S video cable pinout. Connecting RADEON cards to TV via composite and S-Video connection and watching movies

Modern video cards have a wide range of capabilities, some useful and some not so useful. ;-) One of the useful ones (for some) is the ability to connect a video card to a TV (or any other device that has a video input). It would seem that there is nothing complicated here - connect the TV with a video card with a special cable and watch your favorite (or not so favorite) movies on a large TV screen or play games, but problems can arise even at this stage of connection. This article is a guide to connecting video cards of the RADEON family to a TV and requires at least familiarization with the article Introduction to the features of watching DVD video on personal computers with RADEON cards. Part 1. Television standards

Today, three standards for color television signal transmission predominate in the world - NTSC, PAL and SECAM. They all use separate transmission of luminance (Y) and color (C) signals and interlace scanning. Since RADEON cards do not support video output in the SECAM format, I will not touch on it in this article.

At the dawn of the television era, due to the difficulties associated with the need for power isolation, the first television standards were created with a frame rate synchronized with the frequency of the current in the electrical network. This is what determined the main difference between the standards systems of American and European origin. In 1952, the GERBER system was proposed in Germany in order to somewhat harmonize American and European television broadcasting practices. It was argued that its implementation would simplify the development of standard equipment (which, in general, is what happened). For this reason, the line frequency in the GERBER system was adopted very close to the 525-line American system, but at a frame rate of 50 Hz rather than 60. Thus, the number of lines in this system was 625. It gradually spread throughout Europe between 1952 and 1969.

The first color television standard to appear in 1953 was the NTSC standard in the United States, standardized by the National Television System Committee or abbreviated NTSC. The NTSC-M system (another name for NTSC 3.58) was compatible with the black-and-white standard previously used in the United States, adopted in 1941, and had the same basic characteristics - 525 lines were used (of which 480 were visible) and frame rate was 59.94 Hz (in fact, the frame rate before the introduction of NTSC-M was 60 Hz).

In 1961, Walter Bruch proposed the concept of the PAL (Phase Alternation Line) system, which was, in fact, an improvement on the NTSC system. Broadcasting in the PAL system in Europe began only in 1967. The main advantage of the new system was greater color stability compared to NTSC. In all PAL color coded broadcast systems in use (except PAL-M), out of a total of 625 lines, 576 are visible and the frame rate is 50 Hz. In Brazil (and no other country) the PAL-M color television standard is used, which in its characteristics is so close to NTSC-M that it differs from it, in fact, only in the method of encoding the color component of the signal.

Since television signal transmission standards differ mainly in the screen refresh rate and the number of lines used, the following designation is often used: “color coding system” “number of lines used” / “screen refresh rate”. For example, PAL 625/50. Part 2. Connecting the card to the TV

The main rule, which is very advisable to follow when connecting a computer to a TV, is to disconnect both devices from the electrical network. And not just pressing the on/off button of the device, but disconnecting the power cables from the electrical outlet. IN otherwise you risk burning out the TV output of the video card and/or the video input of the TV.

Before you start connecting anything to anything, it is very advisable to see what connectors are available on both devices, in in this case on the video card and TV. ;-)

1. RCA, also known as “tulip” in common parlance

Fig.1. RCA connector on the video card.

Used to transmit a signal in composite form. RCA connectors are present on virtually every modern TV. They are used both for video transmission (usually the color of the connectors is yellow) and for transmission of audio (the color of the connectors is white and red). When transmitting a signal in composite form through RCA connectors, a bandwidth of about 3 MHz is used, which results in relatively low image clarity (no more than 300 lines). In addition, when transmitting a component signal one at a time physical channel In a limited frequency band, it is impossible to completely separate the brightness (Y) and color (C) components, which creates the effect of color cross distortions (reminiscent of a “mesh”), especially noticeable on small contrasting details.

2. S-Video (Separate Video), popularly often referred to (totally incorrectly!) as S-VHS.

Fig.2. On the left is a 4-pin S-Video connector, on the right is a 7-pin connector. The numbers indicate contact numbers. The diagram for the 7-pin connector is shown for RADEON cards.

Not every TV has such connectors. Connection via S-Video provides noticeably best quality than using a component connection. This is achieved by the fact that the luminance signal (Y), carrier and sync pulses, is transmitted separately from the color signal (C), as a result of which color cross-distortion that occurs with a composite connection disappears, and the bandwidth is increased to 6 MHz, which ensures clarity of up to 500 lines.

Modern RADEON cards, as a rule, only have a 7-pin S-Video connector. In this regard, to connect to a TV via a composite signal, you must use a special adapter. Since the 7-pin S-Video connector on RADEON cards directly outputs a composite signal, the S-Video>RCA adapters supplied with the cards usually do not use mixing of luminance (Y) and color (C) signals, but simply take ready-made composite signal from the contacts of the S-Video connector. You can see the diagram of such an adapter. All-in-Wonder series cards require special adapters.

If instead of 7-pin S-Video connector If there is only a 4-pin, then you can use a universal amateur circuit with a capacitor. This connection gives worse quality compared to a “pure” composite signal. I would like to especially note that S-Video>RCA adapters from other cards are completely unsuitable for RADEON cards, unless they use mixing of brightness (Y) and color (C) signals using a capacitor.

3. SCART

Fig.3. SCART connector.

Multifunctional connector providing various types of connections. You can read more about it in. It is possible that the TV does not have an S-Video input connector, but it is itself connected to a SCART comb. In this case, you can use special S-Video>SCART adapters. If there is no S-Video wired on the SCART, the use of such adapters will give a black and white image, since the luminance (Y) S-Video signal is supplied to the same pin of the SCART connector as the composite signal, and the color signal (C) in the same case is simply lost.

4. Cable used to connect to TV

Naturally, it is advisable to use a coaxial cable with a characteristic impedance of 75 Ohms, and the shorter the better. This is a theory, in practice it all comes down to the fact that the most important thing is the quality of the cable. Its length can reach several tens of meters without noticeable deterioration in the quality of the transmitted image, but the longer the cable is supposed to be used, the greater the requirements should be placed on its quality - the thickness of the central core, the quality of the braid, etc.

5. Interference on TV

If, when connecting a computer to a TV, interference appears on its screen, then the reason may be due to interference coming from the collective antenna. You can deal with them in several ways, the simplest of which is to disconnect the antenna from the TV. You can also try to properly ground your computer and TV, but given today's realities, this may not be so easy. One more possible reason interference - this is a low-quality power supply or interference in the electrical network.

Part 3. Setting up TV output

1. Editing the video card BIOS

RADEON cards have the ability to activate the TV output as soon as the computer boots. The consequence of this is that the screen refresh rate is changed (50 or 60 Hz depending on the TV standard used) even before the operating system starts, as a result of which the image is narrowed and/or shifted relative to the center of the screen. In addition, some monitors refuse to work with a screen refresh rate of 50 Hz, which will happen if one of the PAL standards (B/G/H/I/D/K/N/combination N) is initialized when the computer boots. You can combat this by editing the video bios with RadEdit. Please note that if you flash the BIOS, you may render your video card inoperable. And in doing so, you do so at your own peril and risk.

After this, you need to open the resulting file using RadEdit by clicking the "Load..." button.

Fig.4. RadEdit program interface.

In the figure above, the arrow indicates the menu for selecting the TV initialization standard when booting the computer from the standards table in the video bios. The selected standard will be used when the video card detects a connection to the TV when the computer boots, as well as when outputting to full screen DOS text and graphic modes. By selecting "None", you will save yourself from problems with the refresh rate of the monitor screen when loading a computer connected to the TV, but in this case you can forget about outputting full-screen DOS modes to the TV.

