Push for ATI Radeon "console hook up" feature: need interest!

[RoutedScripter]

As we may know there was and still is a demand to connect consoles to PC LCD monitor easily but there are no ways to do that on the fly with radeons specifically , either you need a really choppy and expensive VGA box , hard-to-get adapters (almost impossible to get at retail in many countries) , while an ability to connect input like VIVO is present on ATI TV Cards, by the way it works , it has lag so that's out,

And the TV-card LCDs are newer and still expensive , plus you also need to buy component cables , so either way it goes you must spent like some 50$ to get connected , not to mention you need a female stereo RCA - to - female 3.5 mm audio jack (which is specifically designed to work with the set for the consoles) , for the audio , now Logitech 5.1 x-540 sorround set has this included but not everybody can get this easily.

Sometimes it's not about the costs , but the "getting-a-hold-of" , which in my case , I don't buy stuff with credit card (least popular in my country) it's near to impossible to get some stuff , and I don't want to buy anothey LCD just for the Wii.

Also consider this , that I wanted to hook up a console for YEARS now , and still no success.


The whole idea of a TV tuner card is out , many people have radeons and consoles, and I don't even know if a TV card and Radeon would work together , not to mention you would probably need to switch the hardware.


AMD responded very well(customer support) although it's not clear if they intent to do any support for radeons:

VIVO versions of Radeon chipsets where introduced with the first Radeon card and continued up to the Radeon HD2900XT. Since then the input options have moved to the TV Tuners. TV Tuners with their streaming of Audio and Video to the hard drive are not ideal for console game input.

I have passed your information on to the Catalyst Crew Team and Management.

With Vista and Windows 7 having issues with Svideo and RCA input I do not believe that VIVO based products will make a return but the more requests they get the better the chance of the feature becoming available.

All we need is to prove people are interested , and if you know someone , friend , link em here , there are always times when people ask for support but now we just need to do , since they seem to be prepared for it , so catalyst crew can do something it's in the possibility , but of course they won't do something if nobody's interested.
The official forums are mainly issue/problems wise , not a lot of them spot the idea or have problems with it's radeons.


What I did to try to connect my wii to the PC monitor , it was a year ago , i have researched al about it , so i got into it , and saw some DIY workaround of people with skills made a homemade adapter and such , so I got cutting some wires , and different waays , and I basically ruined my old GCN AV cables and one VGA cable , i was just desperate i wanted to work so badly.

SO i don't make a post and ask about it , I SPENT 3 DAYS trying to figure it out and it won't work without stuff I already mentioned , I came across a thing called VIVO , ... that's when I thought up of this idea.

So my idea was like for a year , and now I finally posted. The background of it is:
-That if you have a RADEON , why would you need to buy a separate card for that
-ATI has been using tech like these and has experience
-Big demand , but never brought up . it's never reported in the media. So many threads and sites around the web-


I am just wondering if there is a possibilty to make the S-Video port somehow intake via driver , maybe all this is is a driver feature that it's locked on radeons , it's really al lot of speculation since the idea of "connecting a console to GPU" is not so popular within the industry.


And this is the ATI Forum thread http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=260&threadid=130848&enterthread=y

Also please answer the poll. Thanks

EDIT: AMD confirmed this idea/feature needs hardware , which means this can be only be possible for future HD6 (which comes second half 2010) , if they choose to actually do it. Time will tell. And I will make my best to support this.

Clearing up a bit:
AVIVO is a software movie enhancment feature in catalyst
VIVO is the hardware video input that was in radeons but moved to TVcards.

 

[Nosada]

I feel your pain, as I struggled with the exact same issue for quite some time. The solution however, is fairly cheap and extremely simple:

For the video, you need an HDMI switch. These are fairly cheap and available in most decent Electronic/TV-stores. Just use the HDMI exit on your consoles and video card or a DVI->HDMI cable if your card does not have an HDMI-output.

Sound is even cheaper, just plug in the component cables on your console (I have done this on both X360 and PS3), plug the RCA jacks into an adapter (to mini-plug) and put that in your soundcard's "in" slot. Your PC has to be on for this to work, but it should be crunching/folding anyway, so that's no problem, right?

By far the easiest way to solve all your problems however, is this: Dell 2711. Obviously, not very cheap.

