Can ATI s-video out be adapted to composite?

  • Thread starter Thread starter NickM61
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NickM61

I just switched from an nvidia fx 5900 to a Radeon 9600. Both have s-
video
tv-outs.

The nvidia out was easily convertible to composite video and worked.


I added an "s-video-to-composite" adapter to the Radeon and it doesn't
work.
Does it require s-video to s-video only?

I didn't think it mattered. Whats the deal with this?

Nick
 
NickM61 said:
I just switched from an nvidia fx 5900 to a Radeon 9600. Both have s-
video
tv-outs.

The nvidia out was easily convertible to composite video and worked.


I added an "s-video-to-composite" adapter to the Radeon and it doesn't
work.
Does it require s-video to s-video only?

I didn't think it mattered. Whats the deal with this?

Nick
Click to expand...

Where did that s-video to composite video adapter come from. Did it come
with the board. Those boards use special "s-video" looking connectors that
ARE NOT s-video output connectors. Count the pins. Those boards come with
special connectors for breaking out the various component/composite signals.
Be sure to use the ones that came with that specific board. Don't even
think that one model of connectors will work on another. They won't. I've
purchased three different ATI cards now. My new card will not work with the
cables that came with the older two I have.

And yes, if you have the right cable and adapter, you will get composite
video.

William
 
Thanks for your help. I bought a standard s-video extension cable
without thought of pins. The adapter came from the same place. The
cable by itself works when connected to a small lcd TV without the
composite adapter. Any idea why the s-video would work and not when
the adapter is added. Seems that going downgrading the info wouldn't
affect the card's output while if the TV can play composite, wouldn't
it work?

Just read the manual and this card supports s-video to composite.

Nick
 
NickM61 said:
Thanks for your help. I bought a standard s-video extension cable
without thought of pins. The adapter came from the same place. The
cable by itself works when connected to a small lcd TV without the
composite adapter. Any idea why the s-video would work and not when
the adapter is added. Seems that going downgrading the info wouldn't
affect the card's output while if the TV can play composite, wouldn't
it work?

Just read the manual and this card supports s-video to composite.

Nick
Click to expand...

Get the cable from ATI. It has more pins than a s-video extension cable
has.
 
As I said, the s-video cable (4pin) works on an lcd TV's s-video in.
Its not the cable but the conversion to composite that is not working.

Nick
 
The connector (socket) on the back of an ATI card is not just an S-video
connector .... it has more pins. While an S-Video cable may fit and
work (for S-Video), there may be another pin of the socket that already
has true composite video on it, but you will need a special ATI cable to
access it.

There are S-Video to composite adapters, but they are a kludge and
generally don't work that well (all that they do is tie two of the pins
of the S-Video connector together through a capacitor, and then come off
one side of the capacitor). Using such a connector with an ATI board
MAY cause the ATI board to not properly detect that a monitor is
connected to the S-Video output, and if the board doesn't detect a
connection, it won't enable the port at all (some of the later drivers
have a check box to force TV out to be enabled even if no connected
device is seen).
 
I don't understand the responses you're getting; if you get s-video using
your s-vid cable, then there should be no problem getting composite to work
with the same s-vid cable + an s-vid to composite adapter...

Are you sure the adapter is good?

What exactly do you mean that it "doesn't work", anyway? Describe what
happens when you hook up the cable and adapter as mentioned and step-by-step
what you're doing.
 
NickM61 said:
As I said, the s-video cable (4pin) works on an lcd TV's s-video in.
Its not the cable but the conversion to composite that is not working.
Click to expand...

Nick:

I took the time to go to the ATI web site and looked up the 9600 graphics
card. I looked in the user's manual. Found under supplied accessories that
a break-out cable had both s-video and composite video input/output. I also
read in the documentation that the card either has s-video i/o or composite
i/o. If you want composite from the s-video out, you are required to
purchase an adaptor from ATI's store. This information is somewhat
contradictory. Why show a break-out cable with both s-video /
composite-video i/o and then say you have either or?

It's my belief that this break out cable has your solution. It has BOTH
s-video and composite out for you to use. One 6 pin D-sub on one end and two
s-video and two RCA connectors on the other. My best guess this is what you
need.
 
Thanks for this info William. I also have an NVidia card with a 4 pin
s-video out and installed/used it to experiment.

I bought a 50 foot s-video extension from Altex (male/male) and an s-
video to composite adapter.

The 50' extension works from the 4-pin video card to an s-video lcd
TV. If I add the adapter and connect to the composite-in, no signal.
You were right, crappy adapter.

I have a 12 foot s-video to composite cord that successfully sends a
signal to this set - into its composite. Good conversion is possible,
unless the s-video signal degraded over 50 feet, preventing adaptation
to composite. To test this, I connect a short s-video extension (male/
male) and add the composite adapter. No signal.

It seems that if the cable has built-in opposite ends, it works.

Next I try the 12' video to composite attached to a 50' audio rca. It
works! This proves the problems is in the quality of the conversion,
regardless of the number of pins. Being ATI is out of stock on their
adapter, I'm just going to stick with this setup. Thanks for your
help with this.

You were right from the start. The ATI adapter was all that was
needed. Nice if it were included with the card.

Nick
 
There are slow horizontal lines drifting up. This is pretty minor but
what causes it?

Nick
 
NickM61 said:
There are slow horizontal lines drifting up. This is pretty minor but
what causes it?

Nick
Click to expand...


If at all possible, use the s-video source to your monitors over composite.
Their is a big difference in detail. Their is also a big difference in
quality encoders/decoders for composite video to/from s-video.

Reminiscing ......

Back in the late 70's I worked for a sales/service department involved in
Industrial Video Production. One of my projects was sending video from one
vcr to another during A/B editing and dubbing. The first thing I did was
bypass the y/c encoder in the players, buffer the signals, send them out to
the recorder, then bypass the y/c decoder. This allowed the edited video to
achieve 7 mhz in Y signal bandwidth, and maintain C channel quality. Not
possible with composite video. Over the process of video production, this
gave our systems at least a one-generation quality jump in distributed video
quality. (The good old days of analogue signals. Crying in my beer. )

We had been doing this for about three years when Panasonic (Matshustia ?)
engineers showed up and looked over what we were doing to their equipment.
Then all of a sudden s-video came out. We were adapting portable vcr's to
camera heads making the first camcorders using y/c paths, throwing frame
store special effects generators in with switchers with y/c patching. It
was quite some fun until Panasonic adopted it in their industrial line of
equipment. Fun times.

/Reminiscing
 
The connector (socket) on the back of an ATI card is not just an S-video
connector .... it has more pins. While an S-Video cable may fit and
work (for S-Video), there may be another pin of the socket that already
has true composite video on it, but you will need a special ATI cable to
access it.
Click to expand...

Sure it has more pins, but the Chrominance and luminance pins on that card are
wired in exactly the proper spot for a standard S-Video cable to plug directly
into the video card ,. A Radio Shack S-Video to composite adapter works on my
system here with a 9800 Pro Video card.

Some TV's wont display composite unless it also senses an audio cable
connected.
 
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