The list of TV initialization standards displays the TV output standards supported by the video card. The oval in Fig. 4 marks a very useful checkbox, by checking it you will receive in the video bios full table TV output standards:

I will give some explanations regarding the elements of this list:

• NTSC is NTSC-M.
• PAL is a family of PAL 625/50 formats.
• PAL-M - no comments. ;-)
• PAL-60 is a standard identical to PAL-M except for the color subcarrier frequency of 4.43 MHz. If most TVs do not support PAL-M, then the situation with PAL-60 is exactly the opposite. Used only for viewing NTSC 525/60 video on TVs that do not support NTSC-M. In the driver settings, this standard is presumably designated as PAL K1.
• NTSC-J is a variation of the NTSC-M standard, differing only in the value of the black level signal, which corresponds to the PAL-B/G/H/I/D standards.
• SCART RGB - not only cards from Matrox have standard feature output to TV in RGB format :-)
• PAL-CN is PAL combination N. Used only in Argentina. Most likely you won't need this.
• PAL-N - the name speaks for itself. ;-) Applicable only in Paraguay and Uruguay. You probably won't need it either.

So, after all the steps taken, save the BIOS to a file. Before flashing the video BIOS, its functionality can be checked (just in case) using the RAMBIOS utility.

2. Configuring TV output parameters. Clone mode

Now you can proceed directly to setting the TV output parameters using standard settings drivers. To access the settings, you need, in addition to the drivers themselves, to install a control panel for them. Go to the screen properties, select the "Settings" tab, click the "Advanced..." button and select the "Displays" tab. You will see this (or similar) picture:

Fig.5. "Monitors" tab

The appearance of the panel shown above may vary depending on the video card used and Windows versions. However, the basic elements remain the same. The icon indicates that the card is not detecting connections. Let's take a closer look at the TV settings on this panel.

Fig.6.

• Button to turn on and off output to the device - when you turn on output to the TV, it will display a copy of the desktop from the main monitor. This mode is called "clone mode". In Fig. 6, the monitor is set to primary, and the TV is set to “clone” mode (in this case, they often say that the monitor is primary and TV is secondary). If the current resolution on the display (TV) switched to “clone” mode is not supported (for TV output, for example, due to the fact that the minimum refresh rate in this mode is greater than 60 Hz), then a virtual working image will be displayed on the secondary display table. Those. the entire desktop will not fit completely on the screen of a display switched to “clone” mode, and will “follow” the mouse cursor in a “window” with the maximum resolution that is supported by this display (TV).
• TV screen resolution - displays information about the current TV resolution. Please note that in this case this does not mean the physical resolution of the TV, but the resolution of the digital signal supplied to the input of the TV encoder.
• TV standard used - displays the one used on at the moment TV output standard.
• Buttons for selecting the primary display and the clone mode (secondary display) - in the case of "dual-headed" cards, allow you to determine the primary (master) display and the display in the "clone" mode (clone). If you select both the monitor and TV as primary, the monitor's screen refresh rate will be set to 50 Hz or 60 Hz depending on the TV output standard currently used. For all cards based on the R100 chip (i.e., “single-headed”, now designated RADEON 7200), only one choice is possible: both the monitor and the TV are primary.
• If you use vertical synchronization (VSync) in 3D games, then the maximum fps when using the "clone" mode will be equal to lowest frequency updating the screen of one of the two displays. That is, in this case, if your second display in “clone” mode is a TV, the maximum fps will be 50 or 60 Hz depending on the TV output standard used.
• Output of full-screen text and graphic DOS modes is possible only on the primary display.
• You can save the settings described above and the current screen resolution as a called up scheme (but, unfortunately, not the settings that will be described below). You can apply a previously saved scheme either by using a hotkey combination, or by clicking right click mouse over the ATI icon on the taskbar.
• Please note that now in the driver control panel the key combination "Alt" + "F5" is assigned to sequential switching between detected displays. You can change this combination. To do this, select the appropriate item in the menu and replace the hotkey combination, then save the scheme over the old one.

Fig.7. Using the ATI icon on the taskbar to change the scheme.

By pressing the button labeled “TV” (in Fig. 6 it is highlighted with a yellow arrow), you will be taken to the TV output settings:

Fig.8. Attributes panel.

In the image above you can see the Attributes panel. It displays information about the type of connection of the video card to the TV, the maximum resolution and screen refresh rate supported when outputting to TV. Additionally, you can change the contrast and color saturation settings.

Fig.9. Adjustments panel.

Figure 9 shows the “Adjustments” panel. The settings on it will allow you to adjust the size and position of the image on the TV screen. However, there are some pitfalls when using them:

Fig. 11. Format panel.

In the Format panel, you can select the format of the signal output to the TV. Of the NTSC-M and NTSC-M(JAPAN) standards, the latter is preferable. When connecting via S-Video, it is better to choose PAL-D from all PAL 625/50 standards, since with it you will get greater horizontal clarity due to the wider bandwidth (6 MHz). After changing the standard, you will be prompted to restart your computer. However, you don’t have to do this, because if you change the resolution, then in this case the standard will definitely switch to the one you selected. Another feature is that if you use a standard designated as PAL K1 (presumably PAL-60), you may experience problems resulting in your computer freezing. So think again before trying to use it.

3. Desktop extension mode

If you are using a "dual-headed" video card, then in case using Windows 98/ME and XP, as well as Windows 2000 along with RADEON 9500/9700 cards, you will see the following (or similar) picture when you go to screen properties:

Fig. 12.

You see two monitors, and one of them (the right one) is not active. If the card detects a connection to the TV output, then you can, by right-clicking the menu, allow the use of the TV as a second display (or turn it off - completely similar). After this, you will have two independent (relatively, of course) desktops - one on the monitor, the other on the TV. In this case, you can set different permissions for them.

Fig. 13. Allowing the use of a second monitor.

You can also “drag” both monitors by clicking the right mouse button, thereby changing the position of the desktops relative to each other. You can transfer windows between desktops, maximize them on one of the desktops, etc., at the same time without affecting the operation of any application on the other desktop. If you go to the “Displays” tab in the screen properties, you will see that the buttons for selecting the primary display and the “clone” mode have changed their designation:

Fig. 14.

It’s easy to guess that they set up the primary and secondary displays.

When using "dual-headed" RADEON cards not of the 9500/9700 series in Windows 2000, the possibilities for stretching the desktop onto a TV are somewhat limited (at least with drivers up to Catalyst 3.1 inclusive) - you cannot use different desktop resolutions, the position of the second desktop is rigidly specified or to the right, or below the main one, when working there are not two desktops, but one common one, i.e. When a window is maximized, by default it expands one half of it to the first desktop, and the other half to the second. The method of stretching the desktop onto the TV is also different:

Fig. 15.

If you plan to use the TV output capabilities of "dual-headed" RADEON cards by expanding the desktop to TV, then it makes sense to think about special program Hydravision, which can be downloaded for free from the website. I would like to note that Hydravision includes magnifier MagnyFX, accessible through hotkey settings, which can be used, for example, when presenting on a large TV screen.

Part 4. Output of films on TV

Before reading this and the next part of this article, I strongly recommend that you familiarize yourself with my content on the features of watching DVD video on a PC with RADEON cards. Also, I will not talk about various filters and their settings, since they are very well written in the article by Dmitry Dorofeev (aka DMITRY) and Alexey Samsonov (aka AlS). Due to its specific nature, the output of films from DVDs and/or those with interlaced video on TV is described in the next part of the article. Please note that films with a frame rate of 25 Hz are best viewed using PAL 625/50 standards, and films with frequencies of ~24 or ~30 Hz are best viewed using NTSC 525/60 or PAL 525/60 standards. This will allow you to get rid of image “jerking” associated with a mismatch between the screen refresh rate and the frame rate in the movie.

