ATI Technologies RADEON 9000, RADEON 9000 PRO User Manual

RADEON

™

™

RADEON

User’s Guide

P/N 137-40401-10

9000
9000 PRO

Copyright © 2002, ATI Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.

ATI and all ATI product and product feature names are trademarks and/or registered
trademarks of ATI Technologies Inc. All other company and/or product names are
trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Features,
performance and specifications are subject to change without notice. Product may not
be exactly as shown in the diagrams.

Reproduction of this manual, or parts thereof, in any form, without the express written
permission of ATI Technologies Inc. is strictly prohibited.

i

Disclaimer

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document, ATI
Technologies Inc. assumes no liability with respect to the operation or use of ATI
hardware, software or other products and documentation described herein, for any act
or omission of ATI concerning such products or this documentation, for any
interruption of service, loss or interruption of business, loss of anticipatory profits, or
for punitive, incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing,
performance, or use of the ATI hardware, software, or other products and
documentation provided herein.

ATI Technologies Inc. reserves the right to make changes without further notice to a
product or system described herein to improve reliability, function or design. With
respect to ATI products which this document relates, ATI disclaims all express or
implied warranties regarding such products, including but not limited to, the implied
warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.

Product Notice:

MACROVISION

A.Apparatus Claims of U.S. Patent Nos. 4,631,603, 4,577,216, 4,819,098, and
4,907,093 licensed for limited viewing users only.

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ii

Table of Contents

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Features At A Glance .................................................................................. 2

Radeon™ 9000 family ........................................................................... 2

ATI’s Catalyst Software Suite .................................................................... 3

Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming Experience...................................... 3

Direct 3D® and OpenGL® .................................................................... 3

HydraVision™ ....................................................................................... 3

Multiple Displays (optional). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Connecting Your Monitor(s) ...................................................................... 5

Display Configurations................................................................................ 6

Catalyst™ Software Suite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

ATI Displays Tab......................................................................................... 7

Enabling/Disabling Secondary Displays (optional) ............................... 8

Enabling Extended Desktop Mode (optional) ........................................ 8

Dynamic Display Reassignment (optional)............................................ 8

Virtually Repositioning Your Displays (optional) ............................... 10

Ratiometric Expansion ......................................................................... 10

ATI Color Tab ........................................................................................... 11

ATI Options Tab........................................................................................ 13

ATI Overlay Tab ....................................................................................... 14

Video Overlay ...................................................................................... 14

Direct 3D® Control Panel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Main and Custom Settings........................................................................ 16

Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings .......................................................... 19

OpenGL® Control Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Main and Custom Settings........................................................................ 21

OpenGL® Compatibility Settings............................................................ 24

Using TV Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

View your PC’s display on a TV.......................................................... 25

Connecting to a TV or a VCR .................................................................. 25

Starting Windows® with TV Display Enabled .................................... 27

Using SCART Connectors for European TVs ..................................... 27

How To Enable/Disable The TV Display ............................................ 27

Using and Adjusting TV Out................................................................ 28

How TV Display Cannot Be Used ....................................................... 28

Using a Monitor vs. Using the TV Display.......................................... 28

iii

Adjusting Monitor Display................................................................... 29

Viewing Text on a TV.......................................................................... 29

Reducing Edge Distortion .................................................................... 30

Changing Display Configurations ........................................................ 31

Using Games and Applications ............................................................ 31

Connect to a TV, VCR, or Camcorder

for video capturing .................................................................................... 33

Windows® Volume Control................................................................. 34

Capturing video using

Windows® Movie Maker..................................................................... 34

Change Video Standard in

Windows® Movie Maker..................................................................... 35

iv

Introduction

The RADEON™ 9000 family of graphic accelerators
delivers ground breaking 3D graphics performance.

• Designed and built by ATI Technologies Inc.

• Powered by the RADEON™ 9000 family of
Graphics Processing Units (GPU).

• Awesome 3D gaming performance.

• Support for OpenGL® applications.

• Support for Direct 3D

• High resolution in 3D up to 2048x1536.

• Best performance for today’s and tomorrow’s
applications.

®

applications.

1

• Supports TV-out to connect your PC to your TV or
VCR.