Edit: about your suggestion, using a video card as a pass-through would be a blessing. I tried to get this to work on a X1900XT's AVIVO, but sadly was never able to get it to work. Let's hope nV/ATI make work of this in the future. Realizing however that we are but very few, I wouldn't hold my breath.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

That Dell is a seriously nice display

 

[newtekie1]

I see the Wii being the last console to not have at least HDMI output, so this isn't really something that will be in high demand in the future. And really , I think it is stupid that the Wii doesn't have HDMI output, I realize it can only do 480p output, but HDMI would be nice.

With modern consoles using HDMI, this issue kind of goes away. As even a monitor without a native HDMI connector, can use a HDMI to DVI converter. And if you need multiple inputs, a cheap HDMI switch can be bought.

I actually ran with my PC connected to the VGA port, and my PS3 connected to my DVI port of my monitor for about a year before getting a HDTV for the bedroom.

 

[AKlass]

Honestly, I'm not lazy so I just get up switch the HDMI cable and the mini plug from my PC to my PS3. Then again having a media box makes things alot easier

 

[DaMulta]

I have been running a HDMI to DVI cable from the PS3 to a PC Screen for a long time now.

Not really a big deal hooking these things up anymore.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

I am just wondering about some monitors I have seen that have both audio out and audio in plugs such as:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254048

and if you could get audio out from the HDMI input. Anyone have a monitor like this?

 

[RoutedScripter]

Yep , wii doesn't have HDMI , but it has some 40$ VGA adapter , anyways I don't even know if I can get these here but I should check.


Yes the "pass throught" as you descibed it , that's what I meant all the time , this idea is actually I thought so many times but never realized , I mean why wasn't this brought up before , it just make sense when you are thinking of using different technologies together , I once hooked up PC to my TV and even that was


What I meant with "huge interest" it's that the people are asking for it but the stuff gets forget , then another one asks and forgets cause it's just to complicated for normal users , I mean I wanted so much so I got experimenting , not a lot of them would do that.

I just named it somehow cause i want for consoles , but the general pass throught GPU , enhance and forward to monitor is blessing really. Ofcourse a new feature, not like VIVO.

EDIT: So i made a summary of the idea:

An ATI Radeon feature that will detect video signal inputs , possibly hardware enhancing the signal , working like pass-through the GPU and sending the signals to the PC monitor. Controlled by Catalyst, could have an array of AVIVO options that are for screen quality and customization, preferably for use with consoles in this case , but it can prove to be very useful for all kinds of different hook-ups.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

Well the issue there is a video card in a computer is, by nature, an output device. You to want to loop the console through the computer and not directly to the screen and I always though that is what VIVO and AVIVO was for. I always assumed it would only take the proper adapter to get a video in source to pass through the GPU for video output, but I digress as I obvious have no idea about this subject. I will however try doing this when I get some time on my hands just to see what would happen if I connected my roommates PS3 to my computer through the video card.

 

[cadaveca]

I am just wondering about some monitors I have seen that have both audio out and audio in plugs such as:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824254048

and if you could get audio out from the HDMI input. Anyone have a monitor like this?

No different than plugging HDMI into a tv, that. Depending on the audio hardware inside the monitor, you might only get stereo, or maybe, like with the Dell3008(just 'cause I know it works), you can get 5.1 surround.

I can hook the Wii up to the Dell and plug pc speakers into the Dell, and get audio. But it has every input under the sun, and they are all seperate, so this monitor is the exception, I think.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

No different than plugging HDMI into a tv, that. Depending on the audio hardware inside the monitor, you might only get stereo, or maybe, like with the Dell3008(just 'cause I know it works), you can get 5.1 surround.

I can hook the Wii up to the Dell and plug pc speakers into the Dell, and get audio. But it has every input under the sun, and they are all seperate, so this monitor is the exception, I think.

Well with the monitor I posted, if it can handle the HDMI audio you would just hook the console up via HDMI, computer up via DVI. Connect the PC speakers, as you said the monitors out and audio from computer to the audio in. Then you can just switch the input for the monitor for one or the other. That should be simple, easy to setup, and only need 1 special wire (the audio out to in) which you can get for 7 or 8 bucks.

 

[RoutedScripter]

AVIVO is only a movie visual enhancment feature , it's something completely different from VIVO.

The problem is , that dell monitor is not affordable , and just to play console on it to pay so much, cause the point of this is, for ATI to make a feature, for people unable to get these costly alternatives , and even if i would had money at the moment , I still have this monitor samsung syncmaster 940BF , old , but works very well , quality and response is noticably better compared to my bro's LG.


Also AMD confirmed this IPT (input pass through) as well as VIVO requires hardware, which was expected but oh well. , push for HD6 , i am willing to get this pushed as much as i can , something for the enthusiast community , somebody has to try.


