S Video to TV with HP dv9000 Notebook

[DHD]

Since HP provides no details at all on how to connect their current HP dv9000 (dv9018TX) notebook computer to a digital or analog TV via S Video (no User Manual on HP website, no advice available at several dealers or emal to HP Technical Support), I'm hoping a forum member might be able to help.

dv9000 has an NVIDIA GeForce 7600 graphics card and a 7 Pin S Video connector. Unlike some other 7 Pin connectors, the outputs (shown in the downloadable HP Pavilion dv9000 Notebook PC Maintenance and Service Guide) are not compatible with the standard 4 Pin inputs on most TVs in Australia.

Std 4 pin TV Input: L to R, Top to Bottom: 4 C Colour (Chrominance),  3 Y Intensity Luminance), 2 Gnd C,  1 Gnd Y.

HP dv9000: Pin outs across the top row are 1, 2, 3 lft to rght, bottom row are 4, 5, 6, 7 L to R. Whether any of these are bridged to the shell is not indicated.
Signals as per manual are:
1 TV-Gnd, 2 TV-CVBS, 3 TV-Gnd, 4 TV-Gnd, 5 TV-CD, 6 TV-Gnd, 7 TV-YD

There is no explanation as to what these abbreviations mean, or where one would get a (custom HP?) cable to connect notebook to TV. I'm assuming YD is Intensity Luminance, CD is Chrominance, and CVBS provides a feed for Composite Out as an alternative to S-Video.

Would appreciate any help as to an HP or other site that explains all this and how to then complete the software setups necessary to feed video to the TV, as well as a place in Australia where I might purchase a suitable cable.

I.e. I can't see how a standard 4 Pin S-Video cable would work with these pinouts and it certainly doesn't work when I've tried it. When you use a 4 pin cable, the dv9000 recognises that there is a TV at the other end (small graphic of a TV appears in the set up, rather than a 2nd PC monitor) but that's as far as it goes - nothing on the TV other than a scramble of strobing B&W dots & lines.

[Anonymous]

It has been my experience with Dell computers that the 7 pin is not really an S-Video connection.  It's for some kind of custom Dell composite (RCA, whatever you wanna call it) connection.  This may not be the case with what you're talking about but the 7 pin connectors I've seen have all worked with a special little 7 pin to composite "pig-tail".

[mastallama]

Sorry for the post as a guest...I thought I was logged in :)  I hope that helped!

[mastallama]

Also, check this out: http://pinouts.ru/Video/applesvideoout_pinout.shtml

[Anonymous]

Thanks, mastallama. Like you, I suspect the HP set up is somewhat like Dell's (although the pin arrangements are different) in that it certainly seems to include signals for both s-video and composite from the one connector. I'm betting that the final answer will be a custom cable such as the one you suggest.

However, I've tried every HP resource known to man in order to find out about this (web sites, [lack of] Customer Care Centre by email & phone, downloadable manuals [if you could call them that], spare parts centre and so on). Not sure if this lack of care and interest by even the large manufacturers is a growing trend but would be interesting to see if other users have been similarly affected by progressively diminishing levels of support.

If you or anyone else hears of the cable that is needed and where I can buy one, the info would be much appreciated.

[DHD]

Also, check this out: http://pinouts.ru/Video/applesvideoout_pinout.shtml

Thanks, mastallama. Yes, very sensible of Apple and one wonders why HP would not do something similar with their 7 pins. With Apple, you can connect a standard 4 pin s-video cable to their 7 pin connector and you're OK because 4 of the pins in the Apple connector are the same signals and same physical arrangement as the 4 pins in the s-video cable.
Apple also includes composite on Pin 5 so that a custom mini-DIN to RCA composite connector can be used to connect to TVs (or other video) that has only RCA composite IN connection.
The difficulty with HP on their dv9000 series notebooks is that their s-video signals from the connector do not match up with standard pin arrangements in 4 pin s-video cables. Hanged if I can figure the benefit of that logic.