2

Features At A Glance

Radeon™ 9000 family

The RADEON™ 9000 family provides high
performance acceleration for today's demanding 3D
graphic applications. Its main features are:

• VIDEO IMMERSION™ II which provides
industry-leading DVD playback and digital TV
decode capability

• CHARISMA ENGINE™ II which is the main
GPU, providing the necessary power to accelerate
today’s 3D games and applications

• SMARTSHADER™ technology which can
realistically create the visual properties of any
material, like glass, metal, wood, and produce 3D
depth by rendering the object’s shadows

• SMOOTHVISION™ which provides users with
various degrees of jagged edge removal from 3D
images, allowing users to configure their own high
quality or high performance gaming experience

• PIXEL TAPESTRY™ II which provides even
greater 3D rendering power

• Dual monitor support (optional)

• TV output support

• Digital flat panel support (optional)

ATI’s Catalyst Software Suite

Multiple Displays and 3D Gaming Experience

ATI’s Catalyst™ Software Suite provides multiple
display functionality, and the advanced graphic
features, such as SMARTSHADER™, for the
ultimate 3D gaming experience. For help on
installing the Catalyst™ Software Suite, refer to the
Getting Started Guide.

The Catalyst™ Software Suite installs the ATI
display tabs. These tabs are accessed through the
Windows
Advanced... button located on the Settings tab. For a
detailed explanation of each ATI tab, refer to

Catalyst™ Software Suite on page 7.

®

Display Control Panel, through the

3

Direct 3D

®

and OpenGL

®

The Catalyst™ Software Suite also supports the
latest versions of Direct 3D

®

and OpenGL®. Many
new 3D game titles, and the latest versions of older
titles, will virtually come to life as they utilize their

®

advanced Direct 3D

or OpenGL® features. Gamers
can tweak their settings for the ultimate experience in
3D image quality or 3D gaming performance.

ATI’s Direct 3D

®

and OpenGL® tabs are available

through the Windows® Display Control Panel,
through the Advanced... button located on the
Settings tab.

®

For a detailed explanation of the Direct 3D

and

OpenGL® tabs, refer to Direct 3D® Control Panel

on page 16, and OpenGL® Control Panel on
page 21.

HydraVision™

In addition to the multiple display functionality
available with ATI’s Catalyst™ Software Suite, you

4

can also use HydraVision™ for advanced multi­monitor management. For more information on
HydraVision™, please refer to the HydraVision™
User’s Guide PDF located on your ATI Installation
CD.

Multiple Displays (optional)

Connecting Your Monitor(s)

The RADEON™ 9000 family provides hardware
support for one VGA monitor and one flat panel
monitor, or two VGA monitors using a DVI-I-to­VGA adapter*. It also provides TV Output via an
S-Video out or a Composite out connector.

Plug the monitor cable into your card (if you are
running multiple monitors, connect their cables to the
appropriate connectors), then turn on the PC and
monitor(s).

5

To connect a flat panel directly to your card, use the
DVI-I connector. To connect a VGA monitor to the
DVI-I connector, plug a DVI-I-to-VGA adapter* into
the DVI-I connector, then plug your monitor cable
into the adapter*, as shown below.

CRT

S-VID OUT

DVI

STANDARD VGA

MONITOR

CONNECTOR

TV OUTPUT

S-VIDEO OUT

COMPOSITE OUT

DVI-I

CONNECTOR

CRT

COMP OUT

DVI

DVI-I-TO-VGA

ADAPTER

*

VGA

CONNECTOR

FROM

MONITOR

VGA

CONNECTOR

FROM

MONITOR

When you use multiple monitors with your card, one
monitor will always be Primary. Any additional
monitor(s) will be designated as Secondary.

*point to www.ati.com for purchase

6

Display Configurations

The following table lists the different ways you can
connect displays to your card.

Display
Configuration

One CRT
display

One DFP
display

One TV TV Output

CRT display + TVVGA connector +

Connector(s) Used Comments

VGA connector OR DVI- I
connector with DVI-I-to­VGA adapter

DVI-I connector

TV Output

*

CRT- cathode ray tube
analog display

DFP - digital flat panel
display

Cards with S-Video out also
support Composite out via
an S-Video-to-Composite
adapter
Composite out DO NOT
support connection to TVs
with S-Video Input.

