You wouldn't necessarily need PowerStrip, depednikng on what the ATI display driver can give you. However, Powerstrip does provide some extra capabilities to put timings inside of other times. A good example of this this is that 1920x1080i is not a "standard" computer resolution, and many games do not support it.
If you wanted to display 1024x768 instead, your computer would not know how to do that on your TV and it might send incorrect, and possibly harmful, timings or it simply wouldn't have that resolution available at all. I haven't seen the newer ATI panels for the 9700 so I don't know if it will next a 1024x768 window in teh timings of a 1920x1080i resolution, but PowerStrip most certainly will.
The only other utility I knew of that would handle this kind of situation was the one normally used by Matrox, but no other manufacturers have bothered to add something like that with their drivers.
Is there a problem with using PowerStrip? It's pretty easy to use and it's free if you only are using it for customized timings. I also find that the creator, Ashley Saldana, is far more responsive to support issues than virtually any other product I've every used. Definitely a worthwile product, IMHO.
Lenny Zimmermann
PC to HDTV
-
Guest
Pc to TV on Toshiba HDX series RPTV
I have be successful in sending PC to HDTV (Toshiba 42HDX82 RPTV) using a NVidia GeForce2 Mx400 video card with tv out via s-video feature at only 640x480 at 60HZ. it appears that 800 x 600 at 60Hz outputs ok too, but I cannot see any real difference on the tv. Perhaps the tv unpconverts only to 540p when faced with any s-video input regardless of my settings-or s-video cable at 400i is just too restricted to transmit the higher res anyway. I also tried to use powerstrip for custom res but never got it to output anything but a garbled image on the TV. Perhaps my older video card does not care for powerstrip or powerstrip is designed less for PC to Tv cards and more for using the vga to component convertor.
Any thoughts?
Dee
I have be successful in sending PC to HDTV (Toshiba 42HDX82 RPTV) using a NVidia GeForce2 Mx400 video card with tv out via s-video feature at only 640x480 at 60HZ. it appears that 800 x 600 at 60Hz outputs ok too, but I cannot see any real difference on the tv. Perhaps the tv unpconverts only to 540p when faced with any s-video input regardless of my settings-or s-video cable at 400i is just too restricted to transmit the higher res anyway. I also tried to use powerstrip for custom res but never got it to output anything but a garbled image on the TV. Perhaps my older video card does not care for powerstrip or powerstrip is designed less for PC to Tv cards and more for using the vga to component convertor.
Any thoughts?
Dee
-
Guest
Well, I use my PC straight to my HDTV with a standard VGA cable. That S-Video connection probably only outputs 480i, simply doing a downconvert of the 800x600 resolution to 640x480i, which is a fairly common situation for that type of output.
My guess if you just don't ahve to right timings set up in PowerStrip for your set for that VGA connection. Try to get it to work, as it is definitely worth it. Ask Ashley if you need some more help at the PowerStrip support forum at http://pub28.ezboard.com/fentechfrm5 and see if he can help you out. He's very responsive.
Lenny Zimmermann
My guess if you just don't ahve to right timings set up in PowerStrip for your set for that VGA connection. Try to get it to work, as it is definitely worth it. Ask Ashley if you need some more help at the PowerStrip support forum at http://pub28.ezboard.com/fentechfrm5 and see if he can help you out. He's very responsive.
Lenny Zimmermann
-
TKutch
- New Member
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun May 02, 2004 3:19 am
PC to HDTV
This was a top requirement for me when selecting a HDTV. Research is important here because both systems, PC and HDTV, must have the require connections and capability.
Connections can be misleading. Some HDTV monitors have 15-pin (VGA) PC connectors but can only handle the lowest PC resolution; 640x350, 720x400, 640x480 and maybe 800x600. This normally requires you to switch to one of these low res selection on your PC which most never use (unless for vision accessibility reason). So you end up scrolling constantly because of the reduced amount of info that can be presented at these low res setting. And who wants to pay to put a small view on a big screen anyway.
Make sure the HDTV monitor's PC input can display the higher resolutions most user currently have setup when viewing at the PC monitor itself; such as in my case 1024x768, which is moving into the SVGA high-end and XGA low-end setting of most PCs. If you have to keep changing the PC res settings to view on the HDTV monitor your will not use it, plus this keeps rearranges your Windows icon layout, what a pain. Another thing to watch for is the frequencies it can handle at the selected resolution. You don't want the annoying screen flicker you get at 1024x768 with 60Hz; look for other select able frequencies such as 70Hz or 72Hz. Some get headache from the flicker. Don't plan on any Picture-In-Picture on the HDTV side when viewing in "PC mode". I didn't find any that could handle this; it wasn't that important with me any how.
