How-to: Connect an HP notebook (with NVIDIA GPU) to an HDTV!

This came up in another thread, but given that it was a solution to a question that might get missed, I figured I'd do a separate post on this.

Basically, the recent notebooks (at least the consumer ones) that have Nvidia graphics processors have a special TV plug, that at first glance looks like an S-Video port. If you look closer at the plug, however, you'll notice it has 7 pins instead of the 4 in a standard S-Video port. If you have a business model or a non-current machine, just take a look at that port. If there's only 4-pins then sorry, this doesn't apply to your machine. If it has 7-pins, congratulations! You have an unadvertised, nearly free HDTV component output port.

All you need is a special adapter cable that you may be able to find at a local computer parts store or can be ordered online from The PowerColor Store. Scroll down that page until you see this listing:

Product Name: HDTV Video Cable
Features:
7 pins
HDTV Cable 9 inch
Price: $10.00 USD
Shipping: Free shipping and handling fee
Tax: CA 8.25%

As you can see, $10 with no S/H charge, so not too bad. Also, make SURE you get the 7-pin cable NOT the 9-pin.

Once you have that adapter, plug it into your notebook, and use a standard component video cable (3x RCA) to connect the others ends to your HDTV. Open up your Nvidia Control Panel, and click on "Set up multiple displays." You should have 2 displays available: your notebook screen and your TV labeled as HDTV! You can then select to either clone your notebook screen to the HDTV, use both as individual screens (Nvidia calls this DualView), or to use the HDTV as the sole monitor. You probably want to try to use "clone" mode first, just to make sure the signal gets through okay.

Once the HDTV is enabled as a display, you'll have a new option in the Nvidia Control Panel: "Change the signal or HD Format". Click there (see attached image). Make sure the connector selection is set to "component", and then you'll be able to choose your desired resolution from a list of options. The available options are 1080i, 720p, 576i/p (PAL), and 480i/p (NTSC).

Once you've selected the resolution best suited for your HDTV, it's a good idea to go back into the "Multiple displays" tab and tell it to display only to your HDTV, as cloning may have issues given the different output resolutions.

And, for $10, you just got a fairly easy way to output HDTV from your notebook! As a side note, if any of these options aren't available, you may need to update your Nvidia drivers. I tested this on Vista-64 using modded 158.18 drivers from www.laptopvideo2go.com .

 

Thank you

 

wow! This is great. I have a dv2000t with a GMA 950. There is a s-video 7 pin port.

Btw, through this cable, is it possible to record TV shows on the HP?

Also, if I have a high-definition movie saved on my notebook and I connect to the HDTV (through s-video) and view it there. How does one setup the sound?

Do I connect the output from the notebook directly to the surround sound system? or does one connect the HDTV to the surround? But then again, s-video does not include audio so I guess the latter would'nt work.

There are two issues here:
(1)
View a HDTV movie from the HP notebook on the HDTV
Listen to sound on the surround sound system

(2)
Listen to surround sound audio (stored on the HP notebook) on the surround sound system

Any ideas?

As for a surround sound system, I plan to pick up the Onkyo HT-S790.

TIA

 

Great post thank you

 

Ah! Finally. I knew I was going somewhere with this idea, and I'm glad someone was able to confirm that it works.

I'm wondering though, my HDTV has VGA and component in. VGA is able to do 1366 x 768. I wonder what quality/resolution limits are like in HDTV. Can someone tell me what their max output resolution is in HDTV via the component method?

I'm thinking that the VGA might just yield me better quality anyway.

Also, using TV-out seems to bog down the processor a little more than VGA out. In fact, when I use VGA out and turn off the built in display, the processor load seems a bit better, and the computer is more responsive.

I've got my little 9201 running a mini-HTPC system now it seems, with the SPDIF out, HDTV/VGA out, wireless keyboard and HP remote

 

No. It's an output port only. Also, even though they use the same port, you might want someone to make sure that the Intel part is able to send out the component signal. It's possible those pins are simply inactive.

Well, if you want to connect the output to an HDTV, you'lll want to use component (assuming it works with the GMA950 part) or VGA output (if your TV can accept that. S-Video is only capable of sending a standard def 480i signal.

Neither component nor VGA carries an audio signal. You have two ways to hook up the audio to a receiver. The best way in most cases in to use the digital output. You'll need a 1/8" mini-port to SPDIF digital cable, and a receiver with an SPDIF digital input.