Unsupported configuration
if the CRT display is
attached to the DVI-I
connector via a DVI-I-to­VGA adapter

*. Cards with

*

DFP display + TVDVI-I connector +

TV Output

CRT display +
DFP display

CRT display +
CRT display

CRT display +
DFP display +
TV

CRT display +
CRT display +
TV

VGA connector + DVI-I
connector

VGA connector + DVI-I
connector with DVI-I-to­VGA adapter

VGA connector + DVI-I
connector + TV Output

UNSUPPORTED
CONFIGURATION

*

*point to www.ati.com for purchase

The DVI-I connector can
support a CRT display
using a DVI-I-to-VGA
adapter

The TV display will “clone”
the image of one of the
other two displays.

*

Catalyst™ Software Suite

The following section provides an explanation of
each ATI tab available after installing the Catalyst™
Software Suite.

Features presented in the following pages may not

i

ATI Displays Tab

The ATI Displays tab provides the multi monitor
features. Here you can enable/disable display devices
and swap the assignment of Primary and Secondary
displays.

be supported in all operating systems and/or may
appear differently.

7

8

Enabling/Disabling Secondary Displays (optional)

1 Access the Windows

®

Control Panel. Double-

click Display.

2 Click on the Settings tab and then the

Advanced... button.

3 Click on the ATI Displays tab.

4 Click the enable/disable button for the

display device you want to enable/disable.

5 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

Enabling Extended Desktop Mode (optional)

1 Access the Windows

®

Control Panel. Double-

click Display.

2 Click on the Settings tab.

3 Click the monitor icon for the display onto which

you want to extend your desktop.

4 Click Ye s to enable the selected display.

5 Checkmark the Extend my Windows desktop

onto this monitor check box (Windows
automatically place it there).

6 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

Dynamic Display Reassignment (optional)

You can change the assignment of your Primary and
Secondary display on the fly, without rebooting.

However, before you can change the assignment of
the Primary display, at least one Secondary display
must be enabled, and Extended Desktop mode must
be enabled.

®

may

To enable a Secondary display, refer to the section

Enabling/Disabling Secondary Displays (optional).

To enable Extended Desktop Mode, refer to the
section Enabling Extended Desktop Mode (optional).

9

1 Access the Windows

®

Control Panel. Double-

click Display.

2 Click on the Settings tab and then the

Advanced... button.

3 Click on the ATI Displays tab.

Windows® XP, Windows® Me, Windows® 98SE

The ATI Displays tab shows you the display(s) that
are active. The Primary display has the button
depressed. To change the display assignment, you
can click the Primary display’s button or you can
click the button of the other display device.

Windows® 2000 and Windows® NT4.0

Clicking on the button will reassign the Primary
and Secondary monitors.

Clicking on the button creates a clone or mirror
image of the Primary display onto the Secondary
display.

Clicking on the button extends your desktop to a
Secondary display located to the right of the Primary
display. Clicking on the button extends your
desktop to a Secondary display located below the
Primary display.

4 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

10

Virtually Repositioning Your Displays (optional)

1 On the Settings tab, click and drag the

appropriate monitor icon to the desired position.
For example, the secondary display can be
dragged to the left of the primary display,
allowing it to be virtually on the left, as shown
below.

2 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

Ratiometric Expansion

The RADEON™ 9000 family offers ratiometric
expansion (or digital panel scaling as it is commonly
known). This expands a low resolution image to fill a
higher resolution panel. However, ratiometric
expansion is only available on the Primary display.
Therefore, if a flat panel display (FPD) is set as
Secondary, the Extended Desktop mode is disabled
and the resolution is less than the FPD’s native
resolution. This causes the FPD to default to center
mode.

ATI Co lor Tab

The ATI Color tab is used to adjust the color settings.
You can change the red, green and blue display
colors. Desktop brightness and Game Gamma
(brightness) can also be changed.

11

Desktop
Brightness

Color Curve

Game Gamma
button

Defaults
button

ATI Color Tab

This increases or decreases the brightness of your
desktop. The higher the gamma value, the higher the
brightness of your display.

This adjusts the selected color (red, green or blue check
button) by moving the color curve with your mouse.

This accesses Game Gamma Properties.

This allows you to reset the desktop brightness and
color settings to default values.

12

Clicking the Game Gamma button accesses the
Game Gamma Properties.

