ATI Radeon + HDTV monitor = weird "color bumping" problem?

[Machupo]

Hi there,

I've been at AT for a while, but this is my first opportunity to post in the Tech Support forum, so here goes

Recently, i picked up a 27" Samsung HDTV (not a true hdtv, because it's 4:3, but it can display all the HD formats... my video card is a 64mb Radeon VIVO with the latest drivers... other system specs - MSI K7T266 Pro2 motherboard, XP 1800+ @ 1800mhz (swiftech cooling), SB Live! 5.1 mp3+, 10/100 nic, WD 400BB hdd, HP 9900i CDRW/DVD combo drive...

I'm using my HD as the computer monitor (800x600x32) and it's working fine -- looks beautiful, it's just that when i bring up a very high-detail jpg image or try to watch a DVD or a movie even (That has many shades of colors) i get a really weird artifact that the pixels look like their bouncing back and forth... not moving per se, but it looks like pixel A on the left is trading it's color with pixel B on the right then vice versa, back and forth, 3-4 times a second... it's very annoying when you're looking at a DVD or other high-quality images, but i don't really notice it on my desktop...

i've tried both the composite out and the S-video out on the video card and i get the same problems... is there some way i need to enable a progressive video out on the video card? do i just need a different vdeo card? hopefully if i can get this one sorted out, i won't have to go buy a $400 progressive DVD player (though, that Philips Q50 one with the faroudja chips looks awesome!)

Thanks in advance!
-nick

 

[Machupo]

anyone?

 

[Workin']

If you are connecting using the composite or S-video output, you are not getting any kind of HD output. You are getting standard NTSC video, regardless of what you set your screen resolution to. There is no way to get a progressive-scan output unless your TV will accept a VGA connection. I'm not sure what could be causing your shimmer problem...

If your TV has a wideband (i.e., progressive-scan) input, I would really consider getting a progressive scan DVD player. I have a Toshiba 3750 with progressive scan and it was only about $180 and received good reviews for its progressive scan performance. It looks great on my TV, much better than my Radeon VIVO did. The Panasonic RP56 also has received good reviews and is about $220. It has a Faroudja chip, I believe, but I don't care about brand names, I just care about performance and value.

 

[Machupo]

do you think if i got a video card with component out that would do it? it oddly enough doesn't have a VGA in, but it does have a pair of component ins (labeled DTV and DVD)

thanks

 

[Workin']

I'm not aware of any video card currently on the market that has component video outputs.

It's not that odd that the TV doesn't have VGA inputs, not many do. It would also be rare for a HDTV monitor to display all formats in their native resolution - many convert all sources to 720i or some other single resolution. Or support just 2 or 3 resolutions and convert the rest.

Are either of the component inputs on the TV marked "wideband" or "progressive scan" or anything like that? Or do you know for sure that either one supports a progressive signal?

 

[Machupo]

yep, there are two Y, Pb, Pr inputs on the back -- as for if they can handle progressive or not, i'm pretty sure they can, because it is a progressive TV (i think it does 480p and 720i... i think i need an external box to get 1080i)... i dunno another way it would get in there...

i think the Radeon 8500DV has component out -- at least HardOCP said something about Component Out / HDTV features in their review... though, i may be mistaken

guess i'll just have to get a new video card

thanks again!

 

[rbV5]

<< i think the Radeon 8500DV has component out >>



The dongle is not yet available, Their site lists both a VGA>component video AND DVI>component dongles to be available 2002, so if/when they come out, its remotely possible it will work with your VIVO (VGA>Component) because the Rage Theater Chip does support component out on the chip and supports HDTV resolutions, who knows? There are VGA>Component adapters available however, google search produced several different models, I have no idea of their quality.

 

[Workin']

You might try one of those VGA->Component video transcoders. They seem to go for about $135 from several different manufacturers. Or else wait for ATI to release their dongle (I read somewhere that the price for that looks like it's going to be ridiculously high, IF it ever is even released). Or get a progressive scan DVD player.

 

[Machupo]

hrmmm... maybe i'll just pick up a 15" LCD and mod it a bit and grab a progressive DVD player

just out of curiosity is the only thing that makes the Philips Q50 progressive player so expensive it's cool looks & brand name or is it *actually* better? the reason i'm asking is that i'm building a pretty nice high-end ht system (onkyo 797 amp, paradigm studio 100 L/R, studio 40 L/C/R surround, polk center, velodyne sub) and if it has a bit better quality then i want it

thanks again folks!
-nick

 

[Workin']

Regarding the Philips Q50, it does look cool. It also includes built-in Dolby Digital decoding, which you won't use (but are paying for) since the Onkyo will be handling the decoding. It also has a few more convenience features compared to the less expensive players. But since "quality" is a pretty subjective term I don't know if it is *really* better or not. I would hope that for double the money the build quality would show the extra expense, i.e., more metal and less plastic, quiter mechanical operation, etc. Don't know if that's the case, however.

Of course looks may be important, but on the other hand the progressive video playback performance of the Toshiba 3750 and Panasonic RP56 has been highly rated by the press. Unfortunately neither one is what I would call "visually exciting" from a syling point of view. One nice thing about the current Toshiba models is that they have a little joystick on the front panel so that you can use EVERY function without the remote, which is not the case with the majority of other players. Besides the progressive component output, the Toshiba also has S-video and composite outputs, plus stereo audio and optical and coaxial digital outputs. It also plays CD-R's and CD-RW's and has some limited MP3 playback capability, too.

 

[Machupo]

cool -- thanks, i'll looking into that toshiba