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TV-Out finally works, except no picture during boot
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Author:  stan100 [ Sun Mar 11, 2007 9:25 pm ]
Post subject:  TV-Out finally works, except no picture during boot
Okay I've been trying to get Tv-Out to work for a while and finally got it. I'm using an MX400 and its going from composite. Originally I had my monitor plugged in too, but I read that the MX400 defaults to VGA. I unplugged it and restarted and I don't get ANYTHING from the TV until it runs the frontend. Before when I had the monitor plugged in, it would display all of the boot information, and then kick off when the frontend started. I'd really like it to be a tv-only deal, anyone have any suggestions?
Author:  TVBox [ Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:13 am ]
Post subject:  TV-Out finally works
What version of Knoppmyth are you using?
Do you have a composite output on your card? (female yellow RCA connector ) or are you using a super VHS to composite adapter ?
Have you disconnected the VGA cable to your monitor?, off is not disconnected.
Have you turned on the TV and let it warm up first?
If I turn on my 32' CRT TV set at the same time as my Knoppmyth box all I will see is the front end starting also.
The average NTSC set is lucky if it can display 480X480. The broadcast standards of over the air analog TV are 330 lines. DVD have 540 lines but most of the time limited to SVHS standards of 400 lines. The chances of you being able to read any boot information scrolling past your on a TV is pretty low. Get Webmin going and use the dmesg command or view log files.

If a TV is the only display device connected to your video card, it will be used as the primary display when you boot your system (ie the console will come up on the TV just as if it were a CRT)

With Nvidia Video driver 1-0-8776 in R5E50 you should need to do nothing except unplug your monitor and boot with your TV connected. You shouldn’t need any modelines for TV out, SVHS or composite. All TV modelines are in the driver.
You may have to wait for a 30 second timeout or type 0 when the time comes.

Ok people get out the rakes and pitch forks. I set my system up with a computer monitor and I just plug the SVHS cable into my video card and TV. I do not alter anything on my system and it just works. The Nvidia boys say it will default to TV video standards in the driver if it is not forced to do otherwise. I also now have fewer screen adjustment problems if I do nothing. The edges of the frames are dead on the money. I do not add any of these to my /etc/X11/xorg.conf file
HorisSync 30-50
VertRefresh 60
Option "TVStandard" "NTSC-M"
Option "ConnectedMonitor" "TV"
Option "TVOutFormat" "SVIDEO"
Option "TVOutFormat" "COMPOSITE"
This way I can drag my KnoppMyth box back up to my office and plug it into a good monitor and watch CSI in 1080i and I do not have to change anything. It just works.

If you have blue borders to the top and left-hand side of the screen with TV Out alter files /home/mythtv/.fluxbox/apps and add
Code:
[startup] {xvattr -a XV_COLORKEY -v 0}

before “KnoppMyth-run� statement

http://knoppmythwiki.org/index.php?page=BlueBorders

I see you are new to the list. It is now your job to post back your results to the list so others can benefit from your hardship.
TVBox
Author:  stan100 [ Mon Mar 12, 2007 4:55 am ]
Post subject: 
I'm using R5E50, the composite out is on my mx400. I have a pvr 150 in the box. Sorry about being vague about the monitor, I meant I took the vga cable out, not simply the plug to the monitor. The TV was on and warm. I'll try the webmin tip today.

Quote:
If a TV is the only display device connected to your video card, it will be used as the primary display when you boot your system (ie the console will come up on the TV just as if it were a CRT)

That's what I believed also, maybe I just haven't fiddled with it enough yet.
Author:  stan100 [ Mon Mar 12, 2007 5:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
I still don't get anything when booting. The TV is the only thing plugged in and I can hear it kick on when it gets past the terminal. Its on and everything. I've been playing with the xorg.conf file and its just not happening. TV-out works perfectly when I get there, but for some reason it seems like I'm getting the OPPOSITE of what everyone else's problem is :lol: I've been trying to search the forum, but I can't find anything like this

Edit:
Also, a main reason for me wanting this is because after it boots and works fine, if it hit alt-ctrl-f1, the screen goes black and I see nothing. Hitting alt-f7 brings back the picture fine
Author:  bruce_s01 [ Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Do you see the BIOS screen and the boot prompt?