Red Green
Blue sliders

RGB Lock

Defaults
button

Game Gamma Properties

These controls allow you to increase or decrease the
color brightness of Direct 3D and OpenGL games
played in fullscreen mode. (NOTE: Game Gamma is
NOT supported in Windows NT4.0)

Uncheck this to adjust the RGB sliders individually.
Check this to adjust all three sliders at the same time.

This allows you to reset the Game Gamma settings to
default values.

ATI Optio ns Tab

The ATI Options tab provides detailed driver
information and access to the card’s specifications.
You can also enable or disable the ATI taskbar icon.

13

Version Information

Details button

Reactivate all
warning messages

Enable ATI taskbar
icon application

ATI Options Tab

Provides the Catalyst version number, 2D version
number and the driver build information.

Provides access to the Details tab which lists the
card’s hardware details and driver information.

This allows you to reactivate any disabled
graphics warning messages.

Unchecking this allows you to disable the ATI
taskbar applications and removes the ATI icon
from your system tray.

14

Show ATI icon on
taskbar

Disable quick
resolution feature

Clicking the Details button provides access to the
Details tab.

Unchecking this allows you to remove the ATI icon
from your system tray without disabling the ATI
icon applications.

Quick resolution feature is accessible by left­clicking the ATI icon in the system tray. Checking
this option disables the feature.

ATI Overlay Tab

The ATI Overlay tab allows you to configure the
brightness, contrast, saturation, hue and gamma
properties of your video overlay.

Video Overlay

Video overlay allows for the viewing of full-motion
video on your PC. However, there is only one video

15

overlay, which is only available on the Primary
display. The video overlay controls are automatically
activated during playback of any video file type that
supports overlay adjustments.

Brightness

Contrast Use this slider to adjust the contrast in the video image.

Saturation

Hue

Gamma

Defaults
button

ATI Overlay Tab

Use this slider to adjust the brightness of the video
image.

Use this slider to adjust the vividness of the color.
Sliding it all the way to the left removes all color and
produces a black and white picture.

Use this slider to adjust the pureness or tint of the red,
green and blue components of the color.

Use this slider to adjust the overall intensity of the video
image.

This allows you to reset the Overlay settings to default
values.

16

®

Direct 3D

Using this tab, gamers can tweak the settings of their
Direct 3D® games.

Main and Custom Settings

In the Main Settings you can maximize overall
performance by moving the slider to the left, or you
can enhance overall image quality by moving the
slider to the right.

Control Panel

Main Settings
slider

Custom
Settings
checkbox

Anisotropic
Filtering
checkbox

17

This allows you to emphasize what kind of application
experience you’d like to have. Moving the slider to the
left will maximize application performance, while moving
the slider to the right will provide excellent 3D image
quality. Moving this slider from one position to the next
changes the individual Custom Settings sliders found
below.

When Custom Settings is checked, the Main Settings
slider is disabled, allowing you to move each individual
slider in the Custom Settings section below. Setting the
individual sliders gives you complete control over your
application experience. Using Custom Settings is
recommended for advanced users only.

Anisotropic filtering uses a texture filtering technique
that blends multiple texture samples together. Selecting
Application Preference will result in high quality
textures, with a negligible reduction in the application’s
performance.

Anisotropic
Filtering slider

SMOOTH
VISION
checkbox

SMOOTH
VISION
Performance
button

SMOOTH
VISION
Quality button

The number of samples taken when anisotropic filtering
is performed can vary. By moving this slider to the right,
as the number of samples taken increases, the quality
of the final image increases significantly. 16X provides
extremely detailed, crisp-looking images as a result of
the largest number of texture samples possible.

SmoothVision (Anti-Aliasing) improves image quality by
removing jagged edges from 3D images, resulting in
smoother, more natural-looking objects. Selecting
Application Preference will result in high quality
images, with a negligible reduction in the application’s
performance.

Select Performance for the best possible 3D gaming
performance at a slight reduction in 3D image quality.
The maximum screen resolution possible will
automatically be indicated.

Select Quality for the best possible 3D image quality at
a slight reduction in 3D gaming performance. The
maximum screen resolution possible will automatically
be indicated.

SMOOTH
VISION slider

SmoothVision (Anti-Aliasing) can be applied using
different sample patterns and sample points such as 2X
or 4X. Moving this slider to the right increases sampling
to provide the most realistic 3D image.

