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Linux Software

TV Output Using Linux & Stingray 128/3D? 17

Posted by Cliff from the getting-things-working dept.
cr0sh asks: "I am seeking help obtaining TV output under Linux. I am currently running SuSE 6.2 and XFree86 3.3.2, using a Hecules Stingray 128/3D with TV out. I have tried numerous different modelines under X to try and activate the TV output, with no luck. A look at the chipset revealed that the card uses a Chrontel CH7002D-V to provide the TV output. Studying the specifications revealed that in order to activate it, an I2C bus or direct pin programming may be used. I searched the internet using Google to see what I could find out regarding this chip and Linux, but the best I turned up was an I2C bus driver for a Riva TNT/BTV chipset. Seeing that this may have been a blind alley, I tried setting up my Genius HiEncoder VGA-to-TV converter to display the output from the card, with help from Tomi Engdahl and his site. I eventually found a solid modeline to use, however, all I get is a black and white display. No matter what changes to the modeline I try, I cannot obtain color. I really need a color TV output (it is to drive an HMD I own). Can anyone give me suggestions as to how I may get proper TV output, either via my current card (anyone know how to enable the Chrontel?), gaining color via my converter (has anyone used the HiEncoder with Linux?), or using an entirely different video card (with TV output supported under Linux)? Any help would be appreciated."
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TV Output Using Linux & Stingray 128/3D? More

TV Output Using Linux & Stingray 128/3D?

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  • I don't have AGP - but any suggestions on new cards are well appreciated.

    I purchased the HiEncoder off of Ebay, and didn't get any documentation on it. It has a variable cap that I don't know the use of (it doesn't seem to affect anything, color wise) - I have heard that some older converters could only do 640x480 in black and white, and at a lower res (320x240?), one could do color. But without the documentation, I don't know if this is the case.

    Finally, I have purchased another VGA->TV converter from an individual off of Ebay (an AverKey 3), as a sanity check, in case the color output on the HiEncoder is hosed. When I receive it, I should have at least some kind of answer.

    I have given thought to tracing the R, G, B and sync lines on the HMD, then setting up a custom connector for it, and just run straight from the card. I still would like to use video out, only because I have a cheap video projector I want to view with as well...

    Thank you all for any help...

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
  • Why isn't this showing on the front page???
  • and it sometimes was a pain for the TV stuff. I think that I once may have gotten it into TV mode in Linux by setting it in Windows (back when I dual-booted), and loading the UMSDOS linux stuff. I've since gotten rid of the card in favour of a Guillemot MaxiGamer Phoenix, so I won't be able to help too much more. If it's absolutely essential that you get TV out, you might try running Linux under a VMWare session in Windows NT/2000, and seeing if the driver for VMWare will not jack up the TV out.
    "Titanic was 3hr and 17min long. They could have lost 3hr and 17min from that."
  • Making too many assumptions here, I appologize.

    I am located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA (hence my URL) - so that would be NTSC standard.

    Thanks for pointing that out...

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
  • I've gotten TV output to work in XFree 4.0.1, I just specified the:
    Option "Tv"

    then added a section to the Monitor Section:

    Section "Monitor"
    Identifier "TV"
    HorizSync 30-50
    VertRefresh 60
    EndSection

    then added Option "Tv" "yes" to the device section..Then told it to use
    Monitor "TV"
    in the Screen Section
    Make sure you are using 640x480 resolution, and 24-bit color depth..

    that was with a Matrox G400 DualHead vid card (AGP)

    but it seems generic enough that it should work for you too..msg me if you wnat a copy of the XF86Config file..

    my question is:
    Is there a way to setup multihead such that both screens are completely independant?? the only way I have seen to do it so far is with +xinerama..which just make one huge screen. that sucks. I need 'em to be completely separate for a project I am working on..

    Good Luck.

  • BT848? (Score:2)

    by cr0sh ( 43134 )
    I had read that the some of the later Voodoo cards used a BT848 to switch the TV output on/off - I have ran across references to a driver that allows this.

    You are the second to mention using modelines only. Can you post the modeline you are using here (when you get a chance to look it up)?

    Thanks...

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
  • > Is there a way to setup multihead such that
    > both screens are completely independant?? the
    > only way I have seen to do it so far is with
    > +xinerama..which just make one huge screen.
    > that sucks. I need 'em to be completely
    > separate for a project I am working on..

    Um, just don't specify the +xinerama and you'll have two sperate heads. That's what I'm doing...


    --
  • Can you post the modeline you are using - that might help me...

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
  • Specifically, a modified Victormaxx Stuntmaster (and later a custom built HMD using the optics and LCD's from a Victormaxx Cybermaxx). These HMDs accept composite video input only (though there might be a small chance on the Cybermaxx stuff that I might be able to use RGB and sync, and thus do away with the composite stuff). Maybe at some point in my life I will be able to afford a "real" HMD, but not for a long while.

    I also have a video projector that uses a composite input, which I want to play with. I suppose I could get a better projector, but at this point I can't justify spending around $2000 for a projector (I can't understand why 640x480 color projectors aren't hitting the used market for under $1000 - heck, $500 would be more realistic. Of course, 3 tube CRT projectors are out there, but since shipping seems to cost over $300 for one of these from anywhere, that isn't worth it, not to mention the special ceiling mounts, etc)...

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
  • I've gotten video output to work very well with a Voodoo3 3000 AGP w/TVout. Not sure of the modelines right now, but they're easy to find on google. 640x480 looks pretty good.
    -----
  • http://www2.lm-sensors.nu/~lm78/index.html

    BTW - it is the BT869, not 848. My appologies for my mistake...

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
  • My laptop has a bt848 for the tv out, and I've used it to run tv out fairly well. I should point out that I'm running on the framebuffer, however, not running X. I know there are commercial cards out there with this chip, and it's fairly well documented for linux.
  • The author who posts the story (here: Cliff) can choose to post it just to the section page, or to both the section and the front page. The better part of Ask/. stories aren't frontpagers (as is the case with other sections, too: science, apache, etc...).

    --
  • If you don't specify +xinerama it should work. It depends on which window manager you use, though; some just aren't aware of the other head this way. I couldn't get it to work with the old versions of KDE or Gnome (about six months ago), not sure about the new ones. I use Enlightenment myself.

  • Ugh, the computer I had that in is not working any more. Turn it on, can't get a video signal, it doesn't seem to be booting.

    Yes, you can switch the output on and off with lm_sensors, but I'm too lazy and I let the BIOS take care of that at bootup (it'll auto-select the proper mode).
    -----
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • I am not wanting to watch TV on my PC, I am wanting to display my PC's output on my TV (actually, I am wanting to display it on a VR HMD that only supports composite video input).

    BTW, I am not cheap (although, I guess one could argue why I don't just get a better HMD - that's a problem when the cheapest VGA-compatible HMD runs around $1000) - but I do have a budget (and for your information, I have considered getting one of these cards, they seem pretty neat).

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!

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