Bruce S.
Author:  stan100 [ Mon Mar 12, 2007 7:53 pm ]
Post subject: 
No. Nothing on the TV until I see the mythtv menu. However, if I restart with the VGA monitor plugged in, I can see the BIOS on the VGA monitor fine. With the monitor in, I see everything I don't see until the mythtv screen shows up, at which point the monitor stops receiving a signal and the TV takes over.

Without the monitor plugged in, you can tell the TV doesn't get anything until the mythtv screen. If I'm already booted up and I try alt ctrl f1, it looks like I still get something, its just completely black.
Author:  TVBox [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 2:24 am ]
Post subject:  TV-Out finally works
Note: Whenever you make changes in cabling do it with the machine off so the machine can boot into the new configuration.

1. When you installed R5E50, what did you have connected to your video card?
A. Monitor only?
B. TV Only?
C. TV and Monitor?

Sorry to ask this again after your statement.
2. If you plug in your monitor and TV at the same time, and reboot
A. Is the missing information displayed (boot data) on the monitor?
B. Dos alt-ctrl-f1 information show up on monitor?
C. Dos only X windows information shows up on the TV

Quote:
I've been playing with the xorg.conf file

What changes have you made ?

My stab in the dark at this point in time.
If you answered yes to A,B and C on question #2 your system is working exactly like it should if you installed R5E50 with the TV and monitor connected. If you have changed your xorg.conf file it just gets harder to pinpoint the problem. Why not reinstall with only the monitor connected. I did ten installs to narrow down and correct problems on R5E50. I have learned to do clean installs quickly.


Start a word processor file and call it “MythTV R5E50 Info� all the information I use to install, configure, correct problems is in this file. Password, IP address, Zap To It information, updates, program correction ect… My current file has 38 pages. When a new version come out I start a new file. Cut and past only the pertinent information to the new files. Put a date at the top of the page so you have some reference in time. I had a TV Out section in R5C7 but it hasn’t been carried forward into R5E50.

Get Webmin going, I use “Command Shell� “Upload Download and “File Manager� all the time. I cut and past out of my word processor for fewer errors.

TVBox
Author:  stan100 [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:48 am ]
Post subject: 
I installed with monitor and TV, it sounds like you got it. I guess I'll have to try reinstalling with just a monitor. But where do I go from there? Why is it working like this because I installed it with the TV (I answered yes to all of #2)?

I reinstalled it with the TV specifically for this purpose :( . Alright, so here's the question: Do I use xorg.conf or XF86Config.in as the file to edit? Originally I had backed both up and copied the nvidia tv out sample file to them, it worked beautifully (after changing it to composite). I'm not really sure, I was trying to follow the guide(s) I was finding.
Author:  bruce_s01 [ Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:56 am ]
Post subject: 
Xorg.conf only affects the running of X, anything before that is basically the text modes set up at the console.
As you don't see the BIOS screens, it appears your card is being set to a mode that your TV can't handle, the boot messages are just put into another text mode, which appears as the same problem.
If you needing to see the boot messages, I would suggest having a look at your BIOS set up, there might be something there about video card setup. Or if you can get a loan of a newer card to check if it is a card vs TV issue.
As you can get X to start and able to run the front end, I personally don't see this as a critical issue as you can remotely access your KM machine though SSH, webmin, even VNC to access the desktop graphically.
BTW you can access the boot messages after boot using dmesg or looking in /var/log/messages.

Bruce S.
Author:  TVBox [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:12 pm ]
Post subject:  TV-Out finally works
Quote:
Why is it working like this because I installed it with the TV

Quote:
but I read that the MX400 defaults to VGA

It did default to VGA like it should. That is why your boot information is on the monitor. When the Video shows up the Nvidia Video Driver now has a decision to make. I have a monitor and a TV hooked up, I only should only have one device connected because I don’t have Twin View configured. Which one should I send the video to? The only propose of a TV is to display video. The only reasonable assumption is the send all video to the TV It is working exactly like it was programmed to . If you had a commercial digital movie theater I would want it to work like this. In past experiences I have preformed clean installs with GeForce 4 and a FX5200 video cards with both TV and monitor connected and had the results you had. Also if you want to do more searching you can find many other post on the list with the same experience. I have purposely installed this way to correct font problems on the TV. After I collected the data I reinstalled the program with only the monitor. I can also think of a half dozen other reasons why it was done this way but I do not want to type all night.