If you can't do that, then you can use the notebooks headphone port to connect an analog output cable (1/8" to stereo RCA) to connect the notebook to an analog input on the receiver.

Either audio connection will work for music, movies, and anything else. The advantage of the digital connection is that you can send Dolby Digital and DTS sound from movies directly to the receiver.

Hope that helps.

I like your setup... and for your set it seems VGA may be the way to go. Some sets allow for a wider range of signals on the VGA input, making that an excellent option.

Other sets (like my Sony SXRD) do not. They are only designed to accept a PC signal on the VGA port, with the reduced PC-standard color range, and a limited set of resolutions supported (none of them native 1920x1080).

So on my set, the VGA input is fairly useless. On your set, since it can accept the panel's native resolution (1366x768), and thus, hopefully avoid any scaling in the display, that's probably the better way to go. The only thing that might still be true, though, is the reduced color range of the VGA port. If the colors seem washed out to you, it may be worth looking into trying the component option.

Also, for you and anyone else wondering, the component output is ALWAYS limited by the official video-format standards (480i/p, 720p, 1080i) so you can't output an odd native resolution like many LCD TV's have.

 

Thanks. I only got the 37" LCD this weekend, so I am still getting used to computing like this. It's not very personal when people are over and you have your email on the screen, but other than that, I'm impressed so far myself. Despite it being a laptop, it really is just as good as any other integrated solution. The video card (6150) is obviously a bit weak, but for multimedia, it's good. Playing NHL07 on the bigscreen was pretty sawwwwweet.

I went ahead and ordered the component anyway, just to see how it looks. The colour is "decent" on my TV set. I don't think Powercolour ships to Canada, so I doubt I'll get the cables. Anyway, I really am glad you took the plunge and gave it a try. I've been experimenting with it since I got the laptop and msg'ed about it on these boards a few weeks ago, but no one really seemed interested. I guess many people don't have HDTV sets yet, so it does not matter, but many people do have 480i in, so even for those people, the slight improvement over Svideo might make it something to consider. Svideo in on a CRT is still too hard to see detail, for run-of-the-mill computing like web browsing.

 

Update:

So I've been using my new LCD HDTV as my computer monitor for the past week, and I'm impressed. Unfortunately, it's just a tad too far to be readable when I'm tired, so for regular computing, it will likely have to be back to the laptop. However! I have a couple of questions, if someone might know how to indulge me on this...

I am trying DVDs and videos in the 1366x768 resolution. All I can say is WOW. Essentially, what it is, is an upconverting DVD player! BUT! Unfortunately, I think the bandwidth might be too high for the computer to send videos in high-res smoothly at times. Either that, or maybe my 900MB of RAM is not enough.

Does anyone think that if I output with the component out (once I receive it) that this sort of connection will result in better bandwidth to the TV set, and, ultimately, smooth video? Or should I expect WORSE of a connection with the YPbPr?

I don't mind the colour at all with the VGA port. I actually kind of like "cool" colour tones, I've never been one to support a very "rich" and "warm" set of colours, so that's not the issue. But will I get better video and HD performance via a component cable? Or do I just need more RAM for the videos to buffer and decode better?

Thanks.

 

Thanks mucho for the guide complete with where to buy! I had no idea...I assumed it was S-video. Nice surprise!

 

This is, quite possibly, the greatest thread I have ever read. It makes me wish I owned a high-definition television.

 

I would highly recommend using PowerStrip to fine-tune the HDTV settings. You can grab it here. This program can help you with the overscan factor inherent in HDTV connections, and may be able to help you "enlarge" the apparent image on-screen to make it more useable as a PC monitor.

As far as the "bandwidth" issue, I really don't know which will provide a better experience. On my home theater setup, the component output is much better, but it's all determined by your TV. Component output isn't going to increase the inherent bandwidth of your graphics card, but, if your set doesn't like HD resolutions or color profile, it may provide a better overall experience. Some of the problem might be "tearing," or your graphics card not providing a true 29.997 video output, which Powerstrip can help with as well.

I know "it depends" isn't really the answer you're looking for, but it's kind of the way it is. I would recommend everyone try both VGA and component inputs to see which works better for their set. Sets vary so widely in how they handle different inputs, that its impossible to say one method is better than another across the board.

