ATI Radeon 8500 to TV, how ?

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mhenley

[H]ard|Gawd
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Jul 21, 2001
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I have an ATI Radeon 8500 video card, and I want to output it to my TV. I bought the card OEM so I don't have the adapter that would have normally come with the card, but I borrowed one from a friend and it didn't work right.

I have a VCR with composite inputs, and a TV with only a coaxial input. I'd like to run straight from the card to the VCR.

As I was driving around searching for anohter adapter just in case my friend's has a short in it, I was told by a salesperson at Circuit City that you can't go to composite from svideo without some kind of powered conversion, because its digital to analog. He tried to sell me a device that went both ways for $133, naturally, I told him I'd find a cheaper solution.

Is it as simple as a adapter plug or little cable or something? or am I going to have to buy a VCR with svideo input?
 
Since I already had an S-Video cable, I just got one of these to connect the s-video out from my video card to the RCA plug on the VCR. You can find full-length cables on that same site if you want, including ones with audio connectors in the same cable if you want to output sound from your sound card to you VCR as well.
 
I've ordered from these guys several times and have nothing but good things to say. They ship the parts fast and work like advertised.
 
mhenley said:
He tried to sell me a device that went both ways for $133,
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Yeah.. Commision is great isn't it? haha that bastard. That's why ATI cards come with small converter. Yay people trying to take advantage of others.. typical though. Anyway, I run the same setup. I have the composite tv out (svideo to composite but with ati's converter) to my vcr which is coax. Works great. Get that converter MWWInc posted. Should work just fine.
 
bboynitrous said:
Yeah.. Commision is great isn't it?
Click to expand...

Circuit City has not been on commission for over a year. Don't accuse people of something unless you know what you are talking about.
Oh, and I DON"T work for Circuit City, I just know how it is to be accused of garbage like that when you are on commission.
 
Oh i'm sorry, i'm not perfect like you man. It's nice you just post just for that, last time I heard they were so BACK OFF. Anyway, about that converter, I think that's the wrong one. Check on the connector on that back of the card, I think you might need a male to male converter, not a female to male. Make sure you get that right before you buy :).
 
Wahu, I think you're out of line, please don't crap in my threads.

bboynitrous, thanks for reminding me about gender, if I can't find what I need exactly, I need to look into gender changers as well.

MWWInc, thanks for the linkage

Major_A, thank you for the positive feedback on the vendor.
 
fyi, with all ati cards radeon 7000 and newer, you don't need a converter - there are extra pins in the s-video plug (in the center) that are the composite output - so the 'converter' that comes with the cards doesn't actually convert the signal, it just allows you to use the pins that are already there. so if you can get ahold of one of the ati adapters, in theory you should get a bit better picture quality, as you'll be down-converting the signal one time less.
 
How is he supposed to get from svideo to composite without a converter? You either buy one from ati, or buy one from radio shack. Composite isn't the best quality in the first place so you probably won't notice much, conversion or not. You contradict yourself man.

Anytime I can help mhenley. :)
 
bboynitrous said:
How is he supposed to get from svideo to composite without a converter? You either buy one from ati, or buy one from radio shack. Composite isn't the best quality in the first place so you probably won't notice much, conversion or not. You contradict yourself man.
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He didn't contradict himself. The card has both outputs by default. Whatever physical adaptor you have connects to the interface you want. There is no converter required.
 
Wahu said:
Circuit City has not been on commission for over a year. Don't accuse people of something unless you know what you are talking about.
Oh, and I DON"T work for Circuit City, I just know how it is to be accused of garbage like that when you are on commission.
Click to expand...

OK, so they're not trying to screw you because they're making money off of it, they're just idiots. I'm glad we have this cleared up.
 
Odd, I was undert the impression all 8500's were the same with the exception for the All in Wonder. By the way, I meant adapter as a converter. Maybe it was miscommunication? Either way, he got the point and knows what he needs.

If the 8500 does not look like this ? Well, then I guess i'm mistaken.
 
bboynitrous said:
Odd, I was undert the impression all 8500's were the same with the exception for the All in Wonder. By the way, I meant adapter as a converter. Maybe it was miscommunication? Either way, he got the point and knows what he needs.

If the 8500 does not look like this ? Well, then I guess i'm mistaken.
Click to expand...



Yes, that looks exactly like my 8500 there in the picture.

And I understood what was meant. A lot of people use the term converter, when they mean adapter (i work tech support, I'm used to things being called all sorts of names other than what they really are, so its easy for me to understand). An adapter does not modify the signal, merely changes the plug type, whereas a converter modifies the signal. I'm happy to hear that a converter is not needed, and I've already placed an order for the adapter.

Once again, thanks a bunch :)
 
hehe, trust me when I say that those looking at this thread will be the first to know if it doesn't work :D
 
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