S- Video

Message

a_d_y_a · #1 Post by **a_d_y_a** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:22 pm

For a person who watched a lot of movies on the TV screen, Divx, streaming content etc, played on the T43, absence of S-Video is going to kill me.

What will be the cheapest/easiest work-around?

snife · #2 Post by **snife** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 5:54 am

Yeah - i agree that it is a shame to lose s-video but when you see the system you will realise there isn't much space where they could have placed it.

Something like this may be both easy and cheap:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VGA-to-TV-Convert ... dZViewItem

actually strike that - upon reading more I don't think that would work - you will probably need a convertor box or a usb/pcmcia option

a_d_y_a · #3 Post by **a_d_y_a** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 9:19 am

hey snife that thing looks promising. why dont you thing it will work?

snife · #4 Post by **snife** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 12:20 pm

it seems to suggest that the graphics card must support the function - meaning it must have the facility to output an s-video signal through the VGA port which I don't think it will.

a_d_y_a · #5 Post by **a_d_y_a** » Thu Feb 02, 2006 12:26 pm

we need something like what these guys have

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/W ... e=M9109G/A

donking! · #6 Post by **donking!** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 4:47 am

If you look on the data sheets for the T60 and T60p it says that they do have an S-Video port.

http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/thinkpad/tech_library.html

Although the tabook at the same location and more recently published says there's no S-Video.

So is it just a typo in the data sheets?

donking! · #7 Post by **donking!** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 5:10 am

Here's a few possibilities for converting VGA to S-Video. They all seem cumbersome though.

http://sewelldirect.com/vga-to-tv.asp
Kworld_PCto_TV
http://www.grandtec.com/prod01.htm
http://www.samintl.com/ac/621672.htm

noetus · #8 Post by **noetus** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 10:56 am

I have a T42 and one of the nice things about that is I can drive a TV through the S-Video out as an extended desktop, a feature supported natively by the video card and standard video drivers. So, I can watch a DVD on the TV and still have my full desktop available (and most of my CPU cycles

), or I can stream video through the net to my TV and still have the desktop on the LCD, etc. I don't think any of the above options would support that kind of functionality. (I wouldn't want to give it up, either, so an 'upgrade' to a T60 doesn't sound too convincing at the moment.) Either a USB solution that allowed the existing video card to drive a second desktop thorugh the USB to an S-video converter, or a PCMCIA S-Video out?

a_d_y_a · #9 Post by **a_d_y_a** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:05 pm

i hear ya noetus

the presentation director rocks. i had a profile for my TV. One click and voila.
try that with some other laptop.

I am crossing my fingers for the S-video port. Or something like

No s-video port for integrated gfx
and s-video for dedicated gfx

this is something HP does

[censored]!

donking! · #10 Post by **donking!** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 2:33 pm

Yeah, it's really weird that Lenovo dropped the S-Video. There don't seem to be good converter solutions out there. They're all funky and old. I just noticed one of those things I listed is so old it doesn't even list Windows 2K and XP as supported.

It seems like one has to assume there are not good solutions out there, because people who need S-Video buy laptops that have it built in. If that's become the standard. Why would Lenovo go backwards on one of it's workhorse laptops?

noetus · #11 Post by **noetus** » Sat Feb 04, 2006 4:52 pm

maybe it will come back on future models?

you could add a PCI bus to your T60:

http://www.mobl.com/expansion/products/ ... index.html

or what about this PCMCIA solution? a bit old, but probably works

http://www.expnet.com/product.nsf/p/DVD-MPEG2-CARD

unfortunately getting s-video out of the laptop is a video-card specific issue though the video card in the T60 supports it, if it's not wired up to put S-Video out somewhere (through VGA or DVI as Apple laptops do for example) you can't just use a converter cable, i think as an earlier post mentioned

donking! · #12 Post by **donking!** » Mon Feb 06, 2006 11:26 pm

I was just reading reviews of the Z60t and it struck me that the Z60t and m are why the T60 no longer has an s-video port. Lenovo is positioning the Z60t as their multimedia laptop and so they don't want it to compete with their own other models. It's so obvious now that I thought of it.

It makes sense, because even if Lenovo doesn't want to take up the space for the s-video port, there's no reason not to have wired it into the vga out (the video cards already support s-video). So they have to have a reason that's extrinsic to the functionality of the T60 itself.

I'm very disappointed. S-Video is a very useful feature.

#13 Post by **GomJabbar** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 8:57 am

It doesn't make sense to me. Many people who travel do not want a multimedia notebook, yet they would like to watch DVD's outputted to the TV in their hotel room. Also, there may be instances where they would like to make a presentation to a group using a TV, because a projector or monitor was not easily available.

They say use USB, but offer no USB devices or links to USB devices available.

TV Video out has been available at least since the 600E series (circa 1999 - I think). It is not dinosaur technology yet. Even the funky miniature port offered on the 600E series would be better than nothing.

sugo · #14 Post by **sugo** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 9:24 am

It's probably a silly question: do most TVs have S-Video input? The old TV I had a few years back didn't have one.

#15 Post by **GomJabbar** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 10:12 am

sugo wrote:It's probably a silly question: do most TVs have S-Video input? The old TV I had a few years back didn't have one.

Perhaps not, but I have a Radio Shack, S-Video to composite video, adapter cable that I use. I am not finding it on Radio Shack's site right now, but I do see the following three items available from Cables To Go.

BI-DIRECTIONAL S VIDEO MALE/ RCA FEMALE VIDEO ADAPTER

3ft BI-DIRECTIONAL S VIDEO to "RCA" CABLE

6ft VALUE SERIES BI-DIRECTIONAL S VIDEO to "RCA" CABLE

donking! · #16 Post by **donking!** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:22 pm

GomJabbar wrote:It doesn't make sense to me. Many people who travel do not want a multimedia notebook, yet they would like to watch DVD's outputted to the TV in their hotel room. Also, there may be instances where they would like to make a presentation to a group using a TV, because a projector or monitor was not easily available.

They say use USB, but offer no USB devices or links to USB devices available.

When I said it makes sense, I didn't mean I think it's a good idea. I just mean, now I understand their marketing strategy and how it's at the root of their removing s-video from the T series.

I totally agree that S-Video/TV out is a useful feature for a business traveler. It's totally a bad idea not to have this in the T series. And it is really cynical as you say for Lenovo to state there are (usb) solutions that in fact do not exist. It's also nasty of them to remove a feature, as I believe, just so they can create more differentiation in their product line (between the Z and T series).

#17 Post by **GomJabbar** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:00 am

I know what you meant donking!. I was inferring that Lenovo didn't make sense by making such a decision. In other words, whoever made that decision doesn't reason properly.

noetus · #18 Post by **noetus** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 2:32 am

Is there any way of using the DVI output instead?

mattfromomaha · #19 Post by **mattfromomaha** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 10:21 am

Even something like the dongle we had on the 770 that gave you S-video or composite out would be nice...

I think that you have to have an adapter for Mac to do almost any type of video out because it comes from a proprietary port. I'd take that, with the $20 adapters, over nothing.

noetus · #20 Post by **noetus** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:50 pm

donking! wrote:
GomJabbar wrote:It doesn't make sense to me. Many people who travel do not want a multimedia notebook, yet they would like to watch DVD's outputted to the TV in their hotel room. Also, there may be instances where they would like to make a presentation to a group using a TV, because a projector or monitor was not easily available.

They say use USB, but offer no USB devices or links to USB devices available.
When I said it makes sense, I didn't mean I think it's a good idea. I just mean, now I understand their marketing strategy and how it's at the root of their removing s-video from the T series.

I totally agree that S-Video/TV out is a useful feature for a business traveler. It's totally a bad idea not to have this in the T series. And it is really cynical as you say for Lenovo to state there are (usb) solutions that in fact do not exist. It's also nasty of them to remove a feature, as I believe, just so they can create more differentiation in their product line (between the Z and T series).