Thanks guys. And I thought it was an S-video port as well, until another thread questioned why there were 3 extra pins. Then I realized that the port was the same one found on a couple of graphics cards I owned for TV output. Since one of those cards came with a component adapter I tried it, and was surprised that it worked just as it did with the desktop graphics card. Why HP doesn't ever mention the HDTV capability of these systems is beyond me. It's a pretty cool feature I never knew existed.

And A. Nonymous, it's about time to upgrade. Flat panel prices sould reach record lows going into the Christmas season, falling 20-30% from a year ago, so that may be the time to buy. Once you go HD, you'll never look back. I've gotten so bad, that I'm preparing to upgrade my secondary HD set to a 1080p panel, just because even 720p doesn't seem good enough anymore. Even the girlfriend finds it hard to watch non-HD programming now.

 

Wow - this is great. Assume this works with the dv6000t w/ the 256M Nvidia GO laptop as well?

Thanks

 

Has anyone else tried this on HP's last generation of laptops with nVidia GPUs? I have a dv8000t which has a 7600 in it and also has the 7 pin out. However, I can't get my computer to recognize my HDTV as an HDTV. It only outputs to 480i SD. Is this what someone mentioned about those pins being inactive, or am I missing something?

Thanks

 

Im waiting for the cable, once I get it I'll report as well...

 

Yes, it will work.

Do you have the cable adapter I linked to? If you are trying to use S-video or composite video, those connections only allow 480i output. If you are using the component adapter, I would imagine that it should work. There's really no other reason to include the seven pin connector, unless it's to allow a component connection. And since you have a Go 7600, it should definitely support HD resolutions over component output.

 

That's exactly what I thought, but I did buy the exact cable you linked to. I'll try fiddling around with it some more, but I don't recall seeing anything obvious. I'm trying to figure out if it's the driver, but I'm not really sure.

 

Okay, then. I just wanted to be sure. I've had some PM's from people trying to use an S-Video cable to get HD.

Then the question is, do you get a picture using component (it sounds like you do, so that's good)? Then the next question is what driver version are you using and how does your TV show up in the Nvidia Control Panel? (It should show HDTV if your set is properly recognized.) I would try updating to the latest Nvidia drivers from www.laptopvideo2go.com to see if that helps.

My hunch is that as long as you can get a component output, you should be able to get one at HD resolutions as long as you are using a supported driver, and a TV that properly identifies itself as accepting 720p or 1080i resolutions. One other thing to consider is that there are some TVs that have separate component inputs for SD and HD, which is really annoying. My old Samsung DLP set had that. One input only accepted 480i/p, while the other two accepted 480p (not i), 720p, and 1080i. It was a pain.

Let us know how it goes.

 

Hey JadedRiverLA,

I do get a picture coming out of the component cables, however it is in black and white, and as I mentioned before in 480i. The video card recognizes the TV, however it only sees it as a regular TV. I'm pretty sure the input I'm putting the cables in can accept a HD signal because it's the input that I usually plug in my Xbox 360. Do you know which drivers I need to download from laptopvideo2go? I've tried reading the walk-throughs, and I'm still a little fuzzy on what exactly I need to download. Let me know,

Thanks!

 

Hmm... if you're only getting a black and white image, then it sounds like your TV is only registering a composite signal (even though it's a component cable). That's pretty odd. Make absolutely sure it's a Red, Green, Blue set of ports (and not a yellow, red, white set) that you're connected to. Then go into the Nvidia control panel, and select the TV (or hopefully HDTV) output option. Under the Video and Television tab, it should show you the connection type. Make sure it says component there as well. Then you should have HDTV settings to choose from.

If not, then try the latest drivers form www.laptopvideo2go.com . Their site is restoring from a crash right now, so all the drivers aren't up yet. If you're on Vista, I highly recommend 158.18 drivers... not sure which would be best under XP.

If that still doesn't help, then it sounds like HP may only have equipped the notebook with S-Video and Composite capability, even though they used the 7-pin port. Why they would do that is beyond me, since the GPU is capable fo component output.

 

I have a suggestion, because I had the black and white problem too.

First off, try the beta drivers at www.tweaksrus.com. I find the X-Treme Mobileforce drivers are the best ones I have found.

Also, whether you decide to use the tweaksrus drivers or not, go into the Nvidia control panel. Go to the page that deals with TV out in Video and Television, and where is says "component" or "svideo" or "auto select", go to Svideo, and get it to output Svideo. THEN, go to the list of countries, and select Canada NTSC! That is what fixed the black and white problem for me.

