Kaleidescape Alternative Questions

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

Hello everyone.
I am in the process of making a Kaleidescape system by using a computer with a fairly large hard drive. I have a couple questions however.

Thank you for any help you can contribute!

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:48 pm

1. You'll need something similar to this (if your video card doesn't support a direct TV out):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882339047
That got lousy reviews-- you'd be better off putting $10 down on an old Nvidia video card that has a TV/S-Video out. Nvidia cards are also typically easy to force to 640x480 resolution for televisions (from my experience).
This would probably work: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500126
Again you don't need anything that big. Scrounge around in a parts bin at a university, you'll find something.

2. XMBC, GB-PVR, MythTV, OSX has FrontRow if you're in to that sorta thing. There are a few projects that have spawned from XMBC (Plex and Boxee come to mind). I put my vote in for regular Media Center, it's pretty slick and there are some good plugins for movie management (see: http://www.mymovies.dk/) and it would allow expansion to an xbox360 later on.

Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2009 5:55 pm

Also.
Another thought would to get a little box that either holds a harddisk or can stream over the network and handles a lot of file formats.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882438001

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

I wouldn't be opposed to buying a cheap video card, but I'm not sure whether a Dell OptiPlex GX260 allows for a video card to be inserted? What kind of port does that video card need?

Here is an idea I had. I know they make PCI video capture cards that have S-Video and usually RCA video inputs, is there a way to reverse one of these and have it output video or do they manufacture cards designed to do that? That fit in PCI slots?

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

Ok. Forget those questions. I hooked my old ATI Radeon 7000 VE to my OptiPlex. I've read a lot online that says it has TV-out, and I've seen it in the Catalyst Control Center. Can anyone confirm this? If yes, then would this product be compatible with my computer and video card?

Quote:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882339047

Also, just out of curiosity, if i took pins 1,2,3,6,7,and 8 of a VGA plug and connected them to the a composite video cable, would the computer even recognize the composite device hooked up and would anything show up on the tv? Here is a website that shows what the pinouts are for pins 1,2,3,6,7,8

Quote:

http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml

Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:23 am

massarosareloud wrote:

Ok. Forget those questions. I hooked my old ATI Radeon 7000 VE to my OptiPlex. I've read a lot online that says it has TV-out, and I've seen it in the Catalyst Control Center. Can anyone confirm this? If yes, then would this product be compatible with my computer and video card?

Does it have a round black plug in the back? If it does, that's TV-Out. It will have 4 or 7 pins and a block plug. (See the wikipedia article). Standard S-Video is 4 pins but video cards usually have the 7 pin type.

massarosareloud wrote:

Also, just out of curiosity, if i took pins 1,2,3,6,7,and 8 of a VGA plug and connected them to the a composite video cable, would the computer even recognize the composite device hooked up and would anything show up on the tv? Here is a website that shows what the pinouts are for pins 1,2,3,6,7,8

Quote:

http://pinouts.ru/Video/VGA15_pinout.shtml

Nope. It'd be like plugging a USB printer in to a parallel port. Similar function but it's just a different incompatible system.

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

It doesn't have an s-video port on the back, just a VGA. The next up model had an s-video.

my question was, but you didnt understand because i wasnt specific, does the ATI Radeon 7000 VE send S-video and RCA signals through the unused pins in the VGA port which is what this product takes advantage of? and by the way, i went ahead and bought the wire you suggested, wish me luck!

this is the product im talking about

Quote:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882339047

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

Product didnt work. Now im out 10 bucks. And dell assured me it would work, i even asked multiple times. Time for customer relations and time to complain loudly at dell...

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:56 pm

Those cables (I think) usually have a scaling chip in them that just takes the analog signals and modifies them to work on an NTSC set-- it's not just "an adapter".

Find a video card with TV-out that is cheap. You can probably get away with one for $20-30 pretty easily.

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

I doubt a video cable for 8 bucks has a scaling chip in it. But, I have no reason to believe otherwise, so maybe it does. Looks like another addition to my huge wire junk pile.

I'm not really able to buy a video card right now, cheapest compatible one I found was $30. I'll think of something eventually.

Thanks for you help, Bobbarker, though.

Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 4:01 am

Check ebay. You *really* don't need anything new to do what you're trying to do (standard def video playback). As long as it has TV out and fits in your PC and has drivers for whatever OS you're rockin' you should be good to go. I've used an old AGP Nvidia 32MB card from 2001 without any issues for a similar setup.

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

Ha, i was just thinking, what if i soldered an S-video adapter to a video card i have. the next up model supports s-video out, but the model i have doesnt have an adapter, think it would work?

when i open it in windows it shows two monitors even though it only has connections for one

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 1:41 am

If it has pads for it and you can find the proper place to do it then do it. Otherwise there's a reason it's the "next model up"-- it has more features....

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

Yea, i wouldnt be willing to ruin a perfectly good video card.

What do you think about this?

http://www.amazon.com/VideoSecu-VGA2TV-Computor-Presentation-Converter/dp/B000X3FAJU/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2009 4:01 pm

That looks pretty good. Just make sure you don't get a counterfeit one:

Quote:

This converter is VideoSecu brand (The model number VGA2TV and verifiable serial number are printed on the converter). Please report to Amazon.com if you received onewithout model number and serial number. That's a conterfeit product.

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

Newegg is awesome!! They are refunding me the money and I don't have to return the item. How cool is newegg?!?!?!

I'm going to buy that from amazon, I have a good feeling.

Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 407 Location: Figure it out

Wishe me luck!