1. Clone mode

Historically, this mode was initially used on the very first RADEON cards (with the exception of the RADEON 7000/VE). If in this mode, on “dual-headed” (that is, not based on the R100 chip) RADEON video cards, you set the monitor as the primary and the TV as the secondary, then on the TV, when playing video using an overlay, you will see a window filled with the “key color” instead of a movie. If the overlay is not used for video output (as, for example, PowerDVD XP 4.0 really likes to do in this mode), then the film will be displayed both on the monitor and on the TV, but the quality will not be very good, to put it mildly. It is possible that in future drivers the ability to simultaneously display an overlay on both the primary and secondary display will be implemented (there is some hope for this, but more on that below). In the meantime, when outputting video in “clone” mode, you will have to assign TV as primary. Moreover, if we also assign the monitor as primary, then the film will be visible on the monitor, but as a result, we will get 50 or 60 Hz on it, depending on the TV standard used.

Despite all its shortcomings, this mode is very convenient because you can arbitrarily adjust the aspect ratio and size of the movie in Zoom Player. It contains the default keys "+" and "-" on numeric keypad control the image size (without losing proportions), and in combination with the "Alt" and "Ctrl" keys - the vertical and horizontal size, respectively, when selecting the proportions mode (default "R" key) "Disabled (Fit to Window)". Please note that for modes with overscan enabled, cut-out parts of the image can be compensated for by slightly reducing the movie size. Another plus of this mode (which, if desired, can be considered as a minus) is the ability to correct colors through the overlay settings.

2. Desktop extension mode

The second mode after the “clone” mode for watching videos was the desktop extension mode on TV, which has all the advantages of the clone mode. And I would like to warn you right away that this mode is completely unsuitable for users of RADEON 9500/9700 cards running Windows 2000 (at least for now). The reason is simple - in this mode the overlay is not enabled at all. It is possible that this will be fixed in future drivers.

However, those who use other "two-headed" systems also have problems with Windows 2000. RADEON video cards- their overlay will only work on the primary display. In addition, when you try to switch to full-screen mode for displaying a movie, the player will try to expand its window to the entire desktop, thereby resulting in the center of the movie being in the middle of half of the total desktop displayed on the first and second displays (and on the second display instead of the film there will be only a “key color”). In principle, the Zoom Player does not suffer from this problem, but the overlay will still not be displayed on the non-primary display. Therefore, in this case, the only way out is to designate the TV as the primary one, and extend the desktop onto the monitor. Of course, without using Hydravision in this case it will be very difficult.

For users of "dual-headed" RADEON cards using operating Windows systems 9x/ME and XP, much luckier. In them, when extending the desktop onto a secondary display (TV), in these operating systems we get, in fact, two desktops almost independent of each other, and a normally working overlay. In order to expand the player window on the secondary display, just drag it there (you can even have a movie playing at that moment) and expand it there. However, not all players will expand their window on the secondary display, and some of those that do will collapse back into the window at the slightest manifestation of activity (for example, pressing the mouse button on the desktop of the first display). There is only one way out of this - using the “correct” players. And once again I want to say that, in my opinion, it is the best of them.

3. Theater Mode

This mode appeared only quite a long time after the release of RADEON 8500 cards. It cannot be used for cards based on the R100 chip. Once enabled, the contents of the overlay in clone mode will be displayed on the secondary display in full screen mode. Previously presented some problem Windows feature 9x/ME/2000, which was that when the player window with the movie being played was minimized or overlapped with another window, the overlay was disabled. And once the overlay was turned off, the image of the movie in Theater Mode on the secondary display disappeared. To avoid this, you can use the filter settings (DivX, FFDShow and DivXG400) as described in Dmitry Dorofeev and Alexey Samsonov, or use the features of Zoom Player (see the description of this player in this).

Fig. 16. Enable Theater Mode.

The picture above shows the old “Window” panel (Overlay; when will ATI translate this name correctly into Russian?). To enable the mode, check the checkbox circled in an oval. As you can see, the settings are minimal. When playing a movie on TV, the resolution will be automatically selected from available modes between 640x480 and 800x600 depending on the resolution of the movie (and more precisely the size overlay) so that, if possible, do not scale down (that is, do not reduce the size of the movie) of the image. If you have a RADEON 8500/9100 card with an unsoldered second RAMDAC, the resolution on TV will be the same as on the monitor. To some extent, the choice of resolution can be limited by forcing the screen refresh rate in some of them to be greater than 60 Hz.

Recently there was a new panel "Window" (Overlay), giving greater options:

Fig. 17. New Window panel (Overlay) and new settings.

• "Video Overlay Mode" - allows you to choose between a mode with "Theater" disabled (Standard), "Theater" mode enabled (Theater mode) and a new mode (Same for All), which displays video on both the primary and secondary displays simultaneously . However, now enabling the latter option forces the video to be output not through an overlay to both the primary and secondary displays, thereby reducing the practical usefulness of this mode to zero.
• "Theater mode settings" - available only when selecting the "Theater" mode.
• “Set aspect ratio” - here you can choose between maintaining the aspect ratio of the output video on the secondary display (Same as video source) or stretching it to fill the entire screen (Full Screen).
• “Screen Aspect Ratio” - these settings currently do not work as well as you might think from reading their name. “4:3 (standard screen)” - everything is displayed as usual, “16:9 (widescreen format)” - leads to either forcing the secondary display mode with a vertical resolution of 480 lines, or generally leaving the resolution unchanged on the secondary display. In general, now the meaning of this option is completely unclear. One can only assume that perhaps this option should mean PALplus (this is the same PAL 625/50, but an anamorphic 16:9 image takes up 574 lines rather than 430).
• Another feature of the new Overlay panel is that the resolution of the secondary display when Theater mode is enabled cannot exceed the current resolution of the primary display. But it could be less. Feature (flaw) of drivers?

In my opinion, Theater Mode should ultimately become a kind of peak in the convenience of playing video on TV. However, this is still a long way off. I will list the disadvantages of its current disadvantages:

• Inconvenience of overscan compensation (currently this is possible using the DivXG400 filter).
• Difficulties in forcing the desired resolution (including non-standard) on a secondary display (TV).
• Inability to correct overlay colors on the secondary display (TV).

Part 5. Displaying fields when playing video with interlaced footage. Playing DVD

Several months have passed since the article about the features of watching DVD video on a PC with cards. During this period of time, new drivers were released several times, and finally, in the latest Catalyst 3.1, all those shortcomings of adaptive deinterlacing for the RADEON 8500 and 9500/9700 cards that were mentioned in the article were corrected. Now it is no different in quality from adaptive deinterlacing of cards based on the RV250 chip (RADEON 9000/9000Pro). In addition to new drivers, new versions and updates of software players were also released - patch 2417 for PowerDVD XP 4.0, and several new versions of WinDVD 4.0, including Platinum versions.

1. Displaying fields

Before moving directly to the specifics of outputting DVD movies to TV, I want to say a few words about the output of fields on TV by RADEON cards. It is very similar to the fact that when outputting to TV, the following algorithm is used:

• Odd fields are taken from odd frames, even fields from even ones.
• If the vertical resolution is equal to the number visible lines the TV output standard used, then the odd fields will be taken from the odd lines of odd frames, and the even fields from the even lines of even frames.

Accordingly, if we use weave deinterlacing, we will get the correct output of fields on TV. :-) Of course, this requires using modes with a vertical resolution of 480 or 576 lines for the relevant standards and avoiding vertical image interpolation to maintain the correct field structure.