After that, just go back and select component, and hopefully, it will work for you, and hopefully it will be in colour.

I don't know that that will fix the problem, but let me know/

 

Well, any luck?

 

Hey Mark2000,

Nope, no luck. The problem I seem to be having is that there is no "component" option. I only get composite, s-video, and auto-select. I've tried everything and I just don't think the last generation of HP notebooks were equipped to do this.

 

I am SO sorry to hear that. I would keep experimenting and also try PowerStrip if you haven't already.

On my front, I just got my adapter today.

JadedRaverLA: I tried the adapter, and it does send 1080i to my TV, but it's completely blurry. Can't see anything in Windows. Movies look OK, but forget text. I tried changing the resolution and refresh rate in the control panel...no changes. Too blurry.

Is this likely to be something PowerStrip could resolve, and if so, what setting in PowerColor do you think I should adjust for "blurriness"?

I'm just hesitant to use the utility...I'm afraid that it could send a refresh rate or some other signal to the TV, which will cause the set to break. It's brand new.

Thanks.

 

Hey Jaded-

Thanks for the great tips. I have a dv2000t with 32-bit Vista. I tried the modded driver method from laptop2go, but they had some sort of a system problem, and don't have anything available that's newer than December 2006. That driver did not have the desired features. Do you know of any alternative source for a modded driver that will activate the 1080i mode? Right now I'm stuck with 720p at best on my 1080p TV.

Also, does the 158.18 driver work with 32-bit Vista?

Thanks!

Mike

 

Hmm... what model/resolution TV do you have? Sending 1080i from a PC usually isn't a good idea unless you have a 1080p set, that properly deinterlaces the 1080i signal into a proper 1080p one.

On most sets, outputting 720p to the TV will make for a better picture. Also, text and your desktop icons will be "larger" which can clear them up quite a bit also. Powerstrip does a lot of great things, but I don't think it will clear up text, etc. It is a good idea to adjust your ClearType settings when you connect to an external screen... especially an HDTV. That can clear things up a bit.

Yeah, I noticed that happened. Grab the 158.18 Vista driver (32-bit version in your case) directly from Nvidia, and then use WinRAR to extract it to a new directory. Then download a modded inf file I altered from http://www.mediafire.com/?8y0by0ymnmo and replace the file of the same name that's in the Nvidia driver package with that one. It will now let you install on a mobile GPU.


Hope that helps.

 

Naw, you know, I tried everything. 720p, 1080i. 576. It was all blurry. I think it must be my settings. Oh well

 

Jaded-

Thanks for the link! The driver installed fine. However, I'm using the VGA output with a DVI-I adapter connected to my "PC-DVI" port on my Mitsubishi WD-65731 1080p DLP. 720p worked fine with the HP driver, but I only get 1064x598 out to the TV with the new modded driver. It doens't show up as HDTV. Could this option only be for connections to the 7-pin port?

Thanks,

Mike

 

mhoopes -- I don't know for sure, but my guess would be that the TV is sending an odd EDID back to the notebook. Or it's just a wierd driver bug.

I would install the PowerStrip utility. I'm pretty sure it allows you to "force" HDTV output resolutions and timings, including on the VGA output. That should fix the odd resolution issue.

 

Wow this is great news! I can't believe that HP doesn't have this in any of their spec sheets (or in any of the reviews on them). Great find! I've been searching around all over the place for information on how to hookup a laptop to a HDTV. It must not be that popular yet because there isn't that much information on it.

I recently purchased a HP NC8430 and it should be arriving soon. I just stumbled on this thread and quickly went to the review pics. It looks like it does have the 7 pin port! This particular model has an ATI GPU (Mobility x1600). I'm hoping it will still work even though it's ATI?

Here is the pic of the port (with the 7 pins): http://www.notebookreview.com/assets/14643.jpg

Hmmm, anyone know if this will work with ATI graphics cards? I was just browsing the ATI shopping website and the only seem to list a 9 pin version... http://shopati.ca/product.asp?sku=2766464

Interesting to read someone was able to use a VGA to DVI-I cable. I don't know if my TV support DVD-I (I know it does support DVI-D). If it does that may be an option as well. I'm trying to avoid spending over $100 on a VGA to DVI-D/HDMI convertor as I'm already spread pretty thin after purchasing the laptop!

