HTPC built, software installed, what resolution ?

Iycanthropy

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Hi,

I've recently built a HTPC from a biostar IDEQ 200N barebone system, now im about to connect this to a Sony KD-32DX200 widescreen television. I know the tube is 100Hz but i dont know what resolution i should set in powerstrip? This answer is probably answered in the forums so sorry for posting new threads but i did try searching, honestly :clown:.

Thanks
 
A long time since I connected a PC to a CRT TV, however the old motto "believe your eyes" seems appropriate here. :)

If the TV's manual doesn't give you an indication then experiment, the resolutions and refresh rates displays accept varies considerably, you could start with a common WS format such as 1024x576 and see what results you get. If you start in a low resolution and increase it then at some point the TV won't be able to deal with it, then you know its' limits.
 
Appreciated matey :smashin: Hopefully the manual will tell me what resolution i can use, if not it looks like its back to the old, "play with computer until it works" routine. oh well, thank god for RealVNC!
 
Indeed, VNC is a very useful tool to put on an HTPC when playing, saved me on more than one occasion.
 
three weeks later and still not solved, this is proving to be impossible, surely someone has this TV connected to a pc ?
 
Why the trial and error method isn't useful? Are you not getting an image at all? If so then what's wrong with altering the resolution, keeping a 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio as appropriate until you discover the one which gives the best results.

A CRT isn't like a digital display which has a fixed pixel array which thus determines the 'best' resolution, just try different values.
 
Ok, 4:3 resolutions work fine upto 1024*768 but this is useless on a widescreen tv when i wish to watch widescreen DVD's. I've tried widescreen resolutions such as 1024*576, 853*480 etc etc, the list goes on. They all scroll/virtual desktop so its trying to tell the computer that it is in fact connected to a widescreen display and this is where im failing. :( Will it help at all that I am using a ATI Radeon 9000pro with the latest cats?
 
Ah right, now I understand, this is the first time you've actually described the problem, a scrolling desktop.

What type of connection are you using, VGA or S-Video?

I'm afraid I can be of little help, I only once suffered this problem and have no idea what I did to solve it. I'm not even sure what causes a scrolling desktop, it's clearly something in the graphics chain that has decided it can't switch the output into a non-standard size and thus implements the scrolling.
 
I'm using S-video. Oh well, dont worry about it, will have ot make do with a decent DVD player :thumbsdow I loathe DVD players
 
If you are feeling ambitious you could try the VGA->Scart RGB route - there is a long thread about it, and the results are supposed to be impressive.

However, it will require you to make your own cable, and become familiar with powerstrip. Basically it is quite tricky to set up, but it will give you the best results possible - typically better than a standalone DVD player.
 
How come nobody makes VGA to Scart cables?

Seems weird to me surely they would be pretty popular
 
I remember having the scrolling desktop with my projector, at the time i got around the problem by using a driver for a sony wide screen monitor. There is a lot of stuff about it in this forum somewhere but it might be a little out of date.
 
Thanks guys for the help. I really don't want to make my own cable as i just havent got the time at the moment... think i might go for a projector. I know HTPC is far superiour to standalone DVD players, i've been using a HTPC connected to monitor for years now, i can't stand them chav dvd devices, i loathe TV's too but the rents insisted on getting a new one. :rolleyes: Projector for the summer it is :devil: hehe
 
I've connected my laptop to a Sony 32" via S-Video. I used Powerstrip to set resolution to 720x576 and refresh to 50Hz. Works fine for playing back DVD and avi.

Going to build a full HCPC next week.
 
betamac said:
How come nobody makes VGA to Scart cables?

Seems weird to me surely they would be pretty popular
I have just ordered one as I just haven't had the time to build one. You can get them custom built by Keene (http://www.keene.co.uk/) for @ £35 (I think it was a little more if you wanted the audio connectors / long length).

As it is a custom job though, you need to call to order.
 
The setup for RGB Scart and VGA should be similar, since both are RGB signals, only the connector would be different. I imagine that you'd just need to set the output resolution to something compatible with the TV.
 
DaveP said:
Shame it doesn't mention RGB Scart though

Dave
It seems to be aimed at a U.S. audience and, of course, scart isn't an option there. But you probably knew that. :)
 

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