Travel Technology - What do you need to use the S-video output on a ThinkPad T30

Scott or other wise gurus, what do I need to use the S-video output on my ThinkPad T30? Is there a cable I have to get from IBM? Is this proprietary? Or is this something from Radio Shack? Does the feed go from the computer to the cable input on the tv? Or the antenna input? Or?

S-video needs to be converted to composite video, you'll need one of these (http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F003%5F010%5F003%5F003&product%5Fid=15%2D1598), I presume the T30 has a 4-pin yellow connector?

In europe many, if not most TV's will have a S-video input PLUS a Scart input, sadly most US TV's don't. So you'll end up going from 4-pin S-video to a Cinch plug.

Should the TV you are using NOT have a cinch video input then you'll also be needing an RF modulator, but let's not go that far just yet http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif

A standard S-video plug has 4 pins and one flat key (some graphics cards use a proprietary 6-pin S-video in/out port).

If yours is of the 4-pin variety (most laptops' are), any Radio Shack cable will do. If the guest TV does not have a S-video in (a cheap hotel TV won't), get a S-video to composite converter, or a slightly bulkier RF modulator with S-video in for truly old TV's. Both should be at your local Radio Shack.


Ed. one should always check if Scott has already posted before pressing 'Submit Now' http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif . I'll just add that Scotty's link is for a high-end cable, a cheap one will cost less than $10.



[This message has been edited by monahos (edited 10-10-2003).]

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by monahos:
A standard S-video plug has 4 pins and one flat key (some graphics cards use a proprietary 6-pin S-video in/out port).

If yours is of the 4-pin variety (most laptops' are), any Radio Shack cable will do. If the guest TV does not have a S-video in (a cheap hotel TV won't), get a S-video to composite converter, or a slightly bulkier RF modulator with S-video in for truly old TV's. Both should be at your local Radio Shack.


Ed. one should always check if Scott has already posted before pressing 'Submit Now' http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif . I'll just add that Scotty's link is for a high-end cable, a cheap one will cost less than $10.

[This message has been edited by monahos (edited 10-10-2003).]</font>

I agree, the $40 gold cable is overkill, but Radioshack seems to think that we all need gold plated super cables, perhaps circuit city or best buy have regular (read: cheaper) cables.

Here's what I founded in the help section for the T30:

"You can attach a television (NTSC or PAL) to the video-out connector of your computer and display the output of your computer on it. You will need either an S-Video cable or a RCA video cable, available in an electronics store. If you purchase an S-Video cable, available in an electronics store, you can use this cable to directly connect your computer to a television.
If you use a RCA video cable, you also need a ThinkPad RCA video cable, available as an option, for converting a signal that is sent from the S-Video connector to the RCA connector. To connect a television by using these two cables, do the following: Connect the ThinkPad RCA video cable to the video-out connector of your computer; then connect the other end of the cable to the RCA video cable. Connect the other end of the RCA video cable to the television. To connect the audio cable to the television, connect one end of it to the headphone jack on the computer; then connect the other end of the cable to the audio-input connectors of your television.If you use video equipment that has only one audio-input connector, use the left-audio connector of the audio cable. Considerations for using the Video-out function. The image appears on the television if you set the screen resolution as follows.
NTSC: 640 x 480

PAL: 800 x 600
If you set the resolution any higher, the image appears as a virtual screen.
For setting your screen resolution, refer to the instructions in Attaching a television to the video-out port."

The port on the ThinkPad is not yellow, is about the size of a PS/2 port, and has 7 pins plus keyholes top and bottom.

Does that change anything anyone has helpfully offered above? Thanks!

It appears your Thinkpad has the proprietary IBM 7-pin S-video connector http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/frown.gif . Usually, such ports ought to come with a bundled adapter.

You'll have to get a S-video to composite cable either from IBM or from a place such as http://www.videocapturecard.com/thinkpad.html