Anybody knows how to even use VIVO , AMD said VIVO is on HD2xxx series, my bro has Sapphire HD2600 XT , and I never saw any VIVO in catalyst , or im just missing something , nor any separate packages from ATI Driver site.

 

[Super XP]

Honestly, I'm not lazy so I just get up switch the HDMI cable and the mini plug from my PC to my PS3. Then again having a media box makes things alot easier

I got the Patriot BOX Office and it's awesome. It plays anything you want on any format

 

[newtekie1]

The problem is , that dell monitor is not affordable , and just to play console on it to pay so much, cause the point of this is, for ATI to make a feature, for people unable to get these costly alternatives , and even if i would had money at the moment , I still have this monitor samsung syncmaster 940BF , old , but works very well , quality and response is noticably better compared to my bro's LG.

The problem is that Dell is a bad example. You can get a 1080p monitor, which is all you need for consoles and PC gaming, for as little as $150.

If the Wii is a major concern, then you can get 24" 1080p TVs for $250, with all the connectors you would ever need, and they function perfectly as PC monitors, they usually even have a VGA connector and multiple DVI/HDMI ports. I've actually already decided that my next monitor will actually be a HDTV instead of a true PC monitor. They work perfectly as monitors, but give a lot more flexibility if I ever need it. Plus, they have the added bonus of having half-way decent speakers built in, so I can get rid of the ugly clunky set of PC speakers that take up too much room on my desk.

 

[Mussels]

360 can do vga and HDMI, PS3 has HDMI, wii is the only one that needs it.


with consoles using VGA and HDMI, its pointless to have such an input.

 

[aCid888*]

This entire thread can be solved by buying a monitor like I have in my Sys Specs.


VGA, DVI & HDMI are all supported.....best part? It cost me $200 new (S&H/Tax inc) a year ago and will run at true 1920x1080 unlike a lot of crappy TV's that say they are "HD" but run @ 720p, barely an upgrade on old analog. :shadedshu

 

[RoutedScripter]

I am sorry but I have to disagree with the monitor offerings.

The point is , I don't want to buy a new monitor , and if I buy one , I will probably buy the higher level one , this means I won't buy a 150 $ one just for wii , because this one I got now it costed 320$ , and the one I thought of buying was Samsung too , with a TV card , with component, composite intakes too , but I don't have such money right now and I won't even plan to save it for the next 6 months. Since the current monitor is well, and also I don't want to have 2 of them around either.

I don't know why you try to solve the thread , I said I don't like the alternatives , I just think the idea is not bad for ATI to make but if we just solve it like , yeah buy new monitor , that that breks the purpose of the idea.

I don't have resources and I don't want a cheap one either. big latency , low screen quality etc , it can be well seen on the LG , and if I would buy , i would by from sony or samsung only.

So where are the guys that wanted to make this , I have seen people here and there talking about it over the years but pretty much they forgot it as the times of radeon X series are long gone. oh well.

 

[newtekie1]

So you don't want to buy a new monitor, which would likely last you years, to solve the problem. However, you are perfectly happy buying a new card, which won't last more than roughly a year before you need to replace it, and ATi will likely charge a premium for because of the feature?

And your reasoning behind that is that you spent a lot of money on your current monitor, which is crap compared to modern $150 monitors?

I mean come on, your current monitor isn't even true HD capable, so while you could play consoles on it, they would look like complete shit(with the exception of the Wii, which looks like complete shit no matter what you play it on).

 

[RoutedScripter]

You don't know which games I play on wii and it would be a lot better resolution that on the TV screen , as far as radeons go , no ; i do not need to replace it in a year.

Most of my crazy gaming days are over , so don't even need the top card , planned to buy 5x series but they were expensive and just forgot about it.

150$ , that's like 130€ for a HD 24' LCD monitor with a good TV card ? I don't think so , there are TV cards which suck too and I don't think a monitor like that would have it

And the other thing is I don't need HD stuff since I don't watch movies , rarely.

 

[TheLaughingMan]

Resolution on your monitor and on your TV would not matter unless your TV is an older SD style TV. The Wii can only output at a maximum of 480p which means, any device with a decent upscaler would be all you need to get better picture resolution. However, that is speculation cause I don't know what TV you have.

I personal thing this type of tech is not needed in today's market. The nitch of people that would have both a console and computer hooked to a single non-HD TV device is very, very narrow. It is also an easy issue to address with certain purchasing decisions or use of some form of adapter. You state that you do not wish to spend a lot of money, but many of the converters and converter boxes are not that pricey. No one here has suggested you buy a new monitor, we were merely pointing out that certain monitors have addressed the "issue" and I personal see no reason to include the tech in graphics cards of the future.

