S-Video keeps failing on ATI cable

[paquette]

I have an ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon 8500DV in my main home machine.
It's been fine for my purposes and ATI was okay about replacing it when
the fan failed a few years ago.

Two years ago I lost color on the S-Video connect (which goes to a
satellite received). I use this input frequently so this loss is
irksome to say the least. I eventually bought a new cable (nearly
$50CAN as I remember). Now, two years later, no color again on
S-Video. Is this a known problem with these cables?

Also, does anyone know if the ONLY way to contact ATI Canada is now
their 1-900 line?

Thanks for this!

 

[First of One]

Two years ago I lost color on the S-Video connect (which goes to a
satellite received). I use this input frequently so this loss is
irksome to say the least. I eventually bought a new cable (nearly
$50CAN as I remember). Now, two years later, no color again on
S-Video. Is this a known problem with these cables?

Is this the dongle as listed here, or a straight cable? :
http://shop.ati.com/product.asp?sku=2538011

Current ATi video cards (even the $500 ones) carry only a one-year warranty.
I don't expect the dongle to last much longer than the card, at least
officially...

Also, does anyone know if the ONLY way to contact ATI Canada is now
their 1-900 line?

On paper, ATi offers free phone support only to 9xxx cards and above. The
8500 is considered a discontinued legacy product. What can a call center rep
possibly do to help with this problem, though? Both your card and the cable
are well past warranty.