How can I add the required permission? To do this, it is most convenient to use the Rage3Dtweak or PowerStrip programs. The latter program can add a new resolution to the secondary display as well. Let's look at them separately, but first I will give a list of non-standard resolutions supported by the TV output:

• 720x480 - "native" for NTSC DVD.
• 720x576 - "native" for PAL DVD.
• 848x480 - only with it on the Panasonic TC-2166R TV, which is “immune” to changes in TV output settings, I managed to defeat the black bars at the top and bottom of the image in NTSC-M/J modes using overscan.

Fig. 18. Rage3Dtweak settings.

The image above shows the Rage3Dtweak settings required to enable non-standard resolutions. To do this, you may need to check the box next to the "Enable HDTV TV Modes" option (marked with an arrow in the right picture in Fig. 18). To enable the required resolution, select it from the "Custom Modes" list and click the green button to the left of the selected resolution, then save the settings (by clicking the "Apply" or "OK" button) and reboot. New modes should appear in display properties.

Fig. 19. PowerStrip settings.

Figure 19 shows the PowerStrip settings. Pay attention to the buttons highlighted with arrows - with their help you can select the primary or secondary display, but first enable the desktop extension mode. By clicking on the " Additional options", you will be taken to another menu, in which click the Other permissions..." button.

After this you will be taken to the menu shown in Fig. 20. You can select preset modes (on the left) and set your own modes (on the right). Please note that for TV output a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz is required. After adding a new permission, you will need to reboot, after which it will appear in the list of available ones.

To display fields correctly, in addition to the “correct” resolution, you need to set the weave deinterlacing mode and disable the “keep aspect ratio” option in the player settings. Please note that movies in anamorphic widescreen format will then be shown in full screen mode, and to view them you will have to switch your TV to 16:9 widescreen mode. In addition, you will need to set the flicker reduction filter setting slider in the TV output properties to the far left position (see Fig. 10).

In addition to correctly outputting fields using the method described above, you can use adaptive deinterlacing, the quality of which, as I already mentioned, has become significantly better in the RADEON 8500 and 9500/9700 cards with new drivers. If you use the aspect ratio option, I recommend that you set the mode to 800x600 for the best video output quality, regardless of the TV standard used and the connection method (component or S-Video).

I would also like to mention that when watching films with interlaced video obtained using an operation called Telecine (these are just some NTSC 525/60 DVDs), it is still better to use adaptive deinterlacing, since in this case the image is less blurry compared to the “honest” TV display of each field. This is due to the fact that the Telecine operation, although it allows you to maintain smoothness when watching movies with the original frame rate of 23.976 fps on a screen with a refresh rate of 59.94 fps and interlaced scanning, does not add any quality to the resulting image.

2. Watch DVD using clone mode

As I already mentioned, in this mode, video playback using an overlay is currently only possible on the primary display. Thus, in this mode, you have to choose between seeing on the monitor either a black rectangle filled with a “key color”, or a refresh rate of 50 or 60 Hz, depending on the TV output standard used. To navigate through the various DVD menus, it is more convenient to use the latter option (of course, if you do not have a remote control remote control) when both the monitor and TV are set as primary.

In this mode, all players, with the exception of some versions of PowerDVD, have full functionality compared to displaying images on a single monitor. The player PowerDVD XP 4.0, depending on the version, in this mode can either use DirectX VA (version 1329) or not (version 1811 and ATI DVD Player 7.8, based on the PowerDVD engine). Moreover, his most latest version 2417 in this mode does not use an overlay at all for video output with all the ensuing consequences.

Thus, the "clone" mode has only one drawback (depending on the method you choose) - a screen refresh rate of 50 or 60 Hz or a black screen on the secondary monitor. This mode is very suitable for watching DVD on TV.

3. Watch DVD using Desktop Extend Mode

In my previous one, I mentioned the possibility of enabling DirectX VA from the registry in the ATI DVD Player. It turned out that the corresponding option is still available in the MMC (MultiMedia Center) settings, and it is called... "Enable Multi-monitor support".

Fig.21. By checking the box next to "Enable Multi-monitor support", you will disable the use of DXVA in ATI DVD Player.

Why was she called that? The reason is simple: in desktop extension mode when using DirectX VA, the ATI player cannot output to the secondary display. Moreover, as practice has shown, this feature is inherent in all other software players. However, the saddest thing is that in this case we lose adaptive deinterlacing. :-(

Thus, the desktop extension mode is a good solution only when outputting films with progressive video sequences or when correctly outputting fields of films with interlaced video sequences that were not obtained using the Telecine operation. Therefore, it cannot be called optimal (that is, suitable for all situations). In addition, using this mode is very problematic in Windows 2000, since the overlay is displayed only on the primary display, and owners of RADEON 9500/9700 cards are completely deprived of it in this mode.

4. Watch DVD using Theater mode

Due to the difficulties associated with forcing the required resolution, in this mode there are problems with the correct display of fields. To combat this, you can try switching to modes with a vertical resolution of 480 and 576 lines, but then, in fact, the whole point of the “Theater” mode is lost.

If you are not interested in the correct output of fields (due to the fact that you use adaptive deinterlacing or do not watch movies with interlaced video), then this mode will most likely suit you.

I would like to note one feature that I had to encounter: when watching movies using adaptive deinterlacing on the RADEON 8500 card on the TV (secondary display), an image was displayed using weave deinterlacing. It is possible that this feature is also present in the RADEON 7000 and 7500 cards (but not in the RADEON 9000 and 9500/9700).

I also note that using PowerDVD XP 4.0 in “Theater” mode is very problematic, because When this mode is enabled, difficulties arise due to the player not using an overlay. You can combat this by first launching a movie for playback, and only then turning on the TV output, but this is not always possible.

5. Brief description of software DVD players and their filters

• ATI DVD Player 7.6/7.7. Good video decoding quality and poor audio processing capabilities. The same applies to the filters of these players. Unfortunately, there is no option to select the deinterlacing method (which is sometimes required). Overall, a pretty good choice, but not for owners of RADEON 9500/9700 cards. There are two reasons: with these cards, the player (video filter) cannot play protected DVDs, and sometimes video decoding errors appear in Windows 2000/XP. There is no particular point in using the interface of these players, since it is much more convenient to use their filters together with some DirectShow player with a more convenient and functional interface.
• ATI DVD Player 7.8. Based on the engine from Cyber ​​Link PowerDVD XP 4.0. Sound processing capabilities are the same as previous versions ATI players, the video quality is quite good, but there are “proprietary” bugs - DirectX VA is not used in the “clone” and “Theater” modes. There is no special meaning in using this player or its filters.
• ATI DVD Player 8.0. Excellent video decoding quality, and again reduced audio decoding capabilities. An interesting feature is the complete “cure” of all the video decoding shortcomings of PowerDVD. As with its predecessors, there is no point in using the interface of the ATI player itself. But its video filter can definitely be recommended for “screwing” to DirectShow players. :-)
• CyberLink PowerDVD XP 4.0. Has problems with video output on TV. Therefore, I cannot recommend it or its video filter for use. As for the audio filter, if you find patch 2417, then this filter will be a very good choice for audio decoding.
• NVDVD. A stupid registration system, because of which after reinstalling the system you will have to register it again (more precisely, buy it). The quality of video and audio decoding is quite good. The player itself is quite convenient (although not without its drawbacks), so you can use both the player itself and its filters, which do not have any restrictions on their capabilities, unlike other players.
• InterVideo WinDVD 4.0. A very good player with excellent image quality (Windows XP only) and very good opportunities on sound decoding. When used not in Windows XP or when playing non-DVD discs, adaptive deinterlacing is not used. The interface is gradually starting to change for the better, but there are still annoying errors. However, for Windows users XP, from MPEG2 content watching only DVD, is, perhaps, best choice. I do not recommend using its video filter in DirectShow players. At the same time, its audio filter is a pretty good choice.

