video signals, both RCA and SVideo. Last night I was using a standard monitor attached to the HD15 jack as the secondary display. So tonight I tried this cable adapter and attached it to a TV. (Actually, a tv-to-VGA converter box connected to the same monitor.)

Still works, although the picture seems washed out and the aspect ratio doesn't look quite right. I need to experiment some more, but this might be a good way to make analog tapes directly from hi-quality DV AVI files; i.e. no additional compression necessary.

While you're researching, keep in mind there are different flavors of the G550. The one I have has both a DVI and an HD15 connector. If you get the version with only the DVI connector, I was told you'd have to purchase an expensive TV-out adapter separately.

**********

Waldo · Post by **Waldo** » Thu Nov 28, 2002 4:55 pm

The Matrox G400 can certainly do what you want. My G400 can output virtually anything shown in Windows Media Player out to the TV as either full screen or letter box(MPEG, DivX, MJPEG, Sorenson), though the G400 card is old by today's standards so you're better off with a G550. As for Pat's program. it's farily robust though it only works with cards that handle MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 which limits you to those two file formats.

mckeed · Post by **mckeed** » Fri Nov 29, 2002 10:01 am

ditto i got the g400 and i can't be happier with it......thought there is a tripple head card out now, but that will pretty much break teh bank running at about $400 bux. I so want one, but going back to school for my masters takes a chunck out of my income.