LinuxQuestions.org - S-video to Component for older GPUs

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S-video to Component for older GPUs

Hi i am installing Xubuntu/Bodhi Linux for older machines that have the following GPUs

#1 HD 2400 Pro (AMD/ATI) VGA/DVI
#2 GF 9600GT (Nvidia) dual DVI

Neither of the 2 have HDMI on them but both have a S-Video to component port (and respective "TV breakout" cables still around!) I also learnt that ATI/Nvidia ancient GPUs have unique cables and one won't work on the other! *gasps*

The only display around currently only has HDMI ports and a component input so i tried the S-Video to component adapters and wow after so many years i am gob smacked they actually work and display with correct colours on the TV!

Thing is the resolution is so low i am struggling to install the above linux distros! How do i get the resolution high enough so that the experience would be better? Is S-Video to component so ancient that this is not in the kernel or something anymore? Do i need to boot the installer in some special mode then edit some config file or something?? Feel free to dumb it down as am a linux newbie haha

There may be a solution. If the HD 2400 is producing less than 1024x768, which IIRC the Xubuntu installer should support well enough since its minimum system requirement is only 800x600, try appending the following to the kernel cmdline of the installer:

Code:

video=1024x768

or if that's not specific enough

Code:

video=DIN-1:1024x768

It's derived from modedb.txt, just in case it needs to be even more specific.

There are many places on the web describing how to append a parameter the the cmdline when booting. This page includes just one of them (in its upper blue highlight box).

The HD 2400 Pro I have can do 1024x768 on its DIN 7:

Code:

# xrandr --output DVI-I-1 --mode 2560x1440 --primary --output DIN-1 --mode 1024x768 --right-of DVI-I-1



# inxi -Gxx

Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] RV610 [Radeon HD 2400 PRO] vendor: Dell driver: radeon v: kernel 

          bus ID: 04:00.0 chip ID: 1002:94c3 

          Display: server: X.Org 1.20.5 driver: modesetting resolution: 1024x768~60Hz, 2560x1440~60Hz 

          OpenGL: renderer: AMD RV610 (DRM 2.50.0 / 5.3.9-1-default LLVM 9.0.0) v: 3.3 Mesa 19.2.3 compat-v: 3.0 

          direct render: Yes 



# xrandr | egrep 'onnect|creen|\*' | grep -v disconn | sort -r

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 3584 x 1440, maximum 8192 x 8192

DVI-I-1 connected primary 2560x1440+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 598mm x 336mm

DIN-1 connected 1024x768+2560+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm

  2560x1440    59.95*+

  1024x768      59.95* 



# xrandr

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 3584 x 1440, maximum 8192 x 8192

DIN-1 connected 1024x768+2560+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 0mm x 0mm

  1024x768      59.95* 

  800x600      59.96  

  848x480      59.94  

  720x480      59.94  

  640x480      59.94  

DVI-I-1 connected primary 2560x1440+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 598mm x 336mm

  2560x1440    59.95*+

  1920x1440    60.00  

  1856x1392    60.01  

  1792x1344    60.01  

  2048x1152    59.90    59.91  

  1920x1200    59.88    59.95  

  1920x1080    59.96    60.00    59.93  

  1600x1200    75.00    70.00    65.00    60.00  

  1680x1050    59.95    59.88  

  1400x1050    74.76    59.98  

  1600x900      59.99    59.94    59.95    59.82  

  1280x1024    75.02    60.02  

  1440x900      59.90  

  1400x900      59.96    59.88  

  1280x960      60.00  

  1440x810      60.00    59.97  

  1368x768      59.88    59.85  

  1280x800      59.99    59.97    59.81    59.91  

  1152x864      75.00  

  1280x720      60.00    59.99    59.86    60.00    59.74  

  1024x768      75.05    60.04    75.03    70.07    60.00  

  960x720      75.00    60.00  

  928x696      75.00    60.05  

  896x672      75.05    60.01  

  1024x576      59.95    59.96    59.90    59.82  

  960x600      59.93    60.00  

  832x624      74.55  

  960x540      59.96    59.99    59.63    59.82  

  800x600      75.00    70.00    65.00    60.00    72.19    75.00    60.32    56.25  

