Using the Graphics Card

    Read this chapter to learn how to:

Set the screen resolution
View the computer display on a television

Setting screen resolution

    You can customize the computer display mode and screen resolution. When you change these settings, you are also changing the refresh rate of the video signal sent to the monitor. See the documentation that came with the monitor for the refresh rates and display modes supported by the monitor.

    Caution

    Selecting a refresh rate not supported by your computer can damage the monitor.

    To change screen resolution:

      1. In Windows XP, click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click Appearance and Themes.
        - OR -
        In Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0, click Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.

      1. Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box opens.

      2. Click the Settings tab.

      Important

      Some graphics card drivers have their own Settings tab. Use these special tabs just as you would the normal Windows Settings tab.

        1. Use the controls to change the screen resolution.

      Viewing the computer display on the television

        To view the computer display on the television, you need to make the proper cable connections.

      Connecting the graphics card cables

        Some graphics cards may contain a TV/S-Video jack or a composite video jack. You can use one of these jacks to send the computer display to a compatible television or monitor.

      To connect to a television using an S-Video cable:

      If the television has an S-Video input jack, use an S-Video cable (not supplied) to connect the video card TV/S-Video connector to the S-Video input jack on the television.

      To connect to a television using a composite video cable:

        1. If the television does not have an S-Video input jack, use the TV out cable (supplied) to convert the S-Video signal to a composite video signal.

        1. Connect the S-Video end of the TV out cable to your graphics card TV/S-Video jack.

        2. Use a composite video cable (not supplied) to connect the composite video jack on the TV out cable to the composite video input jack on the television.

      Sending video output to the television

        Some computers may not let you view video on both the television and computer monitor at the same time, so when you send the video output to the television, the computer monitor may go blank. See the documentation that came with your computer for information.

        If you installed a NVIDIA® GeForce4TM Graphics Accelerator card, go to "To view your computer display on the television with an NVIDIA GeForce4 card:".

      To view the computer display on the television:

        1. Turn off your computer, then connect the television to the graphics card TV out jack. For more information, see Connecting the graphics card cables.

        2. Turn on your computer.

        3. In Windows XP, click Start, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens. If your Control Panel is in Category View, click Appearance and Themes.
          - OR -
          In Windows Me, Windows 2000, Windows 98, or Windows NT 4.0, click Start, Settings, then click Control Panel. The Control Panel window opens.

        1. Click/Double-click the Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box opens.

        2. Click the graphics card's TV tab (such as the Output Device tab).
          - OR -
          If you do not see the graphics card's TV tab, click the Settings tab, click Advanced, then click the TV tab (such as the 3dfx TV tab).

        1. Click Enable output to TV. The video signal option may be worded differently, such as Output Device: TV.

        2. Click OK. A message box opens.

        3. Click OK. The video signal is sent to the television and the computer monitor goes blank. A message box opens.

        4. Click Yes.

        You can now use the television as the computer display. To switch the display back to your computer monitor, follow the previous steps, and choose to send the signal back to the computer monitor.

      To view your computer display on the television with an
                NVIDIA GeForce4 card:

        1. Turn off your computer, then connect the television to the graphics card TV out jack. For more information, see Connecting the graphics card cables.

        2. Turn on your computer.

        3. Right-click anywhere on the desktop, then click Properties. The Display Properties dialog box opens.

        4. Click the Settings tab.

        5. Right-click the monitor icon labeled with a 2 and make sure that Attached is checked.

        6. Click Advanced.

        7. Click the Device Selection tab, make sure that TV is selected, then click OK.

        8. Click OK twice.

        You can now use the television as the computer display.

      To switch the display back to your computer monitor with an
                NVIDIA GeForce4 card:

        1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop, then click Properties. The Display Properties dialog box opens.

        2. Click the Settings tab.

        3. Right-click the monitor icon labeled with a 2, then click Attached to remove the check mark.

        4. Click OK.