One last question, you mention a 1/8" to SPIDIF connection, how can I tell if my laptop can output to SPIDIF?

 

I thought I'd check into the pin outs for these 7 pin S-video connections. If I trust what HP's "Maintenance and Service Guide" manual's say, it looks like the NC8430 and DV8000 have different pin outs than the DV2000 and DV6000 series... doesn't bode well for this working on my NC8430, plus the other person couldn't get it working on his DV8000. I'm wondering how many models this will actually work on.





So according to the pins (again if we believe HP's "Maintenance and Service Guide") then the NC8430 and DV8000 won't work. It seems both the DV2000 (only one confirmed to work) and DV6000 could work. I suspect though it's a little more complicated and the video card in the notebook would come into play as well.

Anyway, this may shed some additional light on it.

 

I found this eBay listing that tells which models this may work on! I still think its of course dependant on the video card and manufacturer but it's another piece to the puzzle.

It doesn't mention my model (it doesn't mention the model that the thread starter has either for what it's worth). It does mention some ACER, DELL, HP / Compaq and PACKARD BELL models. I'll probably still try and give it a shot for under $10 including shipping ($5.49 USD). It would be nice to have this 7 pin S-video to component dongle actually work. Much cheaper than the alternatives I found (laptop docking station with DVI out or a VGA to DVI or HDMI converter/transcoder). I'll keep my fingers crossed!

Too bad I can't find the pin out on one of these things. That would help narrow it down some as well.

On a positive note, my wife has a Dell D810 and it looks like there is a good chance it might work (Dell D800 is listed below). I just looked at the laptop and it has the 7 pin D-video connection on it. Between the two I hope to have one of them working. The Dell I have has a X300 in it.

Here is the link to the auction. I'll also post the details from the auction incase someone stumbles upon this thread after the eBay details can't be brought up anymore.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/7-PIN-S-VIDEO-TO...QQihZ004QQcategoryZ116331QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem



High Quality 7-Pin S-Video SVideo To 3 RCA Component Cable Adaptor For Laptop (# HK 6031)

Description:
Brand New, Never Used
Connectors: one end with 7 pin S-video, and the other end with 3 RCA Male( Red, Green, Blue).

Plug a S-Video output in to a RCA Composite video input
Allow you to convert RCA Cable (Male) to S-Video Cable (Male) / S-Video Cable (Male) to RCA cable (Male) !!
Ideal media for converting your video signal with minimal degradation to signal quality
Connect your Laptop to HDTV.
Your laptop must have a 7 pin S-Video socket and be capable of producing a composite TV-Out signal.
Length: about 40 cm
Quantity in Package: 1.
Compatible with laptops that have 7-pin S-Video jack, such as

ACER
Acer Aspire: 1600 Series: 1601, 1602, 1603, 1604, 1605, 1606
Acer Aspire: 1670 Series: 1670, 1671, 1672, 1673, 1674
Acer Aspire: 1680 Series: 1680, 1681, 1682, 1683, 1684, 1685
Acer Aspire: 1690 Series: 1690, 1691, 1692, 1693, 1694
Acer Aspire: 3020 Series: 3022 WLMi, 3023 WLMi
Acer Aspire: 5020 Series: 5020, 5021, 5022, 5024
Acer TravelMate: 290 Series
Acer TravelMate: 4000 Series: 4000, 4001
Acer TravelMate: 4050 Series: 4050, 4051

DELL
Dell Inspiron: 510m, 1100, 2500, 3700, 3800, 4000, 4100, 4150, 5000, 5100, 5150, 5160, 6000, 7500, 8000, 8100, 8200, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9300
Dell Latitude: CP, CPi, CPi A, CPi D, CPi R, CPt, CPt C, CPt S, CPt V, CPx H, CPx J
Dell Latitude: C500, C510, C540, C600, C610, C640, C800, C810, C840
Dell Latitude: D600, D800
Dell Precision Workstation: M20, M40, M50, M60, M70

HP / Compaq
HP / Compaq: NX6125, NX9010 Series
HP / Compaq Pavilion: DV1000, ZE5600 Series
HP / Compaq Pavilion 6100 Series: ZV6131EA
HP Omnibook: 6100 Series

PACKARD BELL
Packard Bell Igo: 6000 Series
Packard Bell EasyNote: F5 Series
Packard Bell EasyNote: M5 Series.

