Sending Video Output to TV

Linux31 · 09-12-2007, 12:45 PM

I'm running CentOS 5.0 and an AMD64 3800+ dual core and Asus MB with an Nvidia graphics card (that has an S-video out). I also have Xine showing movies and Mplayer sort of. CentOS allows for the Nvidia dual head setup of two simultaneous monitors. I do not have a video capture card in this machine.

Can anyone recommend how I would send things to the analog TV? Is there a movie player that would do it? Would that be something like MythTV or MythDora?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

owenjh · 09-12-2007, 01:12 PM

Check out the NVIDIA tool, it should come with Cent OS. I'm not at my Linux box and I don't know the command off of the top of my head so try using slocate nvidia and see what comes up. Once you find it, it should give you the option simular to Windows for what to do with dual monitors, such as a clone display.

If you want to span monitors you could try using Xinerama:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinerama

This will enable you to span your desktop across multiple monitors.

Hope this helps

- Owen

LauMars · 09-12-2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linux31

I'm running CentOS 5.0 and an AMD64 3800+ dual core and Asus MB with an Nvidia graphics card (that has an S-video out). I also have Xine showing movies and Mplayer sort of. CentOS allows for the Nvidia dual head setup of two simultaneous monitors. I do not have a video capture card in this machine.

Can anyone recommend how I would send things to the analog TV? Is there a movie player that would do it? Would that be something like MythTV or MythDora?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

if i understand your question correctly - all you need to do is link the SVideo to your TV.

I say "all you need to do", but configuring the xorg.conf file for TV can be tricky. you will need the following in the "screen" section for your 2nd display:

Code:

    Option         "ConnectedMonitor" "TV"
    Option         "TVStandard" "PAL-B" # this will obviously be your TV region code
    Option         "TVOutFormat" "COMPOSITE"

without them your TV will be in B/W

The rest of the settings can be done via 'nVidia's x server setting' program.

if you have your system set up with 2 XScreens (as i do) then you won't be able to drag windows from one screen to another in the convention way. However you can still run Xine on your monitor and get it to output to your TV.

Open up the settings in Xine - in the GUI tab (some way down) there is the option "Name of video display" - in there enter the following without quotation marks: ":0.1" - this will be your 2nd screen (or screen 1 counting up from zero).
(The Xine display option may only be viewable in the "master of the universe" experience level - sorry, but i don't know xine's config files so hope you find it via the gui)

there is one bug on my system where full screen videos operate at the resolution that XScreen 0 is running at - i've not found a fix for this yet (might just be my PC) but dropping your main resolution to the same as the TVs will fix that - however it's only a minor inconvenience if you're only play the odd video via the TV

i hope this is all of some help

jay73 · 09-12-2007, 01:33 PM

Any movie player (vlc, mplayer, ...) will do. Just bear in mind that you won't have sound unless you can also connect your sound card to the TV. You can also crank up your pc speakers but that's not very interesting.

For what it's worth, I operate my LCD and TV as completely distinct screens so that each can have its own resolution; plus I can do one thing on the LCD and have a movie play on the TV. My xorg.conf looks like this (Nvidia 7600 - you may need to adjust BusID and TVStandard):

Code:

# xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
    Load        "i2c"
    Load           "bitmap"
    Load       "dbe"
    Load           "ddc"
    Load           "extmod"
    Load       "evdev"
    Load           "freetype"
    Load           "glx"
    Load           "int10"
    Load       "record"
    Load       "type1"
    Load           "vbe"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier    "Generic Keyboard"
    Driver        "kbd"
    Option        "CoreKeyboard"
    Option        "XkbRules"    "xorg"
    Option        "XkbModel"    "pc105"
    Option        "XkbLayout"    "be"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
    Identifier    "Configured Mouse"
    Driver        "mouse"
    Option        "CorePointer"
    Option        "Device"        "/dev/input/mice"
    Option        "Protocol"        "ImPS/2"
    Option        "Emulate3Buttons"    "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier    "nVidia Corporation G70 [GeForce 7600 GS]"
    Driver        "nvidia"
    Screen        0
    BusID        "PCI:1:0:0"
    Option        "AddARGBVisuals"    "True"
    Option        "AddARGBGLXVisuals"    "True"
    Option          "RenderAccel" "true" #Compiz
    Option          "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"    #Compiz
    Option        "UseFBDev"        "true"
EndSection

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Device1"
        Driver "nvidia"
        Screen 1
        BusID   "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier    "Acer AL1951"
    Option        "DPMS"
    HorizSync    30-83
    VertRefresh    55-75
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier "Television" #TV
    HorizSync 30-50
        VertRefresh 60
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier    "Default Screen"
    Device        "nVidia Corporation G70 [GeForce 7600 GS]"
    Monitor        "Acer AL1951"
    Option        "DynamicTwinView" "False"
    Option          "DisableGLXRootClipping" "true" #required by Compiz
    DefaultDepth    24
    SubSection "Display"
        Modes        "1280x1024" "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
        Identifier      "Screen1"
        Device          "Device1"
        Monitor         "Television"
    DefaultDepth    24
        Option  "TVOutFormat" "SVIDEO"
        Option  "TVStandard" "PAL-B"
        Option  "ConnectedMonitor" "TV"
        SubSection "Display"
                Depth 24
                Modes "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
        EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier    "Default Layout"
    Screen 0    "Default Screen"
    Screen 1        "Screen1" leftof "Default Screen"
    InputDevice    "Generic Keyboard"
    InputDevice    "Configured Mouse"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
    Mode    0666
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
    Option "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection

Linux31 · 09-13-2007, 02:37 PM

Thanks to everyone for the help. Yes, those are my two goals; to span the view across two monitors and to output it to the TV. I have the S-video and sound cables in so it's a configuration question.

Let me see if I can carry out your suggestions.

Thanks again.