To “screw in” filters, in my opinion, it is most convenient to use Zoom Player and the method described in my previous article in the section dedicated to this player. Also, don't forget about the AC3Filter, which you can use to decode Dolby Digital audio when playing DVDs.

Part 6. Summing up

RADEON cards have very rich TV output capabilities. Unfortunately, now their full use is somewhat hampered, partly by inconvenient settings, partly by the lack of an “ideal” player. I would like to be able to save in the diagrams not only the settings shown in Fig. 5 and resolutions, but also the TV output settings (standard used, position on the screen, etc.). And, of course, I would like to have a player that would automatically switch TV output settings to obtain optimal viewing results on TV.

In conclusion I will give some important points that you may have missed while reading this article:

• When outputting films to TV, it is highly advisable to choose an output standard (PAL 625/50 or NTSC 525/60) depending on the frame rate of the film.
• The PAL 625/50 standards provide a clearer image; of all of them, when connecting via S-Video, I recommend using the PAL-D standard.
• NTSC-J standard is preferred over NTSC-M
• When playing widescreen anamorphic DVD movies, it's best to disable aspect ratio in the player you're using, as this will give you better picture quality on your TV screen, but will require you to switch your TV to 16:9 widescreen mode.
• If for some reason you are not satisfied with the previous point, and you turn on the aspect ratio mode in the players (or in the “Theater” mode settings), then for better quality, select a TV resolution of 800x600.
• In Theater mode, RADEON 8500 (and possibly RADEON 7000 and 7500) cards cannot output video to the secondary display using adaptive deinterlacing.
• If you set the minimum screen refresh rate in any resolution above 60 Hz, then it becomes unavailable when outputting to a TV. If you switch to a mode with an unsupported resolution or refresh rate, you will be taken to a virtual desktop.
• Now, unfortunately, it is impossible to give unambiguous recommendations on choosing a player program and the viewing mode used (clone, Theater or desktop extension). Therefore, you must decide for yourself which mode should be used and when.

Thank you very much Igor Illarionov for advice on TV standards and valuable comments on the article,
And Andrey Tsaregorodtsev for clarification of some issues regarding setting non-standard permissions.

Modern computers have ample capabilities for working with video, and their owners often watch movies on the monitor screen. And with the advent of barebone multimedia platforms aimed at use as a home media center, interest in connecting audio and video equipment is only increasing.
It is much more convenient and practical to watch videos on a large TV screen, especially since almost all modern video cards are equipped with a TV output.
The need to connect a TV to a computer also arises when editing amateur video. As you can easily see in practice, the image and sound on a computer are significantly different from what you later see and hear on TV. Therefore, all video editors allow you to view preliminary editing results on a television receiver directly from the working timeline before creating the film. Experienced video amateurs constantly monitor the image and sound, displaying them on a television screen rather than on a computer monitor.
Topics such as setting up video cards, choosing an image standard, and comparing the quality of video outputs of video cards various manufacturers and solving the problems that arise in this case are beyond the scope of this article - here we will consider only the following questions: what connectors can be found on the TV and on the video card, how they are consistent with each other and what methods there are for connecting a computer to a TV.

Display interfaces

Classic analog interface (VGA)

Computers have been using the 15-pin analog D-Sub HD15 (Mini-D-Sub) interface for quite some time, which is traditionally called the VGA interface. The VGA interface carries red, green, and blue (RGB) signals, as well as horizontal scan (H-Sync) and vertical sync (V-Sync) information.

All modern video cards have such an interface or provide it using an adapter from the universal combined DVI-I interface (DVI-integrated).

Thus, both digital and analog monitors can be connected to the DVI-I connector. A DVI-I to VGA adapter is usually included with many graphics cards and allows you to connect older monitors with a 15-pin D-Sub (VGA) plug.

Please note that not every DVI interface supports analog VGA signals, which can be obtained through such adapters. Some video cards have a digital DVI-D interface to which you can connect only digital monitors. Visually, this interface differs from DVD-I in the absence of four holes (contacts) around the horizontal slot (compare the right parts of the white DVI connectors).

Often modern graphics cards are equipped with two DVI outputs, and in this case they are usually universal - DVI-I. Such a video card can simultaneously work with any monitors, both analog and digital in any set.

Digital interface DVI

The DVI interface (TDMS) was designed primarily for digital monitors that do not require the graphics card to translate digital signals to analog.

But since the transition from analog to digital monitors is slow, developers graphics hardware Usually these technologies are used in parallel. In addition, modern video cards can work with two monitors simultaneously.

The universal DVI-I interface allows for both digital and analogue connections, while DVI-D allows for digital only. However, the DVI-D interface is quite rare today and is usually used only in cheap video adapters.

In addition, DVI digital connectors (both DVI-I and DVI-D) have two varieties - Single Link and Dual Link, which differ in the number of contacts (Dual Link uses all 24 digital contacts, while Single Link uses only 18 ). Single Link is suitable for use in devices with resolutions up to 1920x1080 (full HDTV resolution), for O Higher resolutions require Dual Link, which doubles the number of output pixels.

Digital HDMI interface

The digital multimedia interface HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) was developed jointly by a number of large companies - Hitachi, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, etc. The 19-pin version of HDMI is widely used today for transmitting television signals high definition(HDTV) with resolution up to 1920x1080 (1080i). Higher resolution video requires 29-pin Type B connectors. In addition, HDMI can provide up to eight channels of 24-bit, 192 kHz audio and has built-in Digital Rights Management (DRM).

The HDMI interface is relatively new, but in the computer sector it has quite a lot of competitors - both from the traditional DVI interface and from newer and more advanced interfaces such as UDI or DisplayPort. However, products with HDMI ports are systematically moving onto the market, as modern household video equipment is increasingly equipped with HDMI connectors. Thus, the development of the popularity of multimedia computer platforms will stimulate the emergence of graphic and motherboards with HDMI ports, even though computer manufacturers To use this standard, you have to buy a fairly expensive license and also pay some fixed licensing fees for each HDMI product sold.

License payments also lead to higher prices for products with HDMI ports for the end manufacturer - for example, a video card with an HDMI port will cost about $10 more. In addition, it is unlikely that the package will include an expensive HDMI cable ($10-30), so you will have to purchase it separately. However, there is hope that with the growing popularity HDMI interface the size of such a markup will gradually decrease.

HDMI uses the same TDMS signal technology as DVI-D, so low-cost adapters for these interfaces are available.

And while the HDMI interface has not yet replaced DVI, such adapters can be used to connect video equipment via the DVI interface. Please note that HDMI cables cannot be longer than 15m.

New UDI interface

At the beginning of this year, Intel announced a new digital interface UDI (Unified Display Interface) for connecting digital monitors to a computer. So far, Intel has only announced the development of a new type of connection, but in the near future it plans to completely abandon the old analog VGA interface and connect computers to information display devices through a new digital interface UDI, recently developed by the engineers of this company.

The creation of a new interface is due to the fact that both the analog VGA interface and even the digital DVI interface, according to representatives Intel, today are hopelessly outdated. Additionally, these interfaces do not support latest systems content protection that comes with new generation digital media, such as HD-DVD and Blu-ray.

Thus, UDI is practically an analogue of the HDMI interface used to connect computers to modern HD TVs. The main (and perhaps the only) difference between UDI and HDMI will be the absence of an audio channel, that is, UDI will transmit only video images and is entirely designed to work with computer monitors, and not with HD TVs. Additionally, Intel apparently doesn't want to pay licensing fees for every HDMI device it produces, so UDI would be a good alternative for companies looking to cut costs for their products.

