Can't get colour output from PC to TV

HKNewBi · 16-02-2007, 12:26 AM

Hello Folks

I have a problem that has me pulling my hair out.

I had my PC sent off for repair (due to a dodgy RAM chip). All fixed with a new clean install of Windows. Everything working BUT...

I cannot get the PC output onto my TV in colour. It is always black and white.

This used to work before the PC went away and had windows reinstalled.

I have a NVidia GeForce 7600 GS card in the PC and connect the s-video socket to the AV input on the TV (I have a cable which converts from s-video to AV connector). I set the NVidia setting to clone and I get the desktop on the PC - only in black and white.

I have replaced all the cables, no joy. If I connect my laptop (also an NVidia card) same problem - black and white.

If I connect an svideo to svideo cable from the laptop to the TV svideo in port I get colour.

I realise that this would be the solution only that I have installed all the cables for the AV set up and this DID work until recently.

Can anyone make any suggestions as to why I am getting black and white where once I had colour???

Thanks!

discobay · 16-02-2007, 08:57 AM

My first suggestion is that perhaps the card's output is set to NTSC or SECAM instead of PAL.

Sunfire · 16-02-2007, 09:06 AM

I had the same problem when I got a new 7800GS. This is going to sound weird, but I tried using the s-video cable I got with my 6800GT that had worked with the previous card a million times and it was in black and white. I then tried the cable I got with my new card, and it was in color.

HKNewBi · 16-02-2007, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by discobay:

My first suggestion is that perhaps the card's output is set to NTSC or SECAM instead of PAL.

Yes, I tried that. There is an option in the NVidia s/ware where you can pick from a long list of formats (variations of PAL, SECAM and NTSC). I have tried them all, no result.

The TV is multi region as well so shouldn't matter but I tried just in case.

HKNewBi · 16-02-2007, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by Sunfire:

I had the same problem when I got a new 7800GS. This is going to sound weird, but I tried using the s-video cable I got with my 6800GT that had worked with the previous card a million times and it was in black and white. I then tried the cable I got with my new card, and it was in color.

There are 2 cables from the PC to the TV. I have replaced both of them with new ones and still the exact same result.

I really can't get my head around this one.

discobay · 16-02-2007, 12:30 PM

Perhaps you can try directing the output to a mini-DV camcorder as a lot of these accept s-video. If that works then the problem must be with the tv else ...?

HKNewBi · 16-02-2007, 01:09 PM

Yeah, good idea.

Only I haven't got one of those. I am thinking it might be the TV, but works fine if I go svideo to svideo. Just means a lot of recabling if I have to switch.

discobay · 16-02-2007, 02:11 PM

OK what about pc to vcr to tv?

HKNewBi · 16-02-2007, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by discobay:

OK what about pc to vcr to tv?

Not too sure what you mean there but I did try to route it into my home cinema system (dvd player type thing with a load of speakers) which has loads of inputs and outputs on the back and then from that to the TV. This was because the original cable I had was a 3 in one cable (ie left and right audio and video). This didn't work so I left it for the audio (so that comes out of the DVD speakers) and got a seperate cable for the video direct to the TV.