Black and White only capture with S-Video input (ATI AIW)

[fwibbler]

Hi,

I have an ATI AIW 9600XT card and am having problem getting a colour capture using the S-Video input.

The card worked fine for the first week or so until my PC decided (for no reason on gods earth) to throw a fit and refused to boot.

I tracked this down to a corrputed BIOS (never had that happen before!) which I fixed by removing the battery, clearing the CMOS and replacing the battery.
The machine then worked fine as it had before except that from this moment on capture from the S-Video lead has resulted in monocrome captures.

I can capture in colour using the composite input but then the picture quality is frankly quite crap.

I have checked (and re-checked) the output from the source machine (DVD player) and it is definately set to output an S-Video signal and I've even tried a different DVD machine.
Nothing seems to give a colour cpature using S-Video lead (I have bought an expensive new lead just in case it was that too)
I've even tried a different card (ATI AIW 9800SE), same problem.

Does anyone have any ideas? The end of the tether is fast approaching

Cheers!

[lordsmurf]

Search the forum. This has been covered before. I don't remember the answer offhand, but it's here somewhere. S-video can do this.

[zzyzzx]

Actually, the first thing that came to my mind was a bad S-video cable, but it looks like they have already considered that.

[ZAPPER]

Does anyone have any ideas? The end of the tether is fast approaching

I don't know for a fact what your problem is but I am thinking that it could be a bad connection somewhere. I always thought that the S-Vid connectors looked a bit fragile for my rough lifestyle. Does the card that you have use an adapter? The ATI adapter (dongle) that I use has really fragile looking pins in the end and I fear that some day I will need to replace the whole damb thing (It ain't a Wal-Mart item either)

With the Bios problem that you had did you do a reinstall of anything different? You may try a MMC reinstall (there is a headache in and of itself) you never know.

I searched for the S-VIDEO BLACK AND WHITE issue here and got 70 hits. You would have to read them and see if any apply to you. GOOD LUCK and please post back your success to help others reslove the same issue

[edDV]

I bet your problem is a bad cable.
Also I've had a camcorder S-video connector go bad. Wiggle the the plugs.

[noslow]

Sounds like a cable to me also. I had a problem kinda like that one time also, found I did'nt have the s-cable seated in all the way in.

[edDV]

also look for bent or missing connector pins

[ZAPPER]

I know that you said that you had a new cable. But is there any way to confirm that you are getting color signal to the end of the cable that should hook to the PC? I mean does your TV have S-Vid in so that you could test it from your DVD player? Or any other possible way to test the cable? A meter maybe? Or jump it between two other devices? I know that you are getting tired of the wiggle the wire test, But it is the standard try this first reply. And even though it is not likely, you could have two bad cables.
How is the cable hooked to your PC? maybe the jack got knocked around during your BIOS fix or some thing isn't seated well. The fact that you said that you can capture color with two different cards with component conections is leading me to think that the problem is a physical connection somewhere

[fwibbler]

Hi,

I did a search of the forum before I posted here and again at LordSmurfs request. Having trawled through the matches I've not found the answer yet.

I've checked the cables but no bent pins. I've also bought a new Scart to S-Video cable (expensive, all pins connected, gold plated etc...)

I don't see how it could be the purple connection box that comes with the card as I've also tried another card (and box) with the same results.

Also, the problem is there whether I try to capture PAL or NTSC (I know enough to change the settings to the necessary input type). The picture is perfectly stable, just in black and white.

I've tried wiggling the cables at each connection point, but they're quite firmly seated as I don't get even the slightest flicker in the picture on screen.

Cheers!

[ZAPPER]

I don't have the same card as you but try clicking ATI then TV then SETUP then the VIDEO tab then under connector select S-vid

[lordsmurf]

I've also bought a new Scart to S-Video cable (expensive, all pins connected, gold plated etc...)

This is the problem. Most of these adapters do that, do not pass through the color. You must actively seek out one that is reliable. Good luck.

[ZAPPER]

OOPS! I would really like to retract my last post. I was posting at the same time as you. (check out the time stamp) I figure that a fellow that can open up his PC and change the battery is a fairly capible fellow. I was just making sure that one of the little things didn't get looked over

[ZAPPER]

Lordsmurf may be right again (My hero) I do recall a thread that mentioned that some of these various adapters are wired different or that not all of the pins are in use. Were you using a different type or brand of adapter before? Maybe what you thought would be an upgrade wasn't.

[fwibbler]

ZAPPER:
No problem m8.

LordSmurf:
I accept what you say about the Scart > S-Video not passing the colour through, but I've also tried a straight forward S-Video > S-Video lead.
Could this also have this problem?

I thought about mentioning the length of the leads (both about 3 metres) but since the S-Video > S-Video lead (what I was using to begin with) worked fine initially (for about a week or so) I didn't see that this could be it.

Do some of these leads have a habit of working for a short time and then going wrong?

Cheers!

[Sillyname]

There's also a setting to go black and white on your S-Video output. It's under the "ADVANCED" tab, somewhere in there but I am sure you checked that first, right?

I also heard in a post awhile back that if you have composite and S-Video hooked up simultaneously on some ATI cards, one can "steal" video current from the other. (Course I'm not one for gossip.) Try only the S-Video cable and see what happens.

[Sillyname]

Then again... You could toss out that old Black and White rotary dial 13" TV you're outputting to!

[junkmalle]

I believe there are two types of SCART to S-Video converters: One for S-video output to a SCART input, another for SCART output to S-video input. Be sure you have the right one.

http://www.lik-sang.com/info.php?category=9&products_id=1467

I think the output device also has to be configured to output S-video rather than composite because the same pin is used for both composite and S-video luminance.

[garyglenavon]

Having bought a number of cables (expensive ones at that) I trawled forums and found that scart only supports Black and white pictures.
So i was directed to a company in States calles Svideo.com and they had an answer to the problem explaining in great graphical detail the cables, solutions and product to sort out problem of black and white picture.
From their own website are some very positive feedbacks from immensely satisfied customers which I can now include myself as one off.
Within a week of contacting site I had product delivered (to N.IRE )and working in full blown colour.
Scart adapter plus connecting cables 3 from scart to svideo and sterio jack.
Web site is
svideo.com
Hope this helps