Nvidia Geforce 8400 GS

[charger19690]

Bought a new Dell with Windows Vista 32 bit. Bought a Nvidia Geforce 8400 GS
card for the S-Video out for TV display.

Between PNY, the manufacturer of the card and Nvidia's website, they both
say that the full-screen feature to watch movies on the TV is unsupported
because of the Windows Vista Platform.

Is there any news of when or how to get Vista to play video to a TV output
on a video card. My old system under XP with a Geforce2 MX card worked great?

 

[Curious]

Are you using Media Center or another TV application?
What resolution is your PC desktop set to? I ask because only some graphic
cards will output an S-Video image of 1024x768 and most are limited to a
desktop resolution of 800x600.

 

[charger19690]

Curious,

I am using Realplayer. This card will show my desktop, but upon using a
video, it will not utilize a full screen feature independent.

My old computer with the Geforce2 MX had a feature with Video Overlay, that
when using full screen mode, it would overlay the video on the TV S-link. It
worked great on the old system because you could set each display, monitor
and tv, different, but the Video Overlay Full-Screen feature would shoot the
video on both according to their independent resolutions.

I think if i clone the connection across both it may work, but each time I
would have to adjust the computer monitor resolution after using the feature,
cumbersome, and not the best way to do it.

Thanks,

 

[Curious]

The new Vista graphics do not support Overlay.

Curious,

I am using Realplayer. This card will show my desktop, but upon using a
video, it will not utilize a full screen feature independent.

My old computer with the Geforce2 MX had a feature with Video Overlay,
that
when using full screen mode, it would overlay the video on the TV S-link.
It
worked great on the old system because you could set each display, monitor
and tv, different, but the Video Overlay Full-Screen feature would shoot
the
video on both according to their independent resolutions.

I think if i clone the connection across both it may work, but each time I
would have to adjust the computer monitor resolution after using the
feature,
cumbersome, and not the best way to do it.

Thanks,

 

[charger19690]

I guess that is what I figured out after the fact in purchasing a graphics
card that is "Made for Windows Vista", kind of makes a person mad when the
advertisement for the card says everything from "Made for Vista" and all of
the S-Video output. Leads a person to believe that everything should just
work fine. Not the case in this situation.

I guess all I would like to know, if this feature will ever be enable or
supported in Vista???

Thanks.

 

[Curious]

AFAIK overlay will never be implemented in Vista. I would still like to know
what resolution you have your PC desktop set to since S-Video may work with
it if is 800x600 or possibly 1024x768.

 

[charger19690]

curious,

my monitor is set to 1280 x 800 and my tv s-video is set for 1024 x 768.

each work as a stretched desktop configured separately. In cloned view, they
both default to the TV set 1024 x 768 resolution, so if I want to watch a
movie I could by switching to cloned mode and using the 1024 x 768
resolution, then, being that I like the 22" flat panel at the 1280 x 800
configuration, I would have to switch it back after the fact.

My argument is not that it will not period, my argument is that it doesn't
work like the XP platform with the "Full-Screen" overlay support.

That is why I am asking if this will ever be made better?

I am guessing it will not.

They promote this card with the S-link for DVD and HD experience, but not as
useful and simple as was the old XP platform. That full-screen overlay
feature was great for TV applications.

 

[Curious]

If they are in the right resolution when in extended desktop mode why don't
you start the movie on whichever part of the desktop you want to see it on?

 

[charger19690]

well that's basically what I will do in order to watch a movie now. My reason
for my posting was to find out if the Full-Screen overlay feature was ever
gonna be in able, then you could have each set at different resolutions. Now
i would have to set them the same, which isn't the problem, the nuisance is
rearranging my icons after switching it back....lol....

The Full-Screen overlay was a nicely supported feature in XP, I hope they do
something to bring it back.

 

[Curious]

It is so easy to drag and drop an icon from one display to the other with
extended desktop that I am surprised that you would rather have what many
consider the poorer video quality of video when using overlay mode.

