So I wish I had bought my tx2 with an s-video port but I bought one that only had vga output. I was reading both laptop specs and notice that they both have the same graphics card. I don't quite understand how this all works, but shouldn't the same graphics card come with the same output ports? Anyway, my question is, is it possible for me to buy an s-video port (at radio shack, or somewhere else), open up my laptop, somehow attach the s-video port to my video card and have it work? Is that even possible? I know I have an empty spot on the side of my laptop near the VGA port for s-video (there is a piece of plastic covering it). Thanks in advance!
The short answer is no. The S-video port is soldered to the motherboard and although it may be possible to solder a new connector to the board, it would be like doing brain surgery - after drinking a pot of espresso. Possible but very risky.
David
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Woohoo! I won my Touchsmart!
There was a lot of talk about it at one time. I don't remember anyone actually going through with it though.
I decided it was too risky, so I didn't try it. But I did buy one of those VGA to s-video converters for like $5 online. Even though the track record is that those usually don't work, I decided $5 was less risk that my $900 laptop (which I later found out I could have gotten for $600 if I waited a week for it to go on sale). Anyway, the converter worked, and I finally have an interactive TV (thanks to the remote control that comes with the laptop). There is a trick to getting that to work though, so if you decide to go that way and have problems let me know.
Thanks for the replies! sfomail, I'm interested in the VGA to S-video converter option (yes, that seems an awful lot safer). However, others haven't had much luck with this (see http://www.touchsmartdevzone.com/forum/thread/1407/TV-out-Via-VGA-adapter/ ), so I'm curious to hear about your experience. What graphics card (or chipset if it's integrated like my ATI HD3200 on the tx2-1275dx) do you have.
Hi ryanc. When I first got the adapter, the TV would not even recognize the signal, even with the forced TV out option. At first I thought I had wasted my money, but after changing some display settings on the laptop, I got it to work. I can't remember them off the top of my head, but when I get back home tonight I'll post more info. It had something to do with the resolution and output format. I have the ATI HD 3200.
Ryanc and others... I decided to just post screenshots of my settings instead of explaining them in text. For some reason I'm having trouble uploading images tonight, if you can't see the screenshots then I'll try again tomorrow. Note that the settings displayed here will make your screen look big and strange, but it will look fine on the TV. I have the tx2-1025dx. Let me know if you have any questions. Hope this helps.
This is the cable I bought - around $5 almost anywhere online. I never got the RCA output to work, only the S-video, but I didn't put any effort into the RCA output.
Make sure that the force TV detect is selected. (see above image)
you have to clone the TV (you can do this by right clicking it and selecting the appropriate options). note that the HDTV option makes the output black and white. I've got an HDTV, but I just use the regular TV output. The quality is still pretty good, especially for $5. (See above image)
Use the following sharpness and flicker removal settings (see above image)
Use M/NTSC or whatever option makes the screen appear on your TV. This is probably the most important part. Once you find the format that allows your laptop screen to be displayed on the TV, all the other settings are just tweaking the quality.
Good info.
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Touchsmart Tx2z Laptop: AMD ZM-87 CPU, 4gb Corsair DDR2 2x2gb, 256gb Corsair Performance SSD, Windows 7 Ultimate Signature Edition.
sfomail, this is great news - thank you so much for sharing this! I'll let you know if I'm successful as well just as soon as I get an adapter.
I have the ATI Radeon HD3200 as well, however, I do not have the option in catalyst to force the TV detection. What version of catalyst do you have? I have the current 9.12 but it doesn't work. I have the same issue, trying to connect a tv through the VGA.
I'm not sure what the current version is, but mine is pretty recent and, similar to sfomail's screen shots, "Force TV Detect" shows up under "Display Options" in my ATI Catalyst Control Center Version 2009.0925.1707.28889.
I finally got a hold of an adapter on (Cables Unlimited AUD-2350 via Amazon) and tried it out. The S-video connection works sort of with my ATI Radeon HD3200. The trick was to lower the screen resolution: 1024x768 worked on my 27in CRT TV, and 800x600 allowed me to extend the desktop rather than duplicate.
I couldn't get the RCA video to work at all.
However, the S-video quality is pretty bad as there are checkerboard patterns all over the screen (this is known as dot crawl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot_crawl ). Black and white mode looked ok aside from the obvious lack of color.
