video cards (1 Viewer)

[Chris Hopper]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but do new video cards with s-video outputs look good on TV's? How is the quality? I was just curious if it would be possible to run moniter free if I got a computer with a good enough video card.
thanks
chris

 

[JasenP]

Chris-

I don't think you'll be havvy with the S-Video out for a monitor, at least for Word processing, surfing etc... The ATI is better than most with the TV out, but it's really only acceptable for Video (movies etc..) and gaming.

 

[Brad kl]

set your monitor resolution to 640x480 for a while.


once you get used to that, smear some vaseline on your monitor.



if you enjoy browsing with that setup, an svideo out to a TV will be perfect for you.

 

[Scott L]

You can do 800x600 on your S-video output. I use that res on my ntsc wega and it look smuch clearer and there's less underscan than 640x480.

But like Jason said, it's only good for games and videos. I have a small LCD in the theater if I want to web-surf/work. It *is* possible on the 32" tv but no one wants to do that for long periods of time.

 

[Chris Hopper]

I already have a couple of networked Macs for web surfing and word processing. My main purpose is to play games not released for the Mac, like the upcoming Matrix game and Half Life 2. Are the graphics on games good or just acceptable? I am trying to build my own PC and was wondering if I could get away with just hooking it up to my home theater or if I would have to make a final investment of a monitor.
Thanks for all your help!
Chris

 

[Scott L]

I started using my TV for games but noticed my skill for sniping would drop dramtically. The detail just isn't clear enough on an ntsc television. However the experience was still enjoyable running around with a machine gun where the best possible detail isn't neccessary.

The graphics on TV-out are good, depending what game you're playing. For FPS's such as Matrix and HL2 you will probably be more than satisified. Just watch out when you have to shoot from far distances.

 

[Gary Neuwirth]

Hi Guys. I just wanted to say that I recently bought an old nvidia Geforce card with TV out. The software that came with it was the worst when it came to TV out....just wouldn't work good at all (not like ATI cards).

I tried out this software called TVTool and it is great. Widescreen anime is widescreen on the TV...very slim black borders (and I mean very slim) on the sides...zero on top/bottom--- unless it's widescreen.


This software only works with certain video chipsets and it may be worth your time to check it out.