Edit: Out of curiousity I looked up the pin out for the NX9010 (listed as a "working model" above) and it matches the NC8430 and the DV8000 (see my last post) Who knows anymore! It wouldn't be the first time I've seen out of whack manuals. Half the time the companies don't even know what they are talking about. Hehehe.

 

i have a hp dv6000 and i tried absolutely everything to get this workin, i purchased the 7pin svideo to component from ebay, the exact one mentioned by ssseth. a few months ago.

The problem that i experienced what same as pac1687, i did not get the option to select component from the list, all i could select was composite and svideo, when selecting one of them i would get a blue tint of an image on the tv.

I downloaded all the drivers out there to see if it would correct the problem but none worked. i actually emailed hp to ask how to get it working but they had no idea.

has anyone tried the official svideo to component adaptor from nvidia?

 

I have HP dv6000t with nvidia 7400 Graphics card. I have tried to connect s-video out to my TV. I have a 7-pin S-Video connector with three cables on the other side. The colour of these cables is White, Yellow and Red. I am connected the same to my Sony TV composite input. White to White and so on . I was able to see my laptop output on the TV, but in Black & White. No colour. Can some please help me.

 

I actually purchased the cable from the Powercolor site that the orginal poster mentioned, and they shipped it free to Canada! It took a week and cost me the $10 from the site and that is all.

Now the bad news (for me anyways). I connected it to my HP dv9310ca and am having a bit of difficulty. It will recognize my Panasonic plasma as HDTV and give me the 1080i/720p/720i etc options, but no matter which one I select I get a green tint to everything. The resolution is definately HD... much sharper than when I have s-video connected, but everything is green. I have tested the cable with other devices and so it is not my component cable, but may be the actual Powercolor adapter. Not sure.

I am going to play around with some drivers in Vista Home Premium and see if I can fix this. I will be extremely stoked if I can get this working with the proper colors. Any suggestions?

 

I think it is a dongle issue for me...

With everything setup properly in the Nvidia control panel (HDTV detected, Component cables, 720p) I am able to get my greenish display on the plasma still... it basically has no blue channel. While all this is connected, if I unplug the red cable on the dongle I lose the red channel on the tv, if I unplug the blue then nothing happens (as there is no blue chan to start with) and if I unplug the green cable I lose the picture all together and my tv no longer detects a signal.

I am assuming it is the dongle and that the pins are not matching the output of the Geforce Go 6150 in my laptop. Any way I can fix this, or am I not able to get HDTV with proper colors from this laptop?

BTW, typed this with the picture on the plasma and so clarity and signal quality is not an issue, just the colors.

 

Ironman, this is SO WEIRD, that you're posting this...

I am ALSO in Canada, and I ALSO ordered the cable with no problem here. But I have the EXACT same problem as you - there's no blue channel.

And what's so funny, is that I was browsing these forums a couple of days ago, just about to post about it again.

So, what I have done now, is emailed PowerColour to see if maybe my dongle was broken, and maybe I need another one. To me, what seems to be happening, is that the pin for the blue channel is not set correctly on our laptops and its not matching up with the dongle. With a custom solution, this could be fixed, and if I splice open the dongle's edge, and find seven wires in there, I bet it could be fixed by touching each one of them to the blue channel on the TV, and if it works, it means it's just mixed up.

On the other hand, it could be our laptops, which is obviously bad news. It means they won't work. I have the dv9000 nvidia 6150.

One other thing I wonder about trying... is changing the output from NTSC (Canada) to NTSC (US) if that is an option. It seems like no one in the US is complaining about tihs problem, and we're both in Canada, so I wonder if it is somethign to do with that?

I'm in Toronto.

Let's revive this thread and see if we could get this problem fixed. I'm not going to splice open the cable yet, but I'm tempted, since it is of little use in its current form anyway. There's a shop at Spadina and College that does custom cabling, so they might be able to do something, if I can't.

ttyl

 

OK... update... I've just torn open the dongle, so there's no way I can return it now. But the bad news is, is without breaking it completely, I have not been able to fix the blue channel. Its all glued together under the black thing, and if I bust this thing any more, I won't be able to use it at all.

Maybe I should just bust it seeing as its not giving me the proper colours anyway, but...

