Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

T

tomjcom

Member
I am attempting to output my PC desktop (i.e. PowerPoint) to tape via the S-Video connection on the DVX100A. My video card is a GeForce 5200.

For some reason, the signal going into the camera is black and white even though the computer monitor is in color. If I take the S-Video out on the video card to my Panasonic desktop monitor, it outputs in color.

Any help you can provide will be greatly appreciated.
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Is your camera recording the signal in B&W and playing it back that way? Most often, loss of color on S-video is a cable (pin) problem. If you have already swapped out cables and the signal is color on the monitor but B&W on camera playback, then you may have a bad pin on the camera's S input.
Hope this helps.
Ken
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Yes. The S-video from the card plays in black and white on the DVX100A monitor and the camera also records and plays back a black and white signal. I have tried numerous cables and still experience the same problem.

However, I can run the same S-Video cable from my DVD player into the camera and I get a color signal.
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Perhaps logic would follow that you have a problem in your computer. Have you been able to successfully see anything in color from your cpu svideo out?
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Yes. If I feed the S-Video to a T.V. monitor it shows up in color.
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Since other input devices produce a color signal (i.e. DVD player) using the same cable, it seems that neither the cable nor the camera is at fault. That leaves us with the video card, but that doesn't make sense because it properly outputs color to a TV.

Do you have all the latest unified drivers for your 5200? Be sure to download the international version...

Also, check the NVIDIA driver's output settings for the 2nd monitor. Perhaps they need to be changed? Sorry, I'm on a Mac right now so I can't be more specific...
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Some color TV's (monitors) have have auto switching multistandard color decoder chips...Are you shure yr videocard is set for outputting NTSC3.58 ?
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Sounds like I'm going to need to dig deeper into the settings for the video card.
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Tom,
If your video card signal shows up in color on a TV monitor with that cable, then the problem is on the camera end. Does your camera record and playback color without using the S input...ie: normal shooting and playback? Can you capture to your NLE in color over firewire? If so, then the S connector on the camera is at fault. try an S video to composite (RCA)adaptor from computer to camera and see if that shows up in color.
Ken
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Kplo see post 3 ...cam output is OK. Again TV's frequently have multistandard color decoders, so they will accept e.g. NTSC4.43 if this is what the video card outputs and thus show color. The DVX100 allmost for shure, doesn't have a multistandard color decoder and thus would not show color if the applied signal (from the PC) is a NTSC4.43 format
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Correction ...cam input instead of cam output.
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

I've seen some of the other posts on this forum and it looks like other GeForce cards including the 5200 have had a similar problem. There doesn't seem to be a definitive solution though one I saw involved building a special S-video cable with a capacitor between the card and the display device.

I tried disabling the FX 5200 in the devices setup in XP. And after rebooting, the S-Video on the 5200 output in color just fine to the camera. (Max. 800 x 600 32 bit) Reenabling the device, however, caused the problem to return.
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

My guess is as some people already pointed out, that your laptop is not outputting the correct format.

I live in PAL-land, and if I setup my laptop to output NTSC instead of PAL I would get the same problem as you have. My TV would show color since it can convert the signal but the DVX100 wont. I guess it might work the same the other way (ie PAL on NTSC camera).

Setting output format for the TV-out on laptops can often be found in the computer BIOS, accessable during boot.
 
Re: Cannot capture color signal via S-Video In

Looks like your next investment should be a new video card. I have owned several NVIDIA cards (including the 5200) and my next will no doubt be an ATI. The NVIDIAs with their fancy drivers just seem a little chincy.
 
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