Using ATI Catalyst™ Control Center - TV and HDTV: ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 XT User's Guide
TV and HDTV
Your ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 XT graphics card has TV Out capability. You can attach your ATI Radeon™ HD 2600 XT graphics to a TV and a monitor at the same time.
NOTE: IMPORTANT INFORMATION for European Customers. Some PC monitors in Europe cannot be used simultaneously with TV display. When you enable TV display in Europe, the refresh rate for the monitor and TV is set to 50 Hz. Some monitors may not support this refresh rate and could be damaged. Check the documentation supplied with your monitor to see if your monitor supports a refresh rate of 50 Hz. If your monitor does not support 50 Hz (or if you are not sure), turn off your monitor before turning on your PC when using your TV as a display.
NOTE: The following figures in this section illustrate possible connections for different types of displays. The cables and adapters are not included with the graphics card and must be purchased separately.
TV display is ideal for giving presentations and watching movies, or playing games on a screen larger than a typical monitor. The following tips will help you get the most out of your TV Out feature.
The graphics card has TV out capability. You can attach the graphics card to a TV and a monitor at the same time. If your graphics card has video input capability, you can also connect it to a VCR and record the monitor's display.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION for European Customers. Some PC monitors in Europe cannot be used simultaneously with TV display. When you enable TV display in Europe, the refresh rate for the monitor and TV is set to 50 Hz. Some monitors may not support this refresh rate and could be damaged. Check the documentation supplied with the monitor to see if the monitor supports a refresh rate of 50 Hz. If the monitor does not support 50 Hz (or if you are not sure), do not use your monitor as a secondary display.
TV display is useful for giving presentations and watching movies, or playing games on a screen larger than a typical monitor. The following tips will help you get the most out of the TV out feature.
Using a Monitor vs. Using TV Display
Using the TV as the primary computer display can be useful; however, the display on the monitor may change or looked squashed. This distortion occurs because the display adjusts to fit the dimensions of the TV. To correct the monitor display, use the monitor control buttons to adjust its display size and position.
Some single-frequency monitors may not work with TV display enabled. If you experience problems when TV display is enabled, disable TV display to restore the monitor's display.
Viewing Text on a TV
A TV is designed primarily to show moving images. The large dot pitch of a TV will yield poor quality static images. The small text sizes commonly used for PC desktops can appear blurred or unclear on a TV. You can compensate for this degradation by using larger fonts.
Using a TV as the Only Display
If you plan to move the computer to a place where you are using TV display only, make sure that you have the TV display feature enabled prior to disconnecting the monitor.
The maximum display resolution for TV is 1024×768. Choosing a resolution higher than this will cause the TV display to disappear if it is the only display device.
Using Games and Applications
Some older games and applications may instruct the graphics card to run under a specific display mode. This may cause the TV display to turn off automatically or become scrambled (the PC monitor or LCD display will not be affected). The TV display will be restored once you exit the game or if you restart the computer.
Connecting to a TV
You can connect the graphics card to a TV, HDTV, in several ways, depending on the inputs the TV supports. To ensure the highest quality graphics, choose the connection available that provides the best signal.
Connections supported, in descending order of quality:
HDMI™ (available on HDTV only)
DVI (available on HDTV only)
Component
Composite
S-Video
NOTE: Copy-protected DVDs restrict playback to 480i and 480p modes.
NOTE: For maximum performance when watching DVD movies or playing computer games on the TV, find the mode and screen resolution that provide the best result, and use those settings exclusively.
NOTE: This option is available on graphics cards that support HDMI™.
Before connecting an HDMI™ HDTV, attach a monitor to the computer and install the video drivers.
Make sure the computer and monitor are off.
Legend
1
Computer
2
DVI connection on the graphics card (On graphics cards with a DMS-59 port that supports HDMI™, connect a DMS-59 to two DVI adapter to create a DVI connection.)
3
DVI-to-HDMI™ adapter
4
HDMI™-to-HDMI™ cable
5
HDMI™ connection on the HDTV
6
HDMI™ HDTV
HDMI™-to-HDMI™ connectors
Connect the DVI-to-HDMI™ adapter to the DVI connection on the graphics card.