Still hoping, waiting for suggestions

 

OK, now the connector is completely busted

Who cares, it did not work anyway. BUT! I found out some interesting info:

In the dongle, Pin 3 is for Y (green cable). I confirmed this by jamming a raw wire into pin 3 in the computer, and it gave me a black and white signal.

1 & 2 are connected to Pb and Pr.

The three cables, 1, 2, and 3 (red, blue, green) are grounded.

pins 4, 5, 6 and 7 are soldered together, with a black wire going from that soldered jumble, to the silver casing part of the dongle that connects into the computer. (the part that surrounds the pin). I assume this is ground also, because all the colour wires above, had their ground wire touching the soldered jumble of pins 4-7.

Unfortunately, none of this serves to solve the problem of HDTV out on the dv9000 because the blue tint isn't there. I wonder if it is just not connected inside the computer.

I could post a pic of the destroyed dongle when I get a chance.

In the meantime, could someone tell me, is the red on the left or in the middle of the three colours when you look at your dongle?

 

My thought is that the later models may require a different dongle. It seems as if the entire signal is going through the green connector on the dongle from powercolor when connected to a dv9000 laptop. I would get the entire picture in black and white from it, and the red cable seemed to add some green and red to the picture. I have decided to try one more dongle since they aren't that expensive:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...trksid=p3984.cTODAY.m238.lVI#ebayphotohosting

Perhaps they have the s-vid and 3 components connected in the 7-pin output for the laptop. I figured for another $6 I will give it a try. If this new dongle doesn't do anything then I will go back to the s-video connection that I am currently using.

 

The red is on the left for mine... goes in the order it should - green, blue then red.

 

Ironman, it is normal for the you to get "any" picture from the green wire. The green wire carries the timing information, so you'll always get something from using only that wire. It's when you add the blue and red to the picture, that you're supposed to get "the full image". Anyway, order that other dongle, I doubt it will work, but you never know...be sure to tell us what happens, I will be checking the forum.

 

Now, Powercolour says they're going to send me a free replacement cable!

I doubt it will work. I think we're SOL Ironman. It must be something inside the computer. Looking forward to hearing your experience with the other cable.

 

mark2000, you are going to love me! That cable I ordered is exactly what we need! I am now connected with a beautiful fully coloured 720p signal with that new cable I ordered. A little bit of overscan, but not much at all and so I probably won't even fix it with powerstrip. The green only is gone and the signal looks wonderful!! Here is the link to the cable I ordered:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/7-PIN-S-VIDEO-TO...oryZ3759QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

It took about 2 weeks total to ship from Hong Kong and cost about $6 when all was said and done. I hope the cable works for you too.

 

Wow, this is amazing news. I REALLY wonder what is behind this. I'm tempted to order two of the cables from the Hong Kong supplier so I could tear one apart and see how the wiring is different from the other one.

I'm still waiting for the replacement Powercolour cable they said they would send, but if I don't see anything in the next few days, I'll go with your suggestion IronmanDunn... this is most wonderful, glorious news! Thanks!

 

So is your cable the same as the original posters?
The original link at The PowerColor Store is dead.

Now does this only works with Nvidia? OR does it work with ATI as well?
I just got an ASUS F3SA with HD2600. And this thread made me realize that i have this port as well So would i be able to run it?

And i am asumming the sinal is analog?

 

Did you find out if this works with ATI?

 

I have both a dv6000 and v5000 with the ATI gpu. I have the quickdock with the component out and just get black and white, both have the 7 pin s-video connector. I take it i'm outta luck on connecting it to a HDTV through the dock or dongle?

 

cebolao: The last one I posted is a different cable as it has the s-video output as well as the component, where as the Powercolor cable only has the component, which appears to make the difference. I actually ordered the Powercolor one first (after having to search for the link as the original link was dead) but only got a green & red signal. The $1 cable from ebay however works great and hopefully mark2000 will be able to confirm the same when he gets his.


StormGSi: If you have the 7-pin video connector then hopefully the ebay cable should work for you as well, but not sure if they work with the ATI GPUs. For $6 shipped to my door I figured I would take a chance and try it out since the Powercolor one didn't work and I was rewarded. Worse case scenario is that you are out $6, best case is that you have HDTV at 1080i or 720p from your laptop for cheap!

 

thanks for the heads up

 

Sweeeet!
so this should be fine right:
http://cgi.ebay.com/7-PIN-S-VIDEO-S...ryZ51050QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem