How come that I get a b/w picture only?

 

There can be several reasons. Maybe you have selected the PAL standard but your TV can handle NTSC only. In this case you will get a b/w picture. Also the color carrier frequency maybe not adjusted correctly. TVTool and TVCC offer the possibility to adjust this frequency.

But mostly this problem occurs when your graphics card has a S-VHS output and your TV has a VHS input only. Unfortunately only very few cards still have a S-VHS and a VHS output like the good old Velocity 4400.

 

real comfort: VHS and S-VHS output

 

On graphics cards with Conexant chip (BT868/9) this problem is solved quickly. These cards can output a VHS signal on the S-VHS connector, too. All you need is a piece of software (like TVTool) which offers the option to configure the output correctly and a small adapter which has a VHS connector on one side and a S-VHS on the other. This adapter, which is nothing more than a shielded cable with two connectors, is part of the shipment in most cases.

 

S-VHS -> VHS adpater

You can also assemble it on your own, too. Here´s the schematic:

S-VHS -> VHS adpater for BT86x cards

 

For cards with Chrontel chips this doesn´t work! With these cards it´s not possible to output a VHS signal on the S-VHS connector. Therefore it´s necessary to recombine the luminance (brightness) and chrominance (color) signals. This is realtive easy made with a condensator, the schematic looks this way:

 

S-VHS-> VHS Adpater for CH700x cards

The schematics for scart connectos can be found in the last part of the FAQ. You will also find ready made S-VHS to VHS adapters in electronic stores, but it´s not sure that these cables recombine the luminance/chrominance signals if it´s not stated on the package specially.

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