I just replaced my MX4000 with an 8400GS. TV-out doesn't work on boot screen. (Doesn't work on anything yet.) My MX4000 showed boot screen on TV. Is this normal for the 8400GS? Or is my new card bunk?

(If it is normal to not have TV-out automatically, then eventually I'm going to have to figure out how to get TV enabled for MythTV after install Knoppmyth. Still waiting on LinHes 6 so I can get started! )

Second question -- what if I dispensed with the third party card and used the Dell's integrated video -- dumb idea? The integrated display is Intel(R) 82845G Graphics Controller 64MB.

Cheereo

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Knoppmyth R6 Preview auto - Dell Dimension 2400 2.4 GHz - 1.2gb ram - Sparkle GeForce 8400GS (was MX4000 128MB) PCI TV-out - HDHomeRun dual ATSC over gigabit. It's not Greek to me, just Linux

I have the same card, and TV-out works at boot. My MB is Asus M2A-VM, and at least I had to change the default output in bios, which was the onboard ATI.



At some point the TV-out would stay dead, if the (old Philips tube) TV was not on during boot. That must have been with another (NVidia based) display adapter and motherboard. I've had quite a many cycles with hardware during my 3+ years with KnoppMyth...

I'm sorry I can't give you any better ideas at the moment, but basically, the TV-out should work during boot.

Whoa, well strange. I'm playing with Mythbuntu on a 30 GB drive (don't worry, Knoppmyth is still on my real drive ) and it has an ubuntu config thingy (NOT the NVidia control panel) where I can tell it to use TV-out. Boot-up TV-out still doesn't work, but once in X windows it is ONLY TV-out -- its VGA-out doesn't work anymore. So I guess that is the configuration I'm going to have to figure out in Knoppmyth -- how to tell it to use TV-out when in X.

Still, weird, I wonder why TV-out just doesn't work like on yours, and on my old card?


Yeah, there's boot option for Auto vs. onboard. I'm set to Auto which enables the Geforce card. VGA works on it, just not the TV-out (except under the "special" mythbuntu circumstances mentioned above).

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Knoppmyth R6 Preview auto - Dell Dimension 2400 2.4 GHz - 1.2gb ram - Sparkle GeForce 8400GS (was MX4000 128MB) PCI TV-out - HDHomeRun dual ATSC over gigabit. It's not Greek to me, just Linux

I had the same issue with Mythbuntu. To get around it, I just left the display selection to default (Not selecting TV out in Mythbutu). Then TV out would work automatically based on if a monitor or TV was connected to the video card.

Now that I thought more about it, I checked my xorg.conf (even though, I'm at work...) And indeed, there are self-made tweaks that have been added on the way (and passed over on upgrades).

I think, most importantly, there is the Option line ConnectedMonitor. I have the old tube (S-Video) and an old 800x600 video projector (VGA) connected. Our standard is PAL-B (Finland), the HorizSync is for the safety of the tube, and VertRefresh is fixed @60 for the requirement of the projector.



Oh, and I'm using the proprietary driver:


I was very proud of myself, when I was able to accomplish an on-the-fly switch from TV-out to VGA using two buttons on the remote It has a high WAF, and all

Of course, without the great guys here at KM forum, I couldn't have done anything -I think I would have let the whole KM-box to go in favour of a common hard-disk equipped digital box. So I am in great debt to the community. For once, I felt I could do something to give back. I really hope that I'm giving more help than confusion...

I don't have your card, but have you tried having nothing else connected to the card except the TV when you boot? In other words disconnect the VGA connection and disconnect the DVI connection and only connect the TV and then try powering up the computer.

Seconded. I have an 8600GT (not same but close) and it only uses SVideo-out on boot if nothing else is connected, otherwise it will use the primary display.

Howdy - actually, it's not a mythbuntu thing. No TV-out on boot, so this is regardless of any OS. True in windows too. And TV-out doesn't work unless I explicitly tell mythbuntu to configure TV-out, at which point the VGA no longer works once it hits X-windows. Up until x-windows, it is still VGA and no TV-out. My MX4000 had TV-out as long as it was connected, any time.

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Knoppmyth R6 Preview auto - Dell Dimension 2400 2.4 GHz - 1.2gb ram - Sparkle GeForce 8400GS (was MX4000 128MB) PCI TV-out - HDHomeRun dual ATSC over gigabit. It's not Greek to me, just Linux

Correct, when I have ONLY a live connection to TV-out (nothing connected to VGA, nothing connected to DVI), TV-out still does not work. The ONLY time it works is in mythbuntu when it hits x windows IF I've told mythbuntu to configure TV-out. At that point, VGA no longer works in x windows no way no how.

This is the card. I don't know why it is idiosyncratic, because in the right circumstances a signal does come out - so not like a short or broken connection. Hm.

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Knoppmyth R6 Preview auto - Dell Dimension 2400 2.4 GHz - 1.2gb ram - Sparkle GeForce 8400GS (was MX4000 128MB) PCI TV-out - HDHomeRun dual ATSC over gigabit. It's not Greek to me, just Linux

Whoa, dude, now THAT'S shiny!

(Thanks for the configs btw, good to have on hand!)

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Knoppmyth R6 Preview auto - Dell Dimension 2400 2.4 GHz - 1.2gb ram - Sparkle GeForce 8400GS (was MX4000 128MB) PCI TV-out - HDHomeRun dual ATSC over gigabit. It's not Greek to me, just Linux

Exactly what my MX4000 does, and your card it seems, and my 8400GS does NOT do. "nothing else connected" makes no difference in behavior. The only time a signal has passed through was after I told my mythbuntu test drive to use it, then it worked in X only while also shutting down VGA in X only. Weird, huh? Best would be if outputs worked as they "should", but if at least I can force the same mythbuntu-esque configuration in my Knoppmyth / LinHes install (hasn't happened yet since buying this card -- still using the MX4000 on my knoppmyth r5.5), then at least I'll have some form of TV viewing.

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Knoppmyth R6 Preview auto - Dell Dimension 2400 2.4 GHz - 1.2gb ram - Sparkle GeForce 8400GS (was MX4000 128MB) PCI TV-out - HDHomeRun dual ATSC over gigabit. It's not Greek to me, just Linux

I guess I'm going to conclude that this card has no connection detection. Either the card is defective, or this Sparkle product is idiosyncratic in that it simply does not do it they way ALL other GeForce cards seem to. (Any experience with Sparkle versus other makers?).

The S-Video out is a weird looking one, btw. Got extra pin holes yet no guide for the center plastic rod thingie. Normal S-cables don't fit (unless you remove the plastic pin), only the S-cable that came with it (that, lo and behold, is perfectly normal 4-pin S cable except that it is missing the plastic guide pin!)

Either way, I'll be back in the future seeking help on how to force TV-output in xorg.conf in Knoppmyth, al la mythbuntu! (Thanks guys.)

Cheereo!

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Knoppmyth R6 Preview auto - Dell Dimension 2400 2.4 GHz - 1.2gb ram - Sparkle GeForce 8400GS (was MX4000 128MB) PCI TV-out - HDHomeRun dual ATSC over gigabit. It's not Greek to me, just Linux

Are you sure that it's a S-Video cable they included? Sound like the "s-video port" may be for a component breakout cable (red, green, blue).

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Mike
My Hardware Profile

It's S on each end only, no 3 cable breakouts or anything like that, and it works sending an S signal to my TV (when said Mythbuntu config conditions are given). That doesn't mean I suppose the port mold isn't RGB, but S signal is indeed what it gives out begrudgingly over the included 4pin-4pin single cable.

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Knoppmyth R6 Preview auto - Dell Dimension 2400 2.4 GHz - 1.2gb ram - Sparkle GeForce 8400GS (was MX4000 128MB) PCI TV-out - HDHomeRun dual ATSC over gigabit. It's not Greek to me, just Linux

How many pin holes? 6? 9? Does it look like a match for this plug? It's a DIN connector and comes in many flavors. I'm guessing that the port on the card is not intended for direct s-video (4 pin DIN) connection. You probably need an adapter to make a "proper" connection.

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Mike
My Hardware Profile