You stated that you do not need HD stuff because you do not watch movies, but HD applies to games, TV, PC, movies, and any other visual medium. I can understand not wanted too spend a lot of money on something you will not use that often, but that is why you turn single purchases into larger investments due to multi-purpose use. I use my computer for school work, game, TV, stereo system, DVD player, etc. I may have spent a fair amount on 1 thing, but it serves me in a variety of ways. As stated before, I have $12 worth of adapters to play a console on my monitor or TV if I really want cause I made sure it was possible when I picked out the parts.

Honestly, from your computer the monitor is what I would suggest your next upgrade be anyway. If not, get a converter box for the setup. You don't even need an HD converter box with HDMI and all the goodies cause Wii isn't HD anyway. Get something that will go from say composite to VGA and audio to a splitter so it and the computer share the speaker system. Then you just have to remember to have 1 off or on mute when using the other.

 

[DaveK]

I was using the VGA HD AV cable with my 360 for most of the time I owned it. Was running it on a 17" 1280x1024 Dell. Cheap solution for 720p. I didn't have speakers with AUX in so I had to connect the audio cables to my TV lol

The cable is like €30/$30 and you can get 1080p monitors dirt cheap these days too. Very handy for the student dorm kinda setups, or if you're on a budget and can't afford a 40" HDTV. 24" is a good size for a bedroom.

 

[RoutedScripter]

I was using the VGA HD AV cable with my 360 for most of the time I owned it. Was running it on a 17" 1280x1024 Dell. Cheap solution for 720p. I didn't have speakers with AUX in so I had to connect the audio cables to my TV lol

The cable is like €30/$30 and you can get 1080p monitors dirt cheap these days too. Very handy for the student dorm kinda setups, or if you're on a budget and can't afford a 40" HDTV. 24" is a good size for a bedroom.

Yeah , if anything , then I have to have to wait when parents buy the new HDTV set in the living room , but that's like a year away.

Not that wouldn't have budget but im also having money for other stuff. so no spare should i say.

So much for quick workaround. meh

 

[TheLaughingMan]

Yeah , if anything , then I have to have to wait when parents buy the new HDTV set in the living room , but that's like a year away.

Not that wouldn't have budget but im also having money for other stuff. so no spare should i say.

So much for quick workaround. meh

Then you push is pointless. A modification like this to the hardware from ATI would require actual change the physical boards. You would still need to buy something new. In that case, a new GPU of at least $159+ to match your current setup.

 

[wiak]

AVIVO is only a movie visual enhancment feature , it's something completely different from VIVO.

The problem is , that dell monitor is not affordable , and just to play console on it to pay so much, cause the point of this is, for ATI to make a feature, for people unable to get these costly alternatives , and even if i would had money at the moment , I still have this monitor samsung syncmaster 940BF , old , but works very well , quality and response is noticably better compared to my bro's LG.


Also AMD confirmed this IPT (input pass through) as well as VIVO requires hardware, which was expected but oh well. , push for HD6 , i am willing to get this pushed as much as i can , something for the enthusiast community , somebody has to try.


Anybody knows how to even use VIVO , AMD said VIVO is on HD2xxx series, my bro has Sapphire HD2600 XT , and I never saw any VIVO in catalyst , or im just missing something , nor any separate packages from ATI Driver site.

AVIVO HD = dual 1080p (4000 and above) Hardware decoding of Blu-Ray Codecs, HDMI, HDMI Audio, HDMI Lossless Audio (HD 4000 and above)

 

[newtekie1]

You don't know which games I play on wii and it would be a lot better resolution that on the TV screen , as far as radeons go , no ; i do not need to replace it in a year.

Most of my crazy gaming days are over , so don't even need the top card , planned to buy 5x series but they were expensive and just forgot about it.

150$ , that's like 130€ for a HD 24' LCD monitor with a good TV card ? I don't think so , there are TV cards which suck too and I don't think a monitor like that would have it

And the other thing is I don't need HD stuff since I don't watch movies , rarely.

Yes, but you are still going to have to pay at least $150 for this new card, which will only get you something that might match what you currently have. Plus, it will likely be more than that, as ATi will most definitely charge more for this feature, as it will require a fair bit of engineering and redesign on their part.

And the movies have nothing to do with HD, you need HD because you play console games, which are in HD(except for the Wii).