[Luca]

Okay guys, your resident hardware monkey has run into a little problem. A friend of mine has a PowerMac G4 that she wants to hook up to a TV. Says she has a TV series she wants to show on her TV but she doesn't know how to get AV output for it. All I know is that it's a graphite model - so it could be anything from a Yikes! to a Digital Audio.

My main concern is that her computer doesn't have any AV outputs. I'm pretty sure that early (pre-ADC) PowerMacs came with either VGA-only or VGA+DVI, while the post-ADC ones all have VGA+ADC. I am not really sure what she needs to buy in order to output to a TV. I know that there is a DVI to video adapter for the PowerMac G5, and I also recall a 4 MB Rage Pro PCI video card that was sold as a BTO option for the blue G3. What other options are there, and how can I be sure they work?

That's my other concern. I don't want her to buy something and have it not work. I know that when I had a PowerMac, I tried outputting to a TV by using an S-video to composite adapter and then using a composite video cable to go to the TV's input, and I was never able to get anything to display on the screen. I don't want that to happen to my friend here. So any suggestions are much appreciated!

[RobM]

Hi, first post here for me !

Once more into the breach -
you don't mention what software/hardware she's got, so assuming she hasn't got FCP, FCE - then I think best and prob the cheapest is for her to dl Simple Video Out from apple. 'Course if she has then she doesn't need it , but it's a great little app http://developer.apple.com/samplecod...eVideoOut.html free!
If she hasn't got a little DV camera she can hook up with FW then get her to buy a Canopus ADVC 100 - plug and play via FW.

Saves having to go the graphics card way - which I've never had much luck with. The pics and colour always look like cr@p.

Anyway, that's my 0.02c, cheers

[Luca]

What are you talking about?

All she wants to do is turn a TV into a display for the PowerMac. I never mentioned a DV camcorder or Final Cut or anything like that in my post... no clue where you got that idea... anyway, the reply is appreciated but unfortunately it's completely useless.

[RobM]

If she wants her show to represent something like you'd want to see on TV then I really think she should go out via FW to an analogue converter (cheap cam or dedicated device) then to the TV.

[Luca]

I'm still confused... what is that exactly? You have to use a camcorder to output to a TV? What if she just bought a graphics card that has S-video? You can get ones like that for pretty cheap, and S-video to composite video cables are also super cheap.

[RobM]

What if she just bought a graphics card that has S-video? You can get ones like that for pretty cheap, and S-video to composite video cables are also super cheap.
__________________
Yeah, I know - I"ve got a Radeon mac 32 mb in a PCI slot for my second display. The S video out just dummies the screen and sure you can go full screen in an app and that's what you'll see on the TV, but it looks terrible. Then you've got to get the audio out as well.

That's why I mentioned software in my first post - she'll need software that is FW aware so it will output vid and audio via FW to a converter then to a TV. If she doesn't have a video editor then SimpleVideoOut is a free solution.

[bassplayinMacFiend]

Originally Posted by Luca That's my other concern. I don't want her to buy something and have it not work. I know that when I had a PowerMac, I tried outputting to a TV by using an S-video to composite adapter and then using a composite video cable to go to the TV's input, and I was never able to get anything to display on the screen. I don't want that to happen to my friend here. So any suggestions are much appreciated!

When you connect S-video or composite directly to a TV, you usually have to set the TV to Video-In or AUX to see the video input. You won't get it by turning the TV to channel 3 or 4.

On my TV I use the remote to put it on 'channel' 00. If you have a PS2/XBox then change the TV to whatever setting you use to display the PS2/XBox video.

If your lady-friend bought a video card with S-Video out, then she should be able to connect to the S-Video in (or get the S -> composite adapter) and set her TV to Aux/Video-In/Channel 00 and see the video output from her Mac.