The new interface is fully compatible with HDMI, and will also support all currently known content protection systems, which will allow smooth playback of new media equipped with copy protection.

New DisplayPort interface

Another new video interface, DisplayPort, recently received approval from companies that are part of the VESA (Video Electronics Standards Association).

The open DisplayPort standard is developed by a number of large companies, including ATI Technologies, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, nVidia, Royal Philips Electronics and Samsung Electronics. It is expected that in the future DisplayPort will become a universal digital interface that allows you to connect displays various types(plasma, liquid crystal, CRT monitors, etc.) to household devices and computer equipment.

The DisplayPort 1.0 specification provides for the possibility of simultaneous transmission of both video and audio streams (in this sense new interface completely similar to HDMI). Note that the maximum throughput according to the DisplayPort standard is 10.8 Gbps, and a relatively thin connecting cable with four conductors is used for transmission.

Another feature of DisplayPort is that it supports content security features (similar to HDMI and UDI). Built-in security controls allow the contents of a document or video file to be displayed only on a limited number of "authorized" devices, theoretically reducing the likelihood of illegal copying of copyrighted material. And finally, connectors made in accordance with the new standard are thinner than modern ones DVI connectors and D-Sub. Thanks to this, DisplayPort ports can be used in small form factor equipment and easily make multi-channel devices.

Dell, HP and Lenovo have already announced support for the DisplayPort standard. Apparently, the first devices equipped with new video interfaces will appear before the end of this year.

Video connector on graphics card

On modern video cards, in addition to connectors for connecting monitors (analog - D-Sub or digital - DVI), there is a composite output for video output ("tulip"), or a 4-pin S-Video output, or a 7-pin combined video output ( both S-Video and composite inputs and exits).

In the case of S-Video, the situation is simple - S-Video cables or adapters for other SCART-type connectors are commercially available.

However, when video cards have a non-standard 7-pin connector, then in this case it is better to keep the adapter that comes with the video card, because there are several standards for wiring such a cable.

Composite video (RCA)

The so-called composite video output has long been widely used for connecting household audio and video equipment. The connector for this signal is usually designated as RCA (Radio Corporation of America), and is popularly called a “tulip” or VHS connector. Please note that such plugs in video equipment can transmit not only composite video or audio, but also many other signals such as component video or high-definition television (HDTV). Typically, tulip plugs are color-coded to make it easier for users to navigate the tangle of wires. Common color meanings are given in table. 1.

Table 1

The wires for transmitting the composite signal can be quite long (simple adapters can be used to extend the wires).

However, the use of low-quality connections and sloppy switching with “tulips” is gradually becoming a thing of the past. In addition, cheap RCA connectors on equipment often break. Today, other types of switching are increasingly used on digital audio and video equipment, and even when transmitting analog signals it is more convenient to use SCART.

S-Video

Often the video card and TV have a four-pin S-Video connector (Y/C, Hosiden), which is used to transmit video signals of higher quality than composite. The fact is that the S-Video standard uses different lines to transmit brightness (the luminance and data synchronization signal is denoted by the letter Y) and color (the chrominance signal is denoted by the letter C). Separation of brightness and color signals allows you to achieve better picture quality compared to a composite RCA interface (“tulip”). More high quality When transmitting analog video, only completely separate RGB or component interfaces can provide. To obtain a composite signal from S-Video, a simple S-Video to RCA adapter is used.

If you don’t have such an adapter, you can make it yourself. However, there are two options for outputting a composite signal from a video card equipped with an S-Video interface, and the choice depends on the type of video card you have. Some cards can switch output modes and supply a simple composite signal to the S-Video output. In the mode of supplying such a signal to S-Video, you simply need to connect the contacts to which the composite signal is supplied with the corresponding outputs of the “tulip”.

The wiring of the RCA cable is simple: the video signal is supplied through the central core, and the outer braid is the “ground”.

The S-Video layout is as follows:

• GND - “ground” for the Y-signal;
• GND - “ground” for the C-signal;
• Y - brightness signal;
• C - chrominance signal (contains both chrominance signals).

If the S-Video output can operate in the composite signal mode, then ground is supplied to the second pin of its connector, and a signal is supplied to the fourth. On a collapsible S-Video plug, which will be needed to make an adapter, the contacts are usually numbered. The socket and plug connectors are numbered mirrored.

If the video card does not have a composite signal output mode, then to obtain it you will have to mix the color and brightness signal from the S-Video signal through a 470 pF capacitor. The signal thus obtained is fed to the central core, and the ground from the second contact is applied to the braid of the composite cord.

SCART

SCART is the most interesting combined analog interface and is widely used in Europe and Asia. Its name comes from a French abbreviation proposed in 1983 by the Association of Developers of Radio and Television Equipment of France (Syndicat des Constructeurs d’Appareils, Radiorecepteurs et Televiseurs, SCART). This interface combines analog signals video (composite, S-Video and RGB), stereo sound and control. Today, every TV or VCR produced for Europe is equipped with at least one SCART connector.

To transmit simple analog signals (composite and S-Video), there are many different SCART adapters on the market. This interface is convenient not only because everything is connected using just one cable, but also because it allows you to connect a high-quality RGB video source to your TV without intermediate encoding into composite or S-Video signals and get the best image quality on a household TV screen (the quality of image and sound when supplied via SCART is noticeably superior to the quality of any other analog connections). This feature, however, is not implemented in all VCRs and televisions.

In addition, the developers included in the SCART interface additional features, reserving a few contacts for the future. And since the SCART interface became a standard in European countries, it has acquired several new properties. For example, using some signals on pin 8, you can control the TV modes via SCART (switch it to “monitor” mode and back), switch the TV to the mode of working with RGB signals (pin 16), etc. Pins 10 and 12 are designed to transmit digital data via SCART, making the number of commands virtually unlimited. There are several known systems communication via SCART: Megalogic, used by Grundig; Easy Link from Philips; SmartLink from Sony. True, their use is limited to communication between a TV and a VCR from these companies.

By the way, the standard provides for four types of SCART cables: type U - universal, providing all connections, V - without audio signals, C - without RGB signals, A - without video signals and RGB. Unfortunately, modern component modes (Y, Cb/Pb, Cr/Pr) are not supported in the SCART standard. However, some manufacturers of DVD players and large format TVs build in the ability to transmit via SCART and a component video signal, which is transmitted through the pins used in the standard for the RGB signal (however, this possibility is practically no different from connecting via RGB).

Composite or S-Video sources are available for connection to SCART. various adapters. Many of them are universal (bidirectional) with an input-output switch.

There are also simple unidirectional adapters, adapters for connecting mono or stereo audio, and jacks for switching control. In the case when you need to connect two devices at once, you can use a SCART splitter for two or three directions. Those who are not satisfied or for whom the proposed options are not available can make their own in accordance with the pin assignments in SCART given in Table. 2.

The pin numbering is usually indicated on the connector:

Of course, computers do not use a SCART connector, however, knowing its specifications, you can always make an appropriate adapter to use an analog computer monitor as a receiver of a video signal from a tape recorder or, conversely, to supply a video signal from a computer to a TV equipped with a SCART connector.

For example, in order to input or output a composite signal from a SCART connector, you need to take a coaxial cable with a characteristic impedance of 75 Ohms and distribute the outer braid (ground) and the inner core (composite signal) on the SCART connector.

Outputting a video signal from a computer to a TV (TV-OUT):

• the composite signal is supplied to pin 20 of the SCART connector;

To input a video signal from a VCR to a computer (TV-IN):

• composite signal - to pin 19 of the SCART connector;
• “ground” - to the 17th pin of the SCART connector.

The correspondence of contacts when making an adapter for S-Video is also indicated in table. 2.

Outputting a video signal from a computer to a TV via S-Video (TV-OUT):

• 3rd pin S-Video - 20th pin SCART;

Inputting a video signal from a VCR to a computer via S-Video (TV-IN):

• 1st S-Video pin - 17th SCART pin;
• 2nd pin S-Video - 13th pin SCART;
• 3rd pin S-Video - 19th pin SCART;
• 4th S-Video pin - 15th SCART pin.

To connect a computer to a TV via RGB, the computer must output an RGB signal in a form that the TV can understand. Sometimes the RGB signal is supplied through a dedicated 7-, 8-, or 9-pin combo video output. In this case, the video card settings should be able to switch the video output to RGB mode. If the video output on the video card has seven pins (this plug is called a mini-DIN 7-pin), then in normal mode the S-Video signal is supplied to exactly the same pins as in a regular four-pin S-Video connector. And in RGB mode, signals can be distributed across the contacts in different ways depending on the video card manufacturer.

As an example, we can give the correspondence of the contacts of one of these 7-pin connectors with SCART (this wiring is used on some video cards based on the NVIDIA chip, but it may be different on your video card):

• 1st contact mini-DIN 7-pin (GND, ground) - 17th SCART contact;
• 2nd contact mini-DIN 7-pin (Green) - 11th SCART contact;
• 3rd contact mini-DIN 7-pin (Sync, sweep) - 20th SCART contact;
• 4th contact mini-DIN 7-pin (Blue) - 7th contact SCART;
• 5th contact mini-DIN 7-pin (GND, ground) - 17th SCART contact;
• 6th contact mini-DIN 7-pin (Red) - 15th SCART contact;
• 7th pin mini-DIN 7-pin (+3 V RGB mode control) - 16th pin SCART.

For any types of adapters, you must use high-quality cables with a resistance of 75 Ohms.

There is no video connector on the graphics card

If your video card does not have a TV output, then, in principle, the TV can be connected to a regular VGA connector. However, in this case you will need electrical diagram signal matching (in general case, however, it is not difficult). There are special devices on the market that convert a regular computer VGA signal into RGB and into a scan (sync) signal for a TV. Such a device is connected to a VGA cable between the computer and the monitor and duplicates the signal that goes through the VGA output.

In principle, such a device can be made independently. The correspondence between VGA and SCART signals will be as follows:

• VGA SCART PIN SCART Description;
• VGA RED - on the 15th SCART pin;
• VGA GREEN - on the 11th SCART pin;
• VGA BLUE - to the 7th SCART pin;
• VGA RGB GROUND - on the 13th, or 9th, or 5th SCART pin;
• VGA HSYNC & VSYNC - on the 16th and 20th SCART pins.

You will also need to apply +1-3V to the 16th SCART pin and 12V to the 8th SCART pin to switch to AV mode with an aspect ratio of 4:3.

However, a direct connection most likely will not work and you will have to make a wiring diagram for synchronization, as shown at http://www.tkk.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/vga2tv/circuit.html or http://www.e.kth .se/~pontusf/index2.html .

SCART, as a unified connector, was first introduced by a French company. It was created to optimize signals from devices from various manufacturers. Thanks to the creation of a single format, users had the opportunity to buy models of household appliances from different brands, thereby allowing them to make a choice in favor of comfort, convenience, reliability and practicality.

The introduction of the universal connector was carried out intensively, by banning, starting in 1981, the production of equipment with other types of connections. New format was introduced as mandatory for all manufacturers without exception. But at the same time, SCART began to be actively used throughout Europe only 3 years later, becoming a standard regulated by EN 50049-1. Due to its format and design, the connector has received many common names, such as comb and ratchet.

Distribution of the new format

The French connector received universal approval and became common for almost all European and Japanese manufacturers, which is why it is still used to this day to equip various household and specialized equipment, in particular, televisions:

• video recorders;
• TVs;
• DVD players;
• digital TV set-top boxes;
• special video editing equipment and much more.

The universal connector is easy to maintain due to the separation of contacts over fairly large distances, which greatly simplifies the process of diagnosing signals and performing other manipulations. The main feature of scart is that when using it, it is completely eliminated connection error factor. What does its special asymmetrical body shape indicate? The universal French connector is still used today as the main one for many types of equipment.

Connector topology

In terms of geometry and form factor, the connector is made in a plastic case with mandatory shielding. This design ensures high quality signal transmission without distortion. Interface equipped with 21 contacts, including only analog lines for data transmission. The cable and lead wire must be shielded, which is important when designing certain models of equipment, guaranteeing high quality and stability of its operation.

Contact distribution

The SCART connector is equipped several groups of contacts, providing the transmission of certain signals from the TV and back:

• 5 lines for transmitting and receiving audio;
• 9 lines for receiving and transmitting video signals;
• 2 lines for selecting modes;
• 3 lines for digital data transmission.

All lines are marked in different colors, which greatly simplifies the process of installation and connection of various devices. SCART is still very popular among large quantity users.

The scart implemented the possibility of audio transmission of a stereo signal, which was later transferred to other more modern types HDMI connectors. Due to the design features of the connector, data transfer is possible when controlled remotely. More You can connect unmodulated signals:

• composite;
• component;
• S-Video.

Component video signals include RGB and YPbPr. And S-Video includes 2 lines. The function of switching video signal reception modes and waking the TV from sleep mode upon command from an external device was added to the connector only in the late 80s. In the same years, SCART was supplemented with 2 video signal transmission lines S-Video.

Although the interface is large and inconvenient, many manufacturers still install it in their equipment with the expectation of using for connecting to old TV receivers. And in order to connect other types of devices to it, for example, a video camera, you will need a special adapter.

Description of the purpose of some pin groups

SCART is equipped with multifunctional outputs; when different voltages are applied, the execution device can be switched to different modes. For example, if there is a 0-2V signal at pin 8, the TV switches to normal mode TV operation from external antenna. When a 5-8V signal is applied to this pin, a widescreen mode for displaying pictures on TV is established. And a nominal voltage of 9.5-12V indicates the normal aspect ratio mode.

There is also a multifunctional pin numbered 16. With its help, one of two reception modes is selected: composite signal, RGB. The first requires a signal of no more than 0.4V, and to receive a color-difference signal from 1 to 3V.

The versatility of the connector lies in supporting three operating modes simultaneously:

• S-Video;
• composite video transmission;

SCART-S-Video adapter

One type of connector format cannot exist, because over time technology develops and more advanced methods of transmitting information without loss appear. But the most important thing is that many manufacturers strive to reduce the size of their products, so they equip them with smaller connectors. One of these was round format with 4 pins S-Video. This is a small connector with a screen and two pairs of contacts. Such connectors have become used in modern types of equipment of almost all models.

Due to the emergence of new formats, it was necessary to create universal adapters to organize communication between external device and an old generation TV. This adapter is a shielded connecting cable that combines SCART connectors with S-Video. On SCART, the wiring diagram is presented above; it does not have any particular difficulties for implementation.

Scart-tulip adapter

Today there are many devices equipped not with S-Video, but with an even simpler split connection type consisting of 3 simple plugs yellow, white, red colors. Everything is simple here: yellow and white are lines for transmitting stereo audio, and red is for supplying a video signal to the TV. The plugs are two-pin tulip connectors with a thick central pin and an outer shield. The adapter is wired according to the diagram shown in the photo.

Scart to HDMI adapter

If the scart connector can be converted to a tulip or S-Video, then one conductor will not be enough when implementing the same manipulation to obtain an adapter for HDMI. The fact is that HDMI is a digital interface, and analog signals come out of the scart. Therefore, the adapter must be able to convert one signal to another. Special converters are used for this, so it will be difficult to make such a device yourself. Much easier and safer for yourself buy a ready-made scart-HDMI adapter with power supply. The device is implemented in a small case that easily fits in the palm of your hand, so it does not require much space for placement with reverse side T-receiver.