I don't think it's a marketing decision, as you describe... it makes quite good sense to have internal competition among different model categories, from a marketing perspective. After all, if someone's going to but either a T60 or a Z60, they're already going to buy a Thinkpad, aren't they? (Do you know how many apparently 'competing' brands are actually owned by the same company? Quite a few, you'd be surprised.) If the prospective customer decides neither is any good because the T60 has no S-Video, and the Z60 has something else they don't like, maybe they'd buy a Dell or something (horror of horrors). Makes better sense to keep the buyer interested in the Thinkpad line as a whole. So I don't think it was a marketing decision - or if it was, it was a misguided one.

w0qj · #21 Post by **w0qj** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 12:28 am

donking! wrote:Yeah, it's really weird that Lenovo dropped the S-Video. [on the T43]

Actually, it was IBM who decided to drop S-Video from T43...

T43 was introduced in May-2005, before the Lenovo purchase even broke the headlines (let alone shareholder meeting approval)...

BUT I agree it's very nice to have S-Video port----my T42 had one, unused for a full year, then I suddenly did a DVD editing project for my company and voila--very useful!

I wish the InterVideo DVD program supported S-Video output (which it does not)... had to use another program to do this.

***anyone know of any FREE program that enables you to show DVD thru the S-Video port, by the way?

AIX · #22 Post by **AIX** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 2:29 am

Take a look at mplayer; I hope it's ok for you:

http://mplayerhq.hu/homepage/design7/info.html

Rose · #23 Post by **Rose** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 2:36 am

w0qj wrote:
donking! wrote:Yeah, it's really weird that Lenovo dropped the S-Video. [on the T43]

Actually, it was IBM who decided to drop S-Video from T43...

T43 was introduced in May-2005, before the Lenovo purchase even broke the headlines (let alone shareholder meeting approval)...

BUT I agree it's very nice to have S-Video port----my T42 had one, unused for a full year, then I suddenly did a DVD editing project for my company and voila--very useful!

I wish the InterVideo DVD program supported S-Video output (which it does not)... had to use another program to do this.

***anyone know of any FREE program that enables you to show DVD thru the S-Video port, by the way?

all video players can use the S-video out port as long as they support overlayer, and in practise they all do that (atleast what i know of). Its a question on how your TV-out is configured.

... Or no overlayer if your TV-out is our second or primary screen.

#24 Post by **GomJabbar** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:44 am

w0qj wrote:I wish the InterVideo DVD program supported S-Video output (which it does not)... had to use another program to do this.

I thought the same thing. What I discovered later was that you have to go to Display Properties and choose the Overlay tab, then choose Theater Mode.

a_d_y_a · #25 Post by **a_d_y_a** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 4:59 pm

any updates on the t60 and s-video situation. we need an elegant solution like the one apple is using.

NBR is doing a review on t60 this week. Hopefully people should receive their systems sooner. I am almost ready to pull the trigger. few things.

1. actual battery life figures
2. actual user run benchmarks
3. USB 2.0 - battery life issue
4. details about upcoming 64-bit meroms to replace current processor line-up. that would be bad!!!
5. s-video issue
6. build quality?
7. non-ips 14.1 screen review
8. price drop - optimisim knows no bounds

laz · #26 Post by **laz** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:38 pm

For anyone so inclined, wiring up a VGA to pal/ntsc converter isn't terribly complicated.
A quick google search came up with this.
http://www.tkk.fi/Misc/Electronics/circ ... lntsc.html

donking! · #27 Post by **donking!** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 9:23 pm

Alright, here's something I stumbled upon that looks like a decently portable (dongle-esque) device that will convert vga to s-video. $79.

http://www.aver.com/2005home/product/pc ... spec.shtml

And other device, more in the inelegant box type format:

http://svideo.com/vga2video2.html

ajazzman · #28 Post by **ajazzman** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 9:49 pm

donking! wrote:Alright, here's something I stumbled upon that looks like a decently portable (dongle-esque) device that will convert vga to s-video. $79.

http://www.aver.com/2005home/product/pc ... spec.shtml

And other device, more in the inelegant box type format:

http://svideo.com/vga2video2.html

The AVerMedia product looks like a good work around! Good find!

#29 Post by **GomJabbar** » Sun Feb 19, 2006 7:23 pm

Dongle-esque? Looks like an octopus!

Still, it's better than nothing. Good find. I couldn't find anything several weeks ago.

a_d_y_a · #30 Post by **a_d_y_a** » Mon Feb 20, 2006 9:51 am

$$gulp$$

$79!!!

holy moly for something I could already do on the T43.

S- Video

S- Video

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