[yapisik]

thanks for pointing out this problem with HP pavilion dv9000 s-video tv-out.

I have been biting my nails trying to get the s-video output work. finally found this post. I did some extensive googling but looks like only the problem is known, not the answer.

I will try to build a custom cable and post the results here. the abbreviations on the service manual does not help much.

I can not understand why HP chose to assign such weird connections, I used to have a dv8000 and it was totally compatible with standard 4-pin s-video cables, I was using it almost everyday with my TV.

[yapisik]

quick update...

although the HP service guide gives an absurd pin layout for the s-video, it looks like the problem is not about the connector.

I downloaded an older version of the NVIDIA driver from the HP website, and restarted the windows with s-video already connected. this time everything worked fine.

I was originally using the latest drivers for Ge Force Go 7600, 8.6.3.8A. I up(down)dated them to 8.6.0.2A. This old driver can be downloaded from HP's support and drivers website. The package name is SP33572.

[Tom]

Down-grading the driver would make sense.  My dv9000 used to work with the TV.  It has now been a while and it just shows the scrambled lines.  I now remember that I have updated my video card driver since the last time I tried a TV hookup.  I'm gonna try downgrading the driver.  I will let you guys know if mine works too.

[Tom]

Switching back to driver package SP33572 from HP's website does the trick!  Thanks for pointing it out!  I wonder when they will have a current driver that actually works.  Hehe.

[Sekka]

I am having the exact same problem, but the rolling back is not working for me.

I installed the drivers, plugged in the S-Video cable (which to note is converted to go into my scart), then restarted my laptop, and I can't get it to attach.

Help anyone? :(

[Alex118]

hey guys.. I also have the same problem with my dv9088ea. Downgrading didnt work for me either..
Sekka if you also have a dv9088ea then it could be that the downgrading doesnt work for people who have this specific model.

Let me emphasise that even if you have a dv9088ea the laptop model ontop of the screen still reads dv9000. you must check the label under tha laptop to see your exact model number.

[dona]

I am having the same problem, I tried the rolling back drivers... did not working for me either :(

mine is the dv9000ca

thank you all for any suggestions

[Sekka]

Sekka if you also have a dv9088ea then it could be that the downgrading doesnt work for people who have this specific model.

I have a dv9050ea.

In other news, I got it to work, kinda.

Now, there are a few factors to take into consideration. I have been having TV out problems from my PC since I bought a new GFX card. From deductive logic and playing about for a week I narrowed down the problem to cables and my TV. I can get a picture to display on the TV with certain cables and with others it won't even connect. The picture is very dodgy, colours are realy vibrant and the picture isn't really "in focus", only way I can describe it.

Another thing to know. I have no yellow white red (http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1050072/2/istockphoto_1050072_rca_plugs.jpg) sockets or s-video sockets in my TV (it is old). The only way I can connect stuff is to use a yellow white red to scart converter (http://www.pmpz.net/reviews/iubi_blue/iubi_blue_rc_072.jpg), and just plug the yellow part in for the picture.

Now, to the information you people actually care about. I have a connector that came with my GFX card that is s-video to 3 connectors, one red, one green and one blue (http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/CDE/_VIDPORT.JPG) (mine does not have the yellow or s-video socket shown in this example, only the red, blue and green). Because I only have the yellow socket on my converter in my TV, I can only plug one of these three sockets in at any one time. I don't get a picture for 2 of them, but for the green one I get a black and white picture. Now, the inportant thing to note, my s-video ATTACHES when I use this connector.

Once connected, I swap the cable to my s-video to yellow connector and I have a picture on my TV in colour.

Again, let me note that my TV is old and connecting problems may be TV related due to issues with my PC being similar, but I hope this can fuel someone else's problem and find them a solution.

Hope this helps!

[Dave Mathews]

Howdy, I was having the same problem on an HP DV2000. I finally found an well hidden doc that told me to hit <Function> <F4>. This worked and the video on my PC showed up on my TV!!