18

Texture
Preference
slider

Mipmap Detail
Level slider

Selecting this decides whether your application should
use high quality or high performance textures. Moving
the slider to the right delivers the highest quality
experience. Moving the slider to the left emphasizes a
high performance solution while still providing good
visuals.

This will allow you to choose the texture quality of the
mipmaps the application will use. Mipmaps are a
collection of different sized textures of the same image.
As the user moves closer to a 3D object the image
quality should increase, requiring a higher quality
texture of the same image. The base mipmap is the
highest quality texture, and all subsequent mipmaps are
smaller sized textures of the same image. Moving the
slider to the right selects a higher quality base mipmap,
delivering the highest quality application experience.
Moving the slider to the left selects a lower quality
mipmap, delivering the highest application performance.

Wait for
Vertical Sync

Compatibility
Settings
button

Defaults

Wait for vertical sync will lower the frame rate of full
screen games but reduce the image tearing that can
occur with the higher frame rate. Selecting Application
Preference allows the application to decide whether or
not it should display its frames at the refresh rate of the
monitor. Selecting Always Off allows the application to
run at its highest possible frame rate, regardless of the
monitor’s refresh rate which is typically less than the
frame rate at which the application will run.

This button allows you to access advanced settings that
can solve compatibility issues for a few specific Direct
3D applications.

This button allows you to reset the Direct3D settings to
default values.

Direct 3D® Compatibility Settings

19

Support W­buffer

Support 32-bit
Z-buffer depth

This will enable W-Buffer support for 3D games. It is
recommended to disable this for games that do not
support this feature. Certain applications require the
increased precision of W-Buffering and will exhibit
artifacts unless the W-Buffer is enabled.

Z-Buffer Bit Depth can be 16 bits, 24 bits, or 32 bits. 16
and 24 are selected by default to achieve optimum
performance. Very few applications require a 32 bit Z­Buffer, so in most cases this feature should be disabled.

20

Alpha
dithering
method

Support DTX
texture
formats

Alternate pixel
center

When applications use both dithering and alpha
blending, visual artifacts can occur. This option allows
you to select how the application should handle both
features at the same time. In most cases Error
Diffusion will handle this situation quite well, but there
are a few cases where selecting Ordered may be
necessary.

Enabling this allows applications to use this kind of
texture format. There are a few applications that can
only support a limited number of texture formats. By
selecting Disabled, the driver will not support DTX
texture formats, thus reducing the number of texture
formats supported.

This may eliminate problems with some D3D games
which display vertical and horizontal lines around
textures, or text that appears incorrect. However, this
setting should only be used if you are experiencing the
symptoms mentioned, as it may cause problems with
other games.

Defaults
button

This button allows you to reset the Direct 3D
Compatibility Settings to default values.

®

OpenGL

Using this tab, gamers can tweak the settings of their
OpenGL® games.

Main and Custom Settings

In the Main Settings you can maximize overall
performance by moving the slider to the left, or you
can enhance overall image quality by moving the
slider to the right.

Control Panel

21

22

Main Settings
slider

Custom
Settings
checkbox

Anisotropic
Filtering
checkbox

This allows you to emphasize what kind of application
experience you’d like to have. Moving the slider to the
left will maximize application performance, while moving
the slider to the right will provide excellent 3D image
quality. Moving this slider from one position to the next
changes the individual Custom Settings sliders found
below.

When Custom Settings is checked, the Main Settings
slider is disabled, allowing you to move each individual
slider in the Custom Settings section below. Setting the
individual sliders gives you complete control over your
application experience. Using Custom Settings is
recommended for advanced users only.

Anisotropic filtering uses a texture filtering technique
that blends multiple texture samples together. Selecting
Application Preference will result in high quality
textures, with a negligible reduction in the application’s
performance.

Anisotropic
Filtering slider

SMOOTH
VISION
checkbox

SMOOTH
VISION
Performance
button

SMOOTH
VISION
Quality button

The number of samples taken when anisotropic filtering
is performed can vary. By moving this slider to the right,
as the number of samples taken increases, the quality
of the final image increases significantly. 16X provides
extremely detailed, crisp-looking images as a result of
the largest number of texture samples possible.

