S-video to TV

[andrew dean]

> PJ
> 
>> Yep, I can get that to work - but it only gives me a b & W picture on the
>> TV...that's with video mirroring either on or off, all screen resolutions
>> and depths, etc, etc. I can't check NTSC since the TV is PAL-only.
>> 
>> Simon
>> 
>> At 12:40 pm +0100 18/12/02, PeeJay wrote:
>>> 
>>> The 4-pin plugs should fit in a 7-pin socket.
>>>> 
>>>> Not sure if this is a UK issue or not but my TiBook has a 7-pin S-Video out
>>>> port while the front panel of my Panasonic 28DK TV has a 4-pin S-Video
>>>> input. Presumably this means that the TiBook sends sound signals out with
>>>> the S-Video but that the TV only accepts the video signals and I therefore
>>>> have to wire up separately for sound. But my problem is that I can't find
>>>> anyone in the UK who stocks an S-Video cable with different plugs at either
>>>> end. What do others do? Must cables be made to order?

The extra pins are not for sound. They are for an additional composite video
connection.  With your powerbook came a "svideo to composite video adapter."
It is not possible to adapt svideo to composite that easily. What the
adapter is doing is simply ignoring the main 4 svideo pins and channeling
the remaining composite video pins to the rca jack on the adapter.

As to why the laptop is only sending black and white?  There are several
possible reasons.

If my s-video cable is jiggled wrong, I often lose color.  Some cables have
longer pins than others and are more susceptible to being "slightly off".

If you send a pal signal to an ntsc tv it will show up as black and white
and kinda messed up. I wonder if you could be sending ntsc to your pal tv?

Anyways, sticking a normal s-video cable between your laptop and the tv is
what you are SUPPOSED to do. If the signal isnt working correctly, something
else is going on.  If you have an old ADB keyboard cable lying around, it
works as an s-video cable and might be worth testing with.  In my experience
old adb cables have less tendency to "go black and white" than some
dedicated cables.

Hope that helped

-andrew dean.
andrew at docarts.com
Documentary Arts, Inc.