VGA to Composite does not work why?

[sevekj]

I just hooked up my laptop and everything works great as long as I am hooked up to a second VGA monitor.
I bought an adapter, VGA connector on one end and svideo female, and composite on the other. Connected my tv monitor to the composite and nothing. So I have been troubleshooting, and believe there must be some software issue or the adapter is no good, or there is a setting I need to choose special for the composite tv connection.
I have an idea that will take me in a different direction and is not the way I really want to hook this up, but for times sake gig coming up Tuesday.
I have a dvd player with a svideo in, I am going to get the adapter wire to connect to it and see what happens. Meanwhile I hope to get a positive idea on why the composite out adapter is not working the way I believe it should.
The video card obviously supports the vga connection, unfortunatley I will not be connecting to vga monitors at the venue. Help anyone thanks!
Also, I am wondering, how does this thread get noticed, I realize I have to come here for support and read through a lot of threads and some are very old, how do we know new threads get treated so that everyone that would like to lend support know about them. I would like to get notice by email when a support question is posted, as I would like my support question send an alert out.
Am I missing something? I don't fully understand the forum works. Sorry.
Thanks,

Seve

[admin]

First, its LABOR DAY WEEKEND.... Give us a break! yet here I am on Sunday, answering for you.

All Moderators and Admins get email notice of any new Threads.

All members can click the "View New Posts" link and... see a list of all new links. Things remain "new" for 600,000 seconds = 13+ days.

I believe you can also subscribe to a Forum to be notified whenever a Thread or post is added. I know you can subscribe to a Thread, by posting there or subscribing.

You get ONE message when a post is made in a Thread you are posted in. If 10 posts are made, you get one email notice, until you visit the Forums again. Its designed for you to... visit the Forums.

Is your display card ATI or Nvidia?

If Nvidia, I believe there is a "sticky" thread discussing this video problem, or it may be a FAQ. Nvidia has a VERY BAD problem that can require you reinstall Windows to fix its problem? Thus, if you have Nvidia, find the Thread or FAQ BEFORE you damage your Windows installation.

[nreel]

First of all, what kind of Video Card do you have?

Second, your Video Card should be DUAL Head. If it is NOT, then, usually, the Single D15PIN connector, located on the Side or Back of the Laptop, is used to attach a FULL SIZE Monitor, IN-PLACE-OF, you Laptop Display.

Just like you, probably, have PS2 Ports for an EXTERNAL Mouse and Keyboard. Some people find it cumbersome to use a Laptop's Mouse Pad and Keyboard so they use External Hardware. Same with the Laptop's Display (LCD, TFT, etc.), these are VERY expensive Displays and one can EXTEND the life, of the Laptop's Display, by using an External Monitor.

So, with these extra PORTS, one can use a FULL Size Keyboard and Mouse and, if you use any of these PORTS, either for an External Keyboard, or an External Mouse, or an External Monitor, the LAPTOP will, automatically, DISABLE the Corresponding ONBOARD Hardware.

If you DO NOT have a DUAL Head Video Card, you will NOT be able to have TWO Displays, KJ and Singer. You will ONLY have a KJ display, which could be used for the Singer, but, you, as the KJ, will not be able to operate Hoster's other functions, such as adding new Singers/Songs to the Playlist, until the Song is finished.

I am assuming you have a DUAL Head Video Card...Meaning that you should have, usually, one 15PIN VGA Video Out and one, possibly, DVI Video Out, and/or an S-Video...for a Second Monitor.

If you have a DVI, as your Video Card's Second Video Out, then, it is not likely you will find an Adapter (DVI to Composite) to work. I have searched for this adapter, thought I found one, which was DVI to a "Y" that had an S-Video and a Composite, but I was NOT successful in getting either the S-Video or the Composite to work.

I called the Adapter Manufacturer and asked if they could construct a DVI to Composite and they said that they wouldn't...not that they couldn't...due to the resolution being degraded, too much, through such an adapter. They don't realize that, generally, we in Karaoke don't need HIGH Resolution.

You should use the S-Video, if your Video Card is so equiped, to your Second Display, usually a TV, if the TV has an S-Video IN, or you will need an adapter that converts the S-Video to Composite and use the Video Composite IN (RCA VIDEO IN) of your TV, or, if you are using a TV that doesn't have S-Video and RCA Video Inputs, you will need an RF Modulator and use the Coax Input.

It is hard to know what you need without Specs on your Laptop, but I hope this gives you some direction,

Norm

[sevekj]

Originally Posted by nreel

First of all, what kind of Video Card do you have?

Second, your Video Card should be DUAL Head. If it is NOT, then, usually, the Single D15PIN connector, located on the Side or Back of the Laptop, is used to attach a FULL SIZE Monitor, IN-PLACE-OF, you Laptop Display.

Just like you, probably, have PS2 Ports for an EXTERNAL Mouse and Keyboard. Some people find it cumbersome to use a Laptop's Mouse Pad and Keyboard so they use External Hardware. Same with the Laptop's Display (LCD, TFT, etc.), these are VERY expensive Displays and one can EXTEND the life, of the Laptop's Display, by using an External Monitor.

So, with these extra PORTS, one can use a FULL Size Keyboard and Mouse and, if you use any of these PORTS, either for an External Keyboard, or an External Mouse, or an External Monitor, the LAPTOP will, automatically, DISABLE the Corresponding ONBOARD Hardware.

If you DO NOT have a DUAL Head Video Card, you will NOT be able to have TWO Displays, KJ and Singer. You will ONLY have a KJ display, which could be used for the Singer, but, you, as the KJ, will not be able to operate Hoster's other functions, such as adding new Singers/Songs to the Playlist, until the Song is finished.

I am assuming you have a DUAL Head Video Card...Meaning that you should have, usually, one 15PIN VGA Video Out and one, possibly, DVI Video Out, and/or an S-Video...for a Second Monitor.

If you have a DVI, as your Video Card's Second Video Out, then, it is not likely you will find an Adapter (DVI to Composite) to work. I have searched for this adapter, thought I found one, which was DVI to a "Y" that had an S-Video and a Composite, but I was NOT successful in getting either the S-Video or the Composite to work.

I called the Adapter Manufacturer and asked if they could construct a DVI to Composite and they said that they wouldn't...not that they couldn't...due to the resolution being degraded, too much, through such an adapter. They don't realize that, generally, we in Karaoke don't need HIGH Resolution.

You should use the S-Video, if your Video Card is so equiped, to your Second Display, usually a TV, if the TV has an S-Video IN, or you will need an adapter that converts the S-Video to Composite and use the Video Composite IN (RCA VIDEO IN) of your TV, or, if you are using a TV that doesn't have S-Video and RCA Video Inputs, you will need an RF Modulator and use the Coax Input.

It is hard to know what you need without Specs on your Laptop, but I hope this gives you some direction,

Norm

I have located some possible solutions here is one I have another but somehow can not find them right now,, thanks for the info. http://www.flexiblecamera.net/vgatotv.html

Seve

[nreel]

My Computers use ATI Radeon Dual Head Video Cards. Which means that, along with the DVI Video OUT for the second Display, I have an S-Video OUT.

The S-Video just Hangs there, plugged into the S-Video OUT Port, and does NOT hold the S-Video Plug "Snapped" or "Locked" in. This is why I researched on using the DVI second Video OUT. The DVI, as with the VGA, connector has screws to hold the connector in Place. Impossible for the Video Cable to, just, fall out as with the S-Video.

So, to use the DVI, I had, already, purchased one of those converters before. One, the Computer would not recognize this as a Second Display and Two, the Displayed Video's positioning was terrible. It had controls to move, center, and resize, but never worked properly. The one I bought cost about the same, $150, and I promptly returned it.

I think a Converter that costs about $500 would probably work, but I am not going to buy one on the outset that it MIGHT work.

Besides, without a DUAL Head Video Card, you will be back in the same boat of using Hoster in a SINGLE Display Mode operation, as mentioned above in my earlier Post.

A Video Converter will not make a SINGLE Mode Operation DUAL Mode.

Norm

[sevekj]

Originally Posted by nreel

My Computers use ATI Radeon Dual Head Video Cards. Which means that, along with the DVI Video OUT for the second Display, I have an S-Video OUT.

The S-Video just Hangs there, plugged into the S-Video OUT Port, and does NOT hold the S-Video Plug "Snapped" or "Locked" in. This is why I researched on using the DVI second Video OUT. The DVI, as with the VGA, connector has screws to hold the connector in Place. Impossible for the Video Cable to, just, fall out as with the S-Video.