  840x525      60.01    59.88  

  864x486      59.92    59.57  

  700x525      74.76    59.98  

  800x450      59.95    59.82  

  640x512      75.02    60.02  

  700x450      59.96    59.88  

  640x480      60.00    75.00    72.81    75.00    66.67    59.94  

  720x405      59.51    58.99  

  720x400      70.08  

  684x384      59.88    59.85  

  640x400      59.88    59.98  

  576x432      75.00  

  640x360      59.86    59.83    59.84    59.32  

  512x384      75.03    70.07    60.00  

  512x288      60.00    59.92  

  416x312      74.66  

  480x270      59.63    59.82  

  400x300      72.19    75.12    60.32    56.34  

  432x243      59.92    59.57  

  320x240      72.81    75.00    60.05  

  360x202      59.51    59.13  

  320x180      59.84    59.32

The better alternative if you can't access a display with a better input selection would be a DVI-to-HDMI cable or adapter.

mrmazda : awesome that was really helpful and am reading up the link you posted ^^ my question also is : the HD 2400 Pro can do 1080i on Windows 10 by installing driver only (skip Catalyst Suite) but is there no linux equivalent driver/solution for 1080i over s-video to component?

Quote:

Originally Posted by hodak (Post 6088322)

is there no linux equivalent driver/solution for 1080i over s-video to component?

I don't believe I've ever had such an adapter, so cannot test. The better way forward is clearly a DVI-to-HDMI cable or adapter, providing superior digital output.

Code:

# inxi -SGxx

System:    Host: hpg33 Kernel: 3.16.0-44-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 4.9.1 Desktop: KDE 4.14.1 tk: Qt 4.8.6

          wm: kwin dm: KDM Distro: Ubuntu 14.10 (Utopic Unicorn)

Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] RV610 [Radeon HD 2400 PRO] vendor: Dell driver: radeon v: kernel

          bus ID: 04:00.0 chip ID: 1002:94c3

          Display: server: X.Org 1.16.0 driver: ati,radeon unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa alternate: fglrx

          resolution: 1920x1080~60Hz

          OpenGL: renderer: Gallium 0.4 on AMD RV610 v: 3.3 Mesa 10.3.2 compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes

# xrandr

Screen 0: minimum 320 x 200, current 1920 x 1080, maximum 8192 x 8192

DIN disconnected (normal left inverted right x axis y axis)

DVI-0 connected 1920x1080+0+0 (normal left inverted right x axis y axis) 698mm x 393mm

  1920x1080      60.0*+  60.0    59.9    24.0    24.0

  1920x1080i    60.1    60.0

  1280x720      60.0    59.9

  1024x768      75.1    70.1    60.0

  800x600        72.2    75.0    60.3

  720x480        60.0    59.9

  640x480        75.0    60.0    59.9

  720x400        70.1

The HD2400 Pro can actually do better than 1080 if a straight Dual-link DVI cable is used.

Code:

# inxi -SGxx

System:    Host: hpg33 Kernel: 3.16.0-44-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 4.9.1 Desktop: KDE 4.14.1 tk: Qt 4.8.6

          wm: kwin dm: KDM Distro: Ubuntu 14.10 (Utopic Unicorn)

Graphics:  Device-1: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] RV610 [Radeon HD 2400 PRO] vendor: Dell driver: radeon v: kernel

          bus ID: 04:00.0 chip ID: 1002:94c3

          Display: server: X.Org 1.16.0 driver: ati,radeon unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa alternate: fglrx

          resolution: 2560x1440~60Hz

          OpenGL: renderer: Gallium 0.4 on AMD RV610 v: 3.3 Mesa 10.3.2 compat-v: 3.0 direct render: Yes

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda (Post 6088408)

I don't believe I've ever had such an adapter, so cannot test. The better way forward is clearly a DVI-to-HDMI cable or adapter, providing superior digital output.

I can attest to the DVI->HDMI cable being the way to go for either of those video cards. I've owned (past tense) a few VGA->Component/RGB cables back when I was still using CRTs but I've never seen an equivalent for S-video. (Twenty years ago I had S-video cables galore for our VCRs and projection TV sets. Tells you how obsolete they are.) I was originally using a DVI->HDMI cable -- on hand in the 'ol AV cable carton from previously being used with one of our TV/AV receiver setups -- for my old LG monitor and it ran at 1900x1200 just fine. I think I paid ~$25 for it at Fry's. I'd dump the S-video stuff.