Connect one end of the HDMI™-to-HDMI™ cable to the DVI-to-HDMI™ adapter. Connect the other end of the HDMI™-to-HDMI™ cable to the HDMI™ connection on the HDMI™ HDTV.
If necessary, configure the HDTV for external audio. For more information, see the documentation that came with the TV.
Power on the monitor and HDTV, and then power on the computer.
The HDTV will not display anything until Windows® starts.
Configure the HDTV using the ATI Catalyst™ Control Center, Displays Manager and DTV(HDMI) .
Connect to an HDTV (DVI-to-DVI)
Before connecting an HDTV, attach a monitor to the computer and install the video drivers.
Make sure the computer and monitor are off.
DVI-to-DVI connectors
Legend
1
DVI connection on the graphics card and the HDTV (On graphics cards with a DMS-59 port, connect a DMS-59 to two DVI adapter to create a DVI connection.)
2
HDTV
3
DVI-to-DVI cable
4
Computer
Connect one end of the DVI cable to the DVI connection on the graphics card. Connect the other end of the DVI cable to the DVI connection on the HDTV.
Connect one end of a sound cable to the computer sound card. Connect the other end of the cable to the sound input on the HDTV.
Configure the HDTV for external audio. For more information, see the documentation that came with the HDTV.
Power on the monitor and HDTV, and then power on the computer.
The HDTV will not display anything until Windows® starts.
Configure the HDTV using the ATI Catalyst™ Control Center, Displays Manager and DTV(DVI).
Connect to a composite video device (S-Video-to-S-Video or Composite Video)
Before connecting a composite video device, attach a monitor to the computer and install the video drivers.
Make sure the computer and monitor are off.
S-Video to S-Video or Composite Video
Legend
1
S-Video connector to graphics card
2
S-Video connection on graphics card
3
Composite video connector
4
S-Video connector
5
Composite video and S-Video connections on TV or VCR
Connect the S-Video connector on the composite video cable to the S-Video connection on the graphics card. Connect the other end of the composite video cable to either the S-Video or composite video connection on the composite video device.
Power on the monitor and composite video device, and then power on the computer.
The composite video device will not display anything until Windows® starts.
Configure the composite video device using the ATI Catalyst™ Control Center, Displays Manager.
Connect to a European video device (S-Video to SCART using composite video adapter)
Before connecting a European video device, attach a monitor and install the video drivers.
Make sure the computer and the monitor are off.
S-Video to SCART connectors
Legend
1
S-Video out connection on graphics card
2
S-Video to composite adapter/cable
3
Composite cable
4
SCART adapter
5
Audio mini-jack connection on sound card
6
Left and right RCA audio connectors
If the video device accepts PAL input, you must change the NTSC/PAL setting on the video card to PAL. NTSC is the TV standard used in North America. PAL is the TV standard for most of Europe, Africa, Asia, Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines.
Note: You can also change the NTSC/PAL settings through software using the ATI Displays control panel. For more information, see the Help for ATI Displays.
Disconnect the monitor cable from the graphics card.
Remove the graphics card from the computer.
Locate the orange switch on the back of the card.
Switch Positions for NTSC and PAL
Use a sharp pencil to move slider switch number 1 as shown in the preceding illustration.
Re-install the graphics card into the computer and reconnect the monitor.
Connect the S-Video connector on the S-Video to composite video adapter/cable to the S-Video connection on the graphics card.
Connect the other end of the S-Video to composite video adapter/cable to the SCART adapter.
Attach the SCART adapter to the video device.
Connect one end of a sound cable to the computer sound card. Connect the other end of the cable to the sound input on the TV.
If necessary, configure the TV for external audio. For more information, see the documentation that came with the TV.
Power on the monitor and TV or VCR, and then power on the computer.
The TV will not display anything until Windows starts.
Configure the TV using the ATI Catalyst™ Control Center, Displays Manager.