Additionally, on the PC side of things it's nice when your video adapter has dual output, can drive two monitors and has an "easy way" to switch between your viewing modes. Modes such as when in clone mode, your PC displays the same image on both monitors but the video player image, be it DVD, VCD, PC TV-Tuner or the streaming video your watching doesn't appear on both (PC software players using DirectX, an overlay issue). Having an easy way to swap primary and secondary monitor makes it possible to move the screen with the working video to the HDTV monitor for the big screen viewing while retaining PC control at the PC. Even better yet is being able to control the viewing modes some how using a remote control or wireless keyboard and mouse; now that's almost heaven.
I've been very happy with my selection of the Samsung HLN437W DLP TV. Weighing in at only 67 lbs, this 43 inch (wide 16:9 format) is only 16 inch deep. Has both a 15-pin XGA PC monitor input and a DVI input. Along with 2 sets of component inputs (480p/720p/1080i), a third component input that is only 480i/480p for DVD player, 3 sets of standard Video/Audio inputs, 3 S-Video inputs, and 2 coax antenna inputs. An extremely important detail this monitor has is when you adjust the video inputs they are set for that type of input. Some monitors require re-adjustment (brightness, color, format, etc...) when the viewing input source is switch, a real pain.
On the PC side the important component was the selection of ATI All-In-Wonder 9600 Pro. This video adapter is loaded with features; dual monitor outputs, standard TV/Cable/FM tuner, software PTR functions, video editing hookup for camcorder and VCR and the Pro adds a RF remote control for controlling the TV-Tuner function and the PC mouse actions. All this requiring only one slot and a USB port, in my case the AGP slot. So far or at the time the newer AIW versions didn't support dual monitors.
The only problem I've seen so far is when I have the PC display up on the HDTV set there is a slight distortion in the overall display shape (trapezoid) along the side edges. After a minute of viewing it does brother me (it's still there, but not a annoyance; like the fine line across some PC monitors, it there but you wish it wasn't, at least it's on the sides not square in the middle of the viewing area).
Connections can be misleading. Some HDTV monitors have 15-pin (VGA) PC connectors but can only handle the lowest PC resolution; 640x350, 720x400, 640x480 and maybe 800x600. This normally requires you to switch to one of these low res selection on your PC which most never use (unless for vision accessibility reason). So you end up scrolling constantly because of the reduced amount of info that can be presented at these low res setting. And who wants to pay to put a small view on a big screen anyway.
Make sure the HDTV monitor's PC input can display the higher resolutions most user currently have setup when viewing at the PC monitor itself; such as in my case 1024x768, which is moving into the SVGA high-end and XGA low-end setting of most PCs. If you have to keep changing the PC res settings to view on the HDTV monitor your will not use it, plus this keeps rearranges your Windows icon layout, what a pain. Another thing to watch for is the frequencies it can handle at the selected resolution. You don't want the annoying screen flicker you get at 1024x768 with 60Hz; look for other select able frequencies such as 70Hz or 72Hz. Some get headache from the flicker. Don't plan on any Picture-In-Picture on the HDTV side when viewing in "PC mode". I didn't find any that could handle this; it wasn't that important with me any how.
Additionally, on the PC side of things it's nice when your video adapter has dual output, can drive two monitors and has an "easy way" to switch between your viewing modes. Modes such as when in clone mode, your PC displays the same image on both monitors but the video player image, be it DVD, VCD, PC TV-Tuner or the streaming video your watching doesn't appear on both (PC software players using DirectX, an overlay issue). Having an easy way to swap primary and secondary monitor makes it possible to move the screen with the working video to the HDTV monitor for the big screen viewing while retaining PC control at the PC. Even better yet is being able to control the viewing modes some how using a remote control or wireless keyboard and mouse; now that's almost heaven.
I've been very happy with my selection of the Samsung HLN437W DLP TV. Weighing in at only 67 lbs, this 43 inch (wide 16:9 format) is only 16 inch deep. Has both a 15-pin XGA PC monitor input and a DVI input. Along with 2 sets of component inputs (480p/720p/1080i), a third component input that is only 480i/480p for DVD player, 3 sets of standard Video/Audio inputs, 3 S-Video inputs, and 2 coax antenna inputs. An extremely important detail this monitor has is when you adjust the video inputs they are set for that type of input. Some monitors require re-adjustment (brightness, color, format, etc...) when the viewing input source is switch, a real pain.
On the PC side the important component was the selection of ATI All-In-Wonder 9600 Pro. This video adapter is loaded with features; dual monitor outputs, standard TV/Cable/FM tuner, software PTR functions, video editing hookup for camcorder and VCR and the Pro adds a RF remote control for controlling the TV-Tuner function and the PC mouse actions. All this requiring only one slot and a USB port, in my case the AGP slot. So far or at the time the newer AIW versions didn't support dual monitors.
The only problem I've seen so far is when I have the PC display up on the HDTV set there is a slight distortion in the overall display shape (trapezoid) along the side edges. After a minute of viewing it does brother me (it's still there, but not a annoyance; like the fine line across some PC monitors, it there but you wish it wasn't, at least it's on the sides not square in the middle of the viewing area).