Thinkpads Forum

Folks,

As of this moment, I am watching Universal Studios movie, "Seabiscuit" using...

1) IBM T30 with Windows XP SP3
2) DVD drive
3) InterVideo WinDVD v3.2

Everything appears fine on my computer screen...
1) I can see Windows background
2) I can see blue title bar of the InterVideo WinDVD window
3) I can use my glide pad to click on buttons to control InterVideo WinDVD
4) I can see the contents of the movie inside of the InterVideo WinDVD window

However, when I connect my Sony Television with a cable to the S-Video port of my T30...
1) I can still see the contents of the movie on my T30 computer screen. However, I am not able to see the contents of the movie inside of the InterVideo WinDVD window on my Sony Television screen. It is black.

What am I doing wrong?

Have you tried playing the movie in "full-screen" mode? Also try checking your Display Properties and see if there's a setting for S-Video or TV. Note that I've not tried connecting any Thinkpad to a TV in a number of years so these are just a guesses....

Verified [Control Panel]/[Display Properties]/[Settings]/[Advanced]/[Displays]/[TV]...

Placed Warner Bros. "Cannonball Run II" (older movie) in my DVD player.
Selected MS Windows Media Player.
Same problem.

Selected WinDVD.
Same problem.

You need to use Overlay or Theater Mode, IIRC. Go to Display Properties (right-click on desktop) > Advanced > Theater Mode (or Overlay). [I am not in XP atm to verify the exact settings.]

GomJabbar wrote:You need to use Overlay or Theater Mode, IIRC. Go to Display Properties (right-click on desktop) > Advanced > Theater Mode (or Overlay). [I am not in XP atm to verify the exact settings.]

I have ATI Mobility Radeon 7500.

Choices are:
Displays
Color
OpenGL
Direct3D
Options
Overlay
POWERPLAY(tm)

Overlay simply provides slider controls for Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Hue and Gamma.

I am not seeing anything regarding Theater mode.

I'm not sure about this, as it's been a rather long time since I messed around with it, but I think you can only have the Video Overlay active on one monitor at a time. And, by default the primary monitor is the one where it's active. You should be able to make the S-Video output the primary display.

Oh, and another thing, the TV must be turned on and connected to the PC before boot or it won't be detected properly and you won't get any display on the TV.

Hope this helps some, and is not too far off the facts.

Neil wrote:I'm not sure about this, as it's been a rather long time since I messed around with it, but I think you can only have the Video Overlay active on one monitor at a time. And, by default the primary monitor is the one where it's active. You should be able to make the S-Video output the primary display.

Where do I make the S-Video output the primary display?

Using BIOS setup, I can choose between CRT (or LCD, or PCI or ??? I can't remember) and AGP. Currently, set at CRT.

Adjustments are made in the Windows display properties advanced dialog, not the BIOS.

Neil wrote:Adjustments are made in the Windows display properties advanced dialog, not the BIOS.

Like he said.

The video choices listed in the BIOS "Display" section of every Thinkpad F1 Setup I've been in have only been for the bootup display.

Neil wrote:Adjustments are made in the Windows display properties advanced dialog, not the BIOS.

I have searched through every tab in...

[Control Panel]/[Display Properties]/[Settings]/[Advanced]

Many of the tabs are pre-fixed with ATI in red letters. I am not able to find anything related to theater mode.

I am guessing that my T30's ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 video card will not allow me to watch DVD movies using S-video port.

Do you have the Lenovo video drivers installed for your ATI 7500?

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 42358.html

GomJabbar wrote:Do you have the Lenovo video drivers installed for your ATI 7500?

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... 42358.html

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... MIGR-41918

Video driver (ATI Radeon, FireGL Series) for Windows 2000/XP - ThinkPad A31, A31p, R40, R40e, R50, R50p, R51 (1829, 1830, 1831, 1836), T30, T40, T40p, T41, T41p, T42, T42p, X31, X32

File details
Version: 8.133.2.1.1.1-070206a
Release Date: 2007/09/19

Summary of changes
Version 8.133.2.1.1.1-070206a-043154C
Driver version in Windows Device Manager
6.14.10.6547 Windows XP

Determining which version is installed
Windows XP
Start Windows XP.
Click Start and then click Control Panel.
Click Appearance and Themes.
Click Display.
Select Settings.
Click Advanced.
Select Options. The version number is located in the Version Information field.

Driver File: ati2dvag.dll
Control Panel Version: 6.13.10.3010
Packaging Version: 7.73.6-020617a-004617C-IBM

I have over 85 driver files listed in System Hardware/Device Manager/ATI Mobility/Driver Details.

To answer your question, I installed Windows XP and device drivers on brand-new HD using T30 System Recovery CD.

Does the ATI icon display in the taskbar? If so right-click on it and navigate output to S-video (or whichever option that points toward a television set).

Simply go to the ATi icon found in display properties and make the TV as your primary screen. I remember seeing movies through my T30 connected via S-video to an old CRT 32" HDTV. So it should work.

emeraldgirl08 wrote:Does the ATI icon display in the taskbar? If so right-click on it and navigate output to S-video (or whichever option that points toward a television set).

Emeraldgirl08, I remember you from the T2x/T30 forum. My T30 does NOT have an ATI icon in the taskbar, nor in the [Start][All Programs] menu. Does your T30 have an ATI icon anywhere?

agarza wrote:Simply go to the ATi icon found in display properties and make the TV as your primary screen. I remember seeing movies through my T30 connected via S-video to an old CRT 32" HDTV. So it should work.

I am not able to find an ATI icon/program anywhere.

Not in [Control Panel][Appearance Themes][Display]
Not in [Start][All Programs]

However in [Control Panel][Add/Remove Programs], I have ATI Display Driver.

In Display Properties my choices are:
ATi Displays,
ATi Color,
ATi OpenGL,
ATi Direct3D,
ATi Options,
ATi Overlay
ATi POWERPLAY(tm)

When I click on ATi Displays tab,
It tells me that Monitor -- "Not Connected",
Panel -- "1024x768" 60 Hz
TV -- "I don't remember (I would have to reboot my machine), but there were no settings to change"

I really appreciate your help. I can't find an ATi Icon anywhere. Perhaps there is a ATi Display Manager program that needs to be installed on my machine.

--EDIT--
Please wait before my next Reply. I have re-booted my machine with my Sony TV connected and I think that I have found the solution to my problem.
--EDIT--

When I click on ATi Displays tab,
It tells me that Monitor -- "Not Connected",
Panel -- "1024x768, 60 Hz"
TV -- "1024x768, NTSC M"

However, with everyone's help, I now see four blue buttons that I have never noticed before.

Two for "Panel" and a corresponding pair for "TV"

[(o)] [[]/[]]

Let's see whether, I can click on them.

1. click on [(o)] under "TV"
2. [Apply]
3. The settings have been applied. Do you wish to keep the new settings? [Yes]

Now, Place a DVD into the DVD drive.
1. Play DVD with MS Windows Media Player
2. My T30 panel is now dark
3. My Cannonball II movie is now displaying on my Sony TV.

In Summary...
I never noticed the small blue icon buttons under the "Panel" and "TV" settings until today.

THANKS FOR EVERYONE"S HELP!!!!