Seems to me that either the the connector isn't wired properly, giving cross talk (a problem I thought S-video was supposed to solve), or maybe the ATI driver has a bug.
Ryanc, I had the same problem. If you look up at my images that I posted, on the screen shot of the one where you can set the composite and S-video sharpness. Try adjusting/playing with these , and you should get a decent picture (well, at least it worked for me). Also, I couldn't get the RCA working either. Also, I noticed that for some reason, my picture quality got WAY WAY better once I upgraded to windows 7. Not too sure what that was all about, but I know the driver software was updated, that could have had something to do with it.
I know the thread hasn't been active for a year, but there's nowhere else to ask, really. I'm trying to do the same thing as you guys are (or did), getting a signal from my VGA to the TV (s-video/scart). I've got Radeon HD3200, too. It's just that like loociddreemr my ati catalyst cc doesn't have the same options you do - "Force TV Detect" in Display Properties, or the TV properties -side bar. Which version are you using? Anyone know which Ati CCC I need? It's been a nightmare trying out all those versions and there isn't really a list anywhere that tells which version has which features...
I was not able to get a fully working signal without additional hardware from the VGA port on the integrated HD 3200. I eventually ended up getting a VGA adapter box which converts the signal to a composite video signal. Before I received the box I ordered, I bought a new TV with HDMI input. I did test the converter box for functionality, and it works perfectly. I did a lot of research on this issue, and AMD/ATI tells me that this mainboard does not support TV output through the VGA. I was able to get the previously mentioned sort of garbled black and white signal through the various adapter cables that I purchased, and a scrolling color image, but nothing sufficient to even call an acceptable image. It appears that the only viable solution is to actually purchase an adapter box which is intended to convert this signal. I think I picked mine up on ebay for around $20.
While the Catalyst Control Center software gives you additional parameters to tweak the display, I've been able to avoid using it. I use the Advanced Settings under the Windows Control Panel, Display, Screen Resolution to select the necessary screen resolution (720 by 576) and refresh rate (25Hz or maybe 29Hz). Depending on the version of the ATI Radeon video driver you have installed, this refresh rate may not be available. I think Catalyst v10-8 (driver version 8.632.0.0 dated 7/2/2009) was the last time they supported it.
I've also found that if you are knowledgeable, careful, or don't care about the potential for damaging your machine, ATI Tray Tools (ATT) by Ray Adams (http://www.guru3d.com/article/ati-tray-tools-/) will work in place of the Catalyst Control Center for tweaking the TV output options. Be sure to read all the documentation and warnings you can find and be prepared to experiment. To enable the TV out options, install ATT and add "hide_display=0" (without quotes) to the atitray.ini file located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Ray Adams\ATI Tray Tools\
By the way, I was able to correct the checkerboard and color problems I was having by connecting an S-video to RCA adapter to the S-video output of the VGA adapter like this:
Computer (VGA output) -> VGA to S-Video adapter -> S-Video to RCA adapter -> TV (RCA video input)
I suspect the 1st adapter is actually miswired and the second adapter happens to correct it. The second adapter came as an accessory with an Asus motherboard, but it looks just like the "StarTech.com S-Video-to-RCA Composite Video Adapter F/M" at http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-S-Video-Composite-Adapter-inches/dp/B0009E...
Hope this helps.
I'm just wondering if anybody finally can enable tv-out in hd3200 by ATT
My CCC dosen't open and I have on maind bought a VGA to RCA S-Video adaptor.
I need your help folks.
Greetings from Chile
Leo Arriagada said: I'm just wondering if anybody finally can enable tv-out in hd3200 by ATT My CCC dosen't open and I have on maind bought a VGA to RCA S-Video adaptor. I need your help folks. Greetings from ChileI finally bought the adapter and I've got black and white image, with 3 distorted desktop on the TV, there's no video playback.
A VGA to s-video adapter that gives B/W usually means that it's sending out a composite signal, try using an s-video to composite adapter on the end
very simply put, all you need to do is buy the cable and converter, adjust the settings in the ATI cp and you're good to go?
Sorry for foregoing the normal internet etiquette of introducing myself but, this is something that has plagued me since I bought this laptop new. Please advice thanks!
HP Touchsmart TX2-1012 - Manufacturers Specifications Win 7 Ultimate x64
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