So, to use the DVI, I had, already, purchased one of those converters before. One, the Computer would not recognize this as a Second Display and Two, the Displayed Video's positioning was terrible. It had controls to move, center, and resize, but never worked properly. The one I bought cost about the same, $150, and I promptly returned it.

I think a Converter that costs about $500 would probably work, but I am not going to buy one on the outset that it MIGHT work.

Besides, without a DUAL Head Video Card, you will be back in the same boat of using Hoster in a SINGLE Display Mode operation, as mentioned above in my earlier Post.

A Video Converter will not make a SINGLE Mode Operation DUAL Mode.

Norm

tHANKS FOR THE INFO

I just ordered the $89 dollor job, it is supposed to work, I don't know how to tell if it is a dual or not, I only know that vga works great, so why wouldn't any other monitor, thanks for the heads up on the positioning, that sounds like it is going to be a trick.

Seve

[MTUSUPPORT]

Sevej,
What Laptop do you have? Also, what is the Video card that is in this laptop, this is what we need to know to tell you if it will work correctly or not.

[sevekj]

[quote=MTUSUPPORT]Sevej,
What Laptop do you have? Also, what is the Video card that is in this laptop, this is what we need to know to tell you if it will work correctly or not.[/QUOTE

Dell Inspiron 2650
XP Pro
P4
nvidia chip type: GeForce2 Go
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Memory size: 16 MB
Bios Version: 3.11.0152


Has VGA out port

Seve

[mooman]

This will be down to your driver - you need to download the latest ones for your graphics card. It should then allow you to output to tv and not monitor and also select ntsc or pal, refresh rates etc. Had the same problem myself - bit fiddly to sort.

[sevekj]

Thanks for all the advices, It is working fine with the new device.

Seve

[nreel]

What new device?

[sevekj]

Originally Posted by nreel

What new device?

Made by AITech

PC to TV converter , available through Tiger Direct.com
$49.00

[nreel]

All this converter does is split a SINGLE VGA signal.

How do you propose to add another Singer to the Playlist, when, once you have Clicked the PLAY Button, to start a Song Playing, BOTH the KJ Display (your Display) and the SINGER's Display go Full Deflection and shows the SAME thing?

I mean, this is OK if you want to wait until the Singer finishes their Song to add another Singer/Song to the Playlist. I suppose you could add the Song while the NEXT Singer is walking up to the Stage.

This is why a DUAL Head Video Card is necessary...to be able to run two monitors independently, of each other, so that the KJ can continue to work (navigate Hoster) while a Singer is Singing.

This converter is not a solution for the way Hoster was intended to be run in a professional environment...home use, OK...not Club/High Profile Venues.

Rather, it is a band-aid for any Laptop that is Video Challenged.

I suppose that this is an FYI for those who might consider using a Laptop that does not have a Dual Head Video Card because they read, in this Thread, that a Video Splitter will make up for the Laptop Video Limitation.

Norm

[sevekj]

Originally Posted by nreel

All this converter does is split a SINGLE VGA signal.

How do you propose to add another Singer to the Playlist, when, once you have Clicked the PLAY Button, to start a Song Playing, BOTH the KJ Display (your Display) and the SINGER's Display go Full Deflection and shows the SAME thing?

I mean, this is OK if you want to wait until the Singer finishes their Song to add another Singer/Song to the Playlist. I suppose you could add the Song while the NEXT Singer is walking up to the Stage.

This is why a DUAL Head Video Card is necessary...to be able to run two monitors independently, of each other, so that the KJ can continue to work (navigate Hoster) while a Singer is Singing.

This converter is not a solution for the way Hoster was intended to be run in a professional environment...home use, OK...not Club/High Profile Venues.

Rather, it is a band-aid for any Laptop that is Video Challenged.

I suppose that this is an FYI for those who might consider using a Laptop that does not have a Dual Head Video Card because they read, in this Thread, that a Video Splitter will make up for the Laptop Video Limitation.

Norm

It worked exactly as it was supposed to with the VGA monitor attached so I have been running my show just fine with the new gadget that converts the same signal only to a composite monitor, it is working just great!!
Thanks, and spread the news.

Seve