 

[charger19690]

I think what you are missing here is that both the computer monitor and tv
have to have the same resolution settings in order to do this. So regardless
of what is easy or hard, it comes down to my preference of resolution on my
monitor versus what the max res can be set for the tv. My particular
preferences on the computer and max on the TV are not the same.

So basically I need to switch back and forth if I want to utilize the TV, it
was just easier and more diverse under XP.

To each their own I guess. But basically, under your understanding, we
should not even have any resolution options that are better then the max for
a TV on our computer then.

 

[JW]

Only when you displays are in Clone Mode do they need to be in the same
resolution. When in Extended desktop mode they can be in different
resolutions. In extended desktop mode you can also have copies of the
shortcuts you use on the primary desktop on the extension display.

 

[charger19690]

Yes this is a nice thing too, but I can use a program on the TV for example.
Pull it over there and maximize it, but if I click on Full-Screen mode in
Realplayer, it puts the Full-Screen on my primary monitor.

So the only way I could watch something on my TV in Full-Screen mode with
extended desktop, is to make my TV my primary monitor.

Like I have stated, yes, it CAN work, but not as easily. Unless I am
missinig some fundamentals of Dual Screen understanding, the automatics of
the Full-Screen Overlay feature that was supported in XP is not the same.

Let me state again, yes I can make my TV play Full-Screen with the Extend My
desktop feature, but only if it is my primary monitor. With Maximize it will
fill up the TV screen, but as soon as I click Full-Screen Mode it will switch
to the primary monitor.

Thanks.

 

[JW]

I am a little confused by your reference to the ability to use Overlay
rendering instead of VMR9 rendering which has always been used by Media
Center as compare to Media Player which normally uses Overlay rendering in
MCE 2005.
Are you possibly confusing this with the ability to always display video
running in a window in Always on Top mode?
You may have to pull the realplayer icon over to the secondary display first
so that it is started on that display for it to go to full screen mode on
that display.

 

[charger19690]

Ok, first off, I think the few people that have commented on this post, think
that I understand the whole computer technical jargon.

All I started out saying is that under windows xp, NVidia had a feature for
the dual display mode which was called, "Video Overlay Full-Screen Mode"
which when you clicked on full-screen mode in ANY media player, ie.
realplayer, VLC player, intervideo, etc., it would automatically display full
screen on both monitors, ie. computer monitor and TV.

From what I am gathering, Vista does not support that feature, which in
Vista, the NVidia driver and control panel does not even have the feature for
full-screen control.

Everyone that I have talked to for support about this issue says it has to
do with Vista security protocols right now, and don't know if it will ever be
supported like it was under XP.

Yes I got the whole icon on the second monitor and opening the program and
maximizing it and what not. But, with Real Player anyways, once you click
Full-Screen mode in the program, it shows on the Primary or Main monitor
ONLY, not both, and you cannot move it to the other monitor.

The only way I have been able to keep the Two independent, is to use the
extend feature with dual view, and when I would like to view a video on the
TV I have to go into the properties and tell it that the TV is the Primary or
Main monitor. Then it will Full-Screen for me on the TV.

Like I said, if there is something I am missing, that may be. But I will say
it again, XP supported it easy without having the think about it OR
understand why.

Thanks,

 

[JW]

I now understand your problem better.
The fact the Real Player does not run on either display surprised me, do you
have the same problem using MP 11.
I suggest that you read through the release notes and user's guide of the
latest NVIDIA driver release. The do discuss functions implemented in XP
that are not yet implemented in Vista.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/winvista_x86_163.75.html

 

[A-non-e-mus]

Nvidia makes a great card but stink at Vista Drivers.
Overlay mode isnt in the Vista Drivers as they are in the XP drivers
ATI Drivers have "Theatre Mode" which does what you want - open Media Player
Classic and it shows the video on your TV while minimized to the task bar.