SmoothVision (Anti-Aliasing) improves image quality by
removing jagged edges from 3D images, resulting in
smoother, more natural-looking objects. Selecting
Application Preference will result in high quality
images, with a negligible reduction in the application’s
performance.

Select Performance for the best possible 3D gaming
performance at a slight reduction in 3D image quality.
The maximum screen resolution possible will
automatically be indicated.

Select Quality for the best possible 3D image quality at
a slight reduction in 3D gaming performance. The
maximum screen resolution possible will automatically
be indicated.

SMOOTH
VISION slider

SmoothVision (Anti-Aliasing) can be applied using
different sample patterns and sample points such as 2X
or 4X. Moving this slider to the right increases sampling
to provide the most realistic 3D image.

Texture
Preference
slider

Mipmap Detail
Level slider

23

Selecting this decides whether your application should
use high quality or high performance textures. Moving
the slider to the right delivers the highest quality
experience. Moving the slider to the left emphasizes a
high performance solution while still providing good
visuals.

This will allow you to choose the texture quality of the
mipmaps the application will use. Mipmaps are a
collection of different sized textures of the same image.
As the user moves closer to a 3D object the image
quality should increase, requiring a higher quality
texture of the same image. The base mipmap is the
highest quality texture, and all subsequent mipmaps are
smaller sized textures of the same image. Moving the
slider to the right selects a higher quality base mipmap,
delivering the highest quality application experience.
Moving the slider to the left selects a lower quality
mipmap, delivering the highest application performance.

Wait for
Vertical Sync

Compatibility
Settings
button

Defaults

Wait for vertical sync will lower the frame rate of full
screen games but reduce the image tearing that can
occur with the higher frame rate. Selecting Application
Preference allows the application to decide whether or
not it should display its frames at the refresh rate of the
monitor. Selecting Always Off allows the application to
run at its highest possible frame rate, regardless of the
monitor’s refresh rate which is typically less than the
frame rate at which the application will run.

This button allows you to access advanced settings that
can solve compatibility issues for a few specific OpenGL
applications.

This button allows you to reset the OpenGL settings to
default values.

24

OpenGL® Compatibility Settings

Force Z-buffer
depth

Alpha
dithering
method

Support KTX
buffer region
extension

Defaults
button

This allows you to explicitly set the Z-Buffer depth. Most
applications will work best when Disabled is selected

When applications use both dithering and alpha
blending, visual artifacts can occur. This option allows
you to select how the application should handle both
features at the same time. In most cases Error
Diffusion will handle this situation quite well, but there
are a few cases where selecting Ordered may be
necessary

Enabling this feature allows rapid updates of those
portions of your screen that have changed. Note that
most applications will not be affected by activating this
feature

This button allows you to reset the OpenGL
Compatibility Settings to default values.

Using TV Out

View your PC’s display on a TV

The RADEON™ 9000 family has TV Out capability.
You can attach your card to a TV and monitor at the
same time. Or you can connect it to your VCR and
record your monitor’s display.

TV display is ideal for playing games, giving
presentations, watching movies, and browsing the
Internet. The following tips will help you get the
most out of your TV Out feature.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
for European Customers

25

Some PC monitors in Europe cannot be used
simultaneously with TV display. When you enable TV
display in Europe, the refresh rate for the monitor and TV is
set to 50Hz. Some monitors may not support this refresh
rate and could be damaged.

• Please check the documentation supplied with your
monitor to see if your monitor supports a refresh rate of
50Hz.

If your monitor does not support 50 Hz (or if you
are not sure), then turn off your monitor before
turning on your PC when using your TV as a
display.

For information on disabling TV display, see How To

Enable/Disable The TV Display on page 27.

Some TVs in Europe may use a SCART connection. If you
use SCART, please read Using SCART Connectors for

European TVs on page 27 before attempting to connect

your PC to your European TV.

Connecting to a TV or a VCR

To connect your card to a TV or a VCR, use the
available TV Output connector. Your card will

26

support either an S-video connector or a Composite
connector. If your TV has cable input only, you can
connect your card to your TV through your VCR or
an RF modulator (available in most electronics
stores).

The RADEON™ 9000 PRO that only has the
Composite out connector DOES NOT support
connection to TVs with S-Video In.

Connecting Your TV Output to a TV or VCR

1 Turn off your PC and your TV (or VCR).

2 Determine if your TV (or VCR) has an S-Video

In or Composite In connection.

