maximum tv output resolution for ATI All In Wonders ?

[jagabo]

RAMDAC (RAM Digital to Analog Converter) is an analog output technology to analog RGB. RAMDAC speed is not the same as cable bandwidth. RAMDAC speed determines refresh rate at various destop resolutions.

If the RAMDAC is converting RGB samples at 400MHz then the analog output will be the same 400 MHz. Unless of course the card has poor analog circuitry which degrades the RAMDAC's output.

Ignoring vertical and horizontal retrace, front and back porch, etc., you can roughly estimate the bandwidth by multiplying the width, height, and refresh rate. So at a minimum you get 267 MHz for a 2048x1536x85 display (adding in the retrace, porch, etc ups that by about 30 percent). You can argue about exactly what "far beyond" means, but computer displays can require more than twice the bandwidth of any HDTV.

[edDV]

RAMDAC (RAM Digital to Analog Converter) is an analog output technology to analog RGB. RAMDAC speed is not the same as cable bandwidth. RAMDAC speed determines refresh rate at various destop resolutions.

If the RAMDAC is converting RGB samples at 400MHz then the analog output will be the same 400 MHz. Unless of course the card has poor analog circuitry which degrades the RAMDAC's output.

Ignoring vertical and horizontal retrace, front and back porch, etc., you can roughly estimate the bandwidth by multiplying the width, height, and refresh rate. So at a minimum you get 267 MHz for a 2048x1536x85 display. You can argue about exactly what "far beyond" means, but computer displays can require more than twice the bandwidth of any HDTV.

I'm failing to understand your point.

RAMDAC is about Digital to Analog conversion from the Display card's frame buffer over analog RGB to the monitor.

Are you trying to compare this to 1080i Y,Pb,Pr which is an analog video standard?

I agree that sending the desktop out over a 1920x1080i Y,Pb,Pr video connection is lower bandwidth than a 1920x1200 WUXGA RGB connection but the WUXGA connection can go 6 feet whereas the Y,Pb,Pr connection can be linked to the other side of the world by various transmission methods.

These are apples and oranges comparisons.

If we are talking about DVI-D, the output frame buffer is clocked out as digital RGB to the monitor at near identical bandwidth for 1920x1080i and WUXGA 1920x1200.

Dual link WQXGA (2560 × 1600) is only 7% wider than 1080p so where you you get "far beyond". To me all this is in the same "ballpark".

[darkin]

edDV, did you enable "video mode"? Enabling it is a little tricky. You have to start playing a video before you bring up the video settings dialog or the button doesn't show up.

1) Start playing a video with WMP -- or any player that uses overlay.

2) Right click on the Windows desktop and select Properties.

3) Select the Settings tab.

4) Press the Advanced button.

5) Select the Displays tab.

6) Press the TV button.

7) Press the Adjustments tab.

8) You should now see the Video Mode button at the bottom of the dialog.

On my X300 card with Windows running at 800x600 or 1024x768 (and not in theater mode) the tv output is the full desktop scaled down to ~640x480. At resolutions over 1024x768, the TV output is scaled down from a 1024x768 window that follows the mouse cursor. So you can't see the entire desktop. I would actually prefer it used a 640x480 window so that there would be no scaling taking place but I haven't found a way to force that.

I've tried the above instructions but I cant get the Video Mode button to appear. I have a ATI Radeon 9800 Pro and am running Windows XP SP1. The driver I'm using is 6.14.1.6292. Can you tell what I'm doing wrong? Thanks.