NVIDIA GPU-based graphics cards with a TV-Out connector can use a television as another display device (the same way that it would use a CRT or digital flat panel). The TV can be used by itself, or in conjunction with another display device in a TwinView or multiple X screen configuration. If a TV is the only display device connected to your graphics card, it will be used as the primary display when you boot your system (i.e. the console will come up on the TV just as if it were a CRT).
The NVIDIA X driver populates the mode pool for the TV with all the mode sizes that the driver supports with the given TV standard and the TV encoder on the graphics card. These modes are given names that correspond to their resolution; e.g., "800x600".
Because these TV modes only depend on the TV encoder and the TV standard, TV modes do not go through normal mode validation. The X configuration options HorizSync and VertRefresh are not used for TV mode validation.
Additionally, the NVIDIA driver contains a hardcoded list of mode sizes that it can drive for each combination of TV encoder and TV standard. Therefore, custom modelines in your X configuration file are ignored for TVs.
To use your TV with X, there are several relevant X configuration options:
The Modes in the screen section of your X configuration file; you can use these to request any of the modes in the mode pool which the X driver created for this combination of TV standard and TV encoder. Examples include "640x480" and "800x600". If in doubt, use "nvidia-auto-select".
The "TVStandard" option should be added to your screen section; valid values are:
| TVStandard | Description |
|---|---|
| "PAL-B" | used in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Guinea, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland |
| "PAL-D" | used in China and North Korea |
| "PAL-G" | used in Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland |
| "PAL-H" | used in Belgium |
| "PAL-I" | used in Hong Kong and The United Kingdom |
| "PAL-K1" | used in Guinea |
| "PAL-M" | used in Brazil |
| "PAL-N" | used in France, Paraguay, and Uruguay |
| "PAL-NC" | used in Argentina |
| "NTSC-J" | used in Japan |
| "NTSC-M" | used in Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Taiwan, United States of America, and Venezuela |
| "HD480i" | 480 line interlaced |
| "HD480p" | 480 line progressive |
| "HD720p" | 720 line progressive |
| "HD1080i" | 1080 line interlaced |
| "HD1080p" | 1080 line progressive |
| "HD576i" | 576 line interlace |
| "HD576p" | 576 line progressive |
The line in your X config file should be something like:
Option "TVStandard" "NTSC-M"
If you do not specify a TVStandard, or you specify an invalid value, the default "NTSC-M" will be used. Note: if your country is not in the above list, select the country closest to your location.
The "UseDisplayDevice" option can be used if there are multiple display devices connected, and you want the connected TV to be used instead of the connected CRTs and/or DFPs. E.g.,
Option "UseDisplayDevice" "TV"
Using the "UseDisplayDevice" option, rather than the "ConnectedMonitor" option, is recommended.
The "TVOutFormat" option can be used to force the output format. Without this option, the driver autodetects the output format. Unfortunately, it does not always do this correctly. The output format can be forced with the "TVOutFormat" option; valid values are:
| TVOutFormat | Description | Supported TV standards |
|---|---|---|
| "AUTOSELECT" | The driver autodetects the output format (default value). | PAL, NTSC, HD |
| "COMPOSITE" | Force Composite output format | PAL, NTSC |
| "SVIDEO" | Force S-Video output format | PAL, NTSC |
| "COMPONENT" | Force Component output format, also called YPbPr | HD |
| "SCART" | Force Scart output format, also called Peritel | PAL, NTSC |
The line in your X config file should be something like:
Option "TVOutFormat" "SVIDEO"
The "TVOverScan" option can be used to enable Overscan, when the TV encoder supports it. Valid values are decimal values in the range 1.0 (which means overscan as much as possible: make the image as large as possible) and 0.0 (which means disable overscanning: make the image as small as possible). Overscanning is disabled (0.0) by default.
The NVIDIA X driver may not restore the console correctly with XFree86 versions older than 4.3 when the console is a TV. This is due to binary incompatibilities between XFree86 int10 modules. If you use a TV as your console it is recommended that you upgrade to XFree86 4.3 or later.