3 The TV Output on your card will be an S-Video

connector or Composite connector. Please attach
an appropriate cable to the TV Output on your
card (S-Video or Composite). Attach the other
end of the cable to your TV (or VCR). Refer to
the illustration for further help.

4 Turn on your PC and your TV (or VCR).

S-Video Out

Composite Out

S-Video Out

Composite Out

TV or VCR

NOTE: Newer TVs may have
the Video Input on the front
panel

S-Video In

OR

Composite In

S-Video Cable or
Composite Cable

S-Video-to-Composite Adapter

OR

PC

Starting Windows® with TV Display Enabled

27

The TV screen may become scrambled during the

®

initial Windows

logo display. This is only a
temporary effect and your screen will be restored
within a few seconds.

During start up, your card will go through a sequence
of mode settings, during which your TV display will
remain blank. This process takes only a few seconds
and helps program the TV display.

Using SCART Connectors for European TVs

Audio In

Connect to
TV or VCR

SCART

CONNECTOR

(Right = red)
(Left = white)

Audio Cable

Composite Cable or

S-Video-to-Composite Adapter Cable

Composite Video-In (yellow)

Connect to PC
Audio Out

Connect to PC

TV Output

The above illustration shows how to connect your PC
to a European TV using the SCART.

The SCART connector supports only the Composite
video format, which means you will have to use an
S-Video-to-Composite video adapter cable if your
card only supports the S-Video connector.

If your European TV has S-Video In, you can use an
S-Video cable (available in most consumer electronic
stores) rather than the SCART connector if your card
only supports the S-Video connector.

The RADEON™ 9000 PRO that only has the
Composite out connector DOES NOT support
connection to TVs with S-Video In.

How To Enable/Disable The TV Display

1 Access the Windows

®

Control Panel. Double-

click Display.

28

2 Click on the Settings tab and then the

Advanced... button.

3 Click on the ATI Displays tab. Click on the TV

button.

4 Click the enable/disable button.

5 Click OK or Apply to save the changes.

Using and Adjusting TV Out

For information about how to use TV display, right
click the ATI taskbar icon, point to Help, then point
to ATI Television Display.

How TV Display Cannot Be Used

A TV cannot be left connected to the card if two
analog monitors are connected, even if the TV is off
and not enabled in the software.

An analog monitor connected to the DVI-I connector
cannot be left connected to the card when TV out is
enabled. In both cases, your graphics card will
become overloaded, resulting in a dim image on all
devices.

Using a Monitor vs. Using the TV Display

Using your TV for your PC’s display is ideal for
playing games, giving presentations, watching
movies, and browsing the Internet. However, the
display on your monitor may change or looked
squashed. This occurs because the display adjusts to
fit the dimensions of your TV. To correct the
monitor’s display, use the monitor’s control buttons
to adjust its display size and position.

Some single frequency monitors may not work with
TV display enabled. If you experience problems
when TV display is enabled, disable TV display to
restore your monitor’s display.

Adjusting Monitor Display

The size of the display on your monitor may be
smaller and not perfectly centered when you have TV
display enabled. These effects are caused by the
changes required to provide a proper display on the
TV.

Use the controls available on the Adjustments tab on
the Monitor Properties page (accessible by clicking
on the Monitor button on the ATI Displays tab) to
adjust the display on your monitor only. Click on the
TV button to adjust the TV display only.

Viewing Text on a TV

A TV is designed primarily to show moving, rather
than static, images. The large dot pitch of a TV
(which is fine for moving video) will yield poor
quality static images such as text.

29

The small text sizes commonly used for PC desktops
can appear blurred or unclear on a TV. You can
compensate for this by using larger fonts.

To Use Larger Display Fonts

1 Access the Windows

®

Control Panel. Double-

click Display.

2 For Windows

For Windows

®

XP, click the Appearance tab.

®

98, Windows® Me, Windows®

2000, click the Settings tab, the Advanced...

®

button, then the General tab. For Windows

NT

click the Settings tab.

3 In the Font Size box, select the size you want

your displayed fonts to be.

4 Click Apply. If prompted, click Ye s to restart

your PC.

30

Reducing Edge Distortion

When using a TV for your PC’s display, you may see
some edge distortion on the left and right side of your
TV screen. This effect depