Travel Technology - My S-Video won't work

Ok I know I am not a technophobe but normally I can figure things out.

I am using a Compaq R3306US laptop, with an onboard nvidia 32M video card. Not robust at all, but for my uses perfectly acceptable.

This computers runs Windows XP Home, SP2 (licenced).

However I cannot get my S-video card to work as an output device. I would like to play movies right from my harddrive into my TV but nothing...

The windows help system is useless, it says to enable the TV output (s-video) using the ATI box under the advanced panel... except there is no ATI box, only an nvidia panel... but no option for TV out.

Of course I tried the help documents that came with this computer, as well as the online help but can find nothing relevant.

Anyone have a clue what I am doing wrong here?

There should be a CRT/LCD Fn key somewhere on your keyboard. This should toggle you through all possible outputs . . . internal LCD, external VGA, and external S-Video.

I've got S-Video out on my Dell and that's how it's done. I suspect Compaq/HP would be similar.

You need to have the s-video cable connected to a TV before you turn on your computer. Then power on and go into the NVIDIA panel where you should then be able to see a choice of either the LVDS panel or TV output. Select the TV as your primary display. One thing to note is that once you get TV out, you won't get output to your LVDS panel. I think it's only one at a time, not both.

I do work in this field. If you've more questions, just PM me.

Ok, let me hook it up to the TV again and try the sequence you recommended. As for the function key, yup it is there... did nothing when I used it.

Maybe I didn't connect the cables in the right order?

My Sony Vaio laptop, though it doesn't have s-video out, uses a similar ATI driver. I have had it disappear on occasion, without any obvious reason why. Try going in Device Manager, selecting the display adapter and having it re-install the driver. If the fails, you may want to use the repair disks that re-install the operating system.

Just plug in the s-video cable and turn on the TV before turning on the PC. It will automatically be enabled; you don't need to do anything else.

I have a Dell with an NVIDIA 32 mb video card. All I have to do is connect the TV then start the computer, then go to Display properties in the control panel, click settings tab, and either:

1. click monitor 2, then check the box to extend desktop or;

2. click advanced, then the tab for my video card, and choose device selection, then pick clone.

Which NVIDIA card is it? Mine is a GE Force 4 440 Go - 32 mb.

You do have the tv tuned to the S-video input channel, don't you?

Ok I plugged in the s-video cable while the laptop was shut off. Turned on the TV to the input channel, booted up the laptop and almost nothing.

I say almost because the TV screen flickered when the laptop booted and again when I selected extend my monitor to this device under the nvidia tab on display properties.

It's possible something is wrong with your video card or S-video port. May need fixing. It's also possible the S video cable is bad. Did you try another?

I only have 1 s-video cable.

How do I check to see if the video card or the port are bad?

Don't feel bad. I've never been able to do what you're trying to do either (XP Pro).

Best I've managed is to get the desktop wallpaper (without any any desktop icons or cursor movement) to show up on the TV. But when I play a DVD...nothing changes.

Someone mentioned to me recently that I have to set my Display Properties to a lower resolution (like 800x600 or something like that) to get the DVD to show up on the TV...but I haven't given that a try yet.

Premex,

It can be done. It depends on which software you're using to play DVDs with. Your description sounds like extended desktop, not cloned or twin view. In that case you can drag the dvd software off the right side of your screen, over to the TV, hit play, then maximize the window. If the software you use won't play om monitor 2, then you could switch the displays so that the TV is monitor 1. It will play then. (Hit Identify button to show which is 1 or 2),

In cloned view it would also depend on the software.

I do this all of the time on 2 different laptops. (Nvidia in one and ATI on the other- XP Home on both.)