If you want both monitor and TV to display simultaneously you better set up Twin View. If you do this it helps to have lots of Linux experience

Everything is configured when you first install the program and it sometimes requires high Linux skills to change it afterwards. So here are the scenarios.

Clean install with TV and monitor ------you know what happens (you are unhappy)

Clean install with TV connected ------ you may have problems later using a monitor, resolutions of 640X480 on the monitor. You have to alter xorg.conf files every time you plug in or remove the monitor if you want your 1024X768 resolution on the monitor (bad). but TV will work ok (good).

Clean install with monitor connected ------- The monitor will setup 1024X768 (good). You can plug in the TV and you do not have to adjust anything (better). You can have only one device plugged into the video card at a time. The video card will default to the connected device. Everything that was once on the monitor will now be on the TV. (Isn’t this what you want). Also you do not have to alter xorg.conf files every time you plug in or remove the monitor. (less work, Isn’t that what you want)

Here is my recommendations

Read my first post and others closely (by your comments I don’t believe you have)
Do a clean install with only the monitor connected
After you completed all of our configurations and testing unplug the VGA monitor and plug in the TV and boot up. Everything you saw on the monitor will now be on the TV. All video and boot information will now be on your TV but you will have a hard time reading it.
Do Not change anything in any file (you do not need to)
Do Not change xorg.conf (you do not need to)
XF86Config.in is not used anymore xorg.conf has taken over.
Do Not use the guides, in my opinion they are not necessary for composite or SVHS TV out anymore, Nvidia has did that work in the video driver so you don’t have to. You are trying to make this to hard.

All the guides have one problem in common. A drop dead date. Guides never say use only for versions R5A12. Go to Knoppmyth Wiki, 75% of the guides their do not apply to R5E50. All of those things now just work out of the box. I wish everyone could see the changes this program has undergone over the last 3 to 4 years. Video card, capture cards, remotes, transcode, burning DVD, where major problems for the low skilled Linux user to get working. It seemed like everything needed to be recompiled. Now it just works right out of the box.

Every year at the end of July I get a couple of emails stating that Mars is at it’s closest point in relation to the Earth. Go outside and view Mars on August 27. Did you happen to know that every year has a August 27. The email dos not have the statement “do not forward after August 27, 2003�. In a couple of month I will be expecting a couple more Mars emails. There is no way to stop them.

TVBox
Author:  slowtolearn [ Wed Mar 14, 2007 6:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TV-Out finally works
TVBox wrote:
Every year at the end of July I get a couple of emails stating that Mars is at it’s closest point in relation to the Earth. Go outside and view Mars on August 27. Did you happen to know that every year has a August 27. The email dos not have the statement “do not forward after August 27, 2003�. In a couple of month I will be expecting a couple more Mars emails. There is no way to stop them.

TVBox
:lol: I hope you don't mind if I "borrow" this...
Author:  stan100 [ Thu Mar 15, 2007 3:18 pm ]
Post subject: 
Thank you TVBox for your super-informative response! I have been looking through the forums and I guess I missed people having the same problem. I'm performing the clean install now with only a monitor, and I will update as it goes. Thank you all so much :D
Author:  stan100 [ Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:03 am ]
Post subject: 
Bleh.

I reinstalled with monitor only, restarted with the TV plugged in (no vga) and nothing worked. Restarted with VGA only and everything worked on the monitor except now when I hit alt-ctrl-f1 I get a screen full of green dots? To get it back I had to copy the nvidia sample back and now I get TV after the frontend program begins. So I'm back to where I was. Does anyone know what the green-dot problem is?
Author:  bruce_s01 [ Sat Mar 17, 2007 10:53 am ]
Post subject: 
I believe it may be some interaction between the nVidia driver and the mode that KM 5E50 boots in.
As I said before, the console access is less relevant as you can access remotely through SSH, or go in using VNC.

Bruce S.
Author:  tjc [ Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:19 am ]
Post subject: 
If you power the machine off cold, and turn it back on with only the TV connected, and don't see the BIOS output on the TV, then the problem isn't with KnoppMyth...

Oh, and I specifically do not recommend using TwinView in this application, especially not before you have the system working without it. There are just two many issues and difficulties surrounding it. For normal desktop stuff TwinView is cool, but not for driving a TV doing video playback.
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