Is a signaling standard for base definition video, typically 480i or 576i. By separating black-and-white and colorization signals, it provides better image quality than composite video, but has a comparatively lower color resolution than component video.

S-Video Cable Technology Background

Standard analog television signals go through several processing steps along the way, each of which discards information and reduces the quality of the resulting images.

The image is initially captured in RGB form and then distributed into three signals known as YPbPr. The first of these signals is called Y, and is created from all three source signals based on a formula that creates the overall brightness of the image, or brightness. This signal corresponds to a traditional black and white television signal, and the Y/C encoding method is the key to ensure backward compatibility. Once the Y signal is received, it is subtracted from the blue signal to obtain Pb and the red signal to obtain Pr. To restore the original RGB information for display, the signals are mixed with Y to produce the original blue and red, and then the sum of them is mixed with Y to restore green.

Problem and solution

A signal with three components is easier to translate than the original three-signal RGB, so additional processing is required. The first step is to combine Pb and Pr to form the C signal for chrominance. The phase and amplitude of the signal represent the two original signals. This signal is bandwidth limited to meet broadcast requirements. The resulting Y and C signals are mixed together to create composite video. To play composite video, the Y and C signals must be separated, and this is difficult to do without adding artifacts.

Each of these steps is subject to intentional or unavoidable loss of quality. To preserve this quality in the final image, it is desirable to eliminate as many encoding/decoding steps as possible. The S-Video cable eliminates the final mixing of C with Y and subsequent separation during playback.

Signal

An S-video cable carries the video signal using two synchronized signals and ground pairs called Y and C.

• Y is the signal that carries the luminance or black and white image, including the clock pulses.
• C is the chrominance signal, which carries the color or coloration of the image. This signal contains both the saturation and hue of the video.

The luminance signal transmits horizontal and vertical sync pulses in the same way as a composite video signal. Luma is the signal that carries the luminance after gamma correction and is therefore called Y due to its resemblance to a lowercase Greek letter

Comparative characteristics

In a composite video signal, signals coexist at different frequencies. The luminance signal must be a low-pass filter that dulls the image. Because the S-Video cable supports these parameters as separate signals, low-pass filtering for brightness is not necessary. Chroma still has limited bandwidth compared to component video.

Compared to component video, which carries an identical luminance signal but separates the color difference signals on Cb/Pb and Cr/Pr, the color resolution of the S-Video cable is limited by modulation at a frequency of 3.57 to 4.43 megahertz.

With S-Video, the signals are separated along the cable, so no low-pass filtering is required. This increases the luminance transmission bandwidth, suppresses the problem of color crosstalk, and leaves more video information unchanged, thus improving image reproduction compared to composite video.

Because of the separation of video into luminance and color components, S-Video is sometimes considered a type of component video signal. What makes S-Video different from these higher component video schemes is that S-Video conveys color information as a single signal. This means that colors must be encoded, and therefore NTSC, PAL and SECAM signals are distinguished in S-Video. Therefore, for full compatibility, the devices used must not only be S-Video compatible, but also color code compatible.

Signal encoding and resolution

Transmitting color information as a single signal means that the color must be encoded in some way, typically NTSC, PAL, or SECAM, depending on the applicable local standard.

The S-Video cable has low color resolution. NTSC S-Video color resolution is typically 120 horizontal lines (approximately 160 pixels edge-to-edge), compared to 250 horizontal lines for Rec. 601 encoded DVD signal or 30 horizontal lines for standard VCRs.

Standardization

In many European Union countries, S-Video cable is less common due to the dominance of SCART connectors found on most existing televisions. The player can output S-Video via SCART, but the TV's SCART sockets are not necessarily connected to receive it, and only a monochrome image will be shown on the display. In this case, it is enough to change the SCART adapter cable.

Game consoles sold in PAL territories usually do not include a cable output. Early consoles came with RF adapters and composite video (on PAL TVs) on classic RCA-type video connectors.

In the US and some other countries, NTSC S-Video is available on some video equipment, including most televisions and game consoles. The main exceptions are VHS and beta video recorders.

Physical connectors

The four-pin mini-DIN connector is the most common of several types of S-Video cinch cable connectors. The same mini-DIN connector is used on Apple Desktop Bus computers for Macintosh computers, and the two types of cables can be interchanged. Other connector options include the seven-pin locking "redundant" connectors used on many professional S-VHS machines, and the two Y and C BNC connectors often used for S-Video patch panels (HDMI cables). Early Y/C video monitors often used RCA connectors that switched between Y/C and composite video input. Although the connectors are different, the Y/C signals for all types are compatible.

Mini-DIN cables are prone to damage when used in kinked areas. This may result in loss of color or other damage to the signal. A bent pin can be forced back into its original shape, but this may cause the pin to break.

These connectors are typically manufactured to be compatible with S-video RCA cable and include additional features, such as component video using an adapter.

7-pin connector

Non-standard 7-pin mini-DIN connectors (called "7P") are used in some computing devices (PCs and Macs). The 7-pin connector is compatible with the standard 4-pin S-Video connector. Three additional sockets can be used to supply composite (CVBS) and RGB or YPbPr video signals. The use of S-Video cable wiring varies among manufacturers. In some implementations, the remaining pin must be grounded to enable the composite output or disable the S-Video output. Some Dell laptops have a digital audio output in a 7-pin socket.

9-pin video input/video output

9-pin connectors are used in graphics systems, which have the ability to input video, as well as output it via an S-Video Scart cable. Here too, there is no standardization between manufacturers as to which pin does what, and there are two known variations of the connector used. As you can see from the diagram above, although S-Video cable signals are available on the appropriate pins, none of the connector options accept an unmodified 4-pin S-Video connector, although they can be configured by removing the plug key.

We display the image from the computer to the TV

In order to connect a computer to a TV (we are talking about television equipment produced over the last few years, and not about the old “Seagulls” and “Horizons” from the 80s), you will need an adapter cord that allows you to send a signal from the PC video card to the video input TV. Usually this is an s-video - “tulip” or s-video – scart cable. Everything will depend on what connector you have installed on your TV. In our case, “tulip” (RCA). Such an adapter cable can be purchased at the radio market or in a specialized store. Its price is low - from 100 to 250 rubles, but everything will depend on the length. Therefore, before buying an adapter cord, measure the distance from the back wall system unit to the TV. If the distance is, for example, five meters, still take a longer cord - seven meters. Suddenly you will make a rearrangement.

If the cable is purchased, the matter remains small. We plug the s-video connector into the output of the graphics card (you won’t confuse it with anything else), and the “tulip” into the “video in” socket of the TV. This operation is performed, of course, with the computer and TV turned off.

If your video card has a 4-pin plug, you can try make an adapter cable yourself.

For this you will need:

Shielded cable, detachable 4-pin S-video connector, detachable Tulip type connector.

Everything must be connected according to the diagram below.

After you have connected the adapter cable, turn on the computer and make the following settings. Right-click on the desktop and select “Properties”. Go to the “Options” tab and select “Advanced” in it. Attention, we made the settings using the ATI RADEON 9200 video card as an example. For other video cards, the settings will, naturally, be different. But the difference will not be very significant. The main thing is to learn the algorithm of actions.

We now have the “Properties: monitor connection module...” window. Click on the “Monitors” tab and see the following window.

It shows that the TV button is marked in red. That's right, this means our TV is turned off. Let's turn it on. And then we choose whether the main device will be a TV or a monitor. We chose a monitor and this is what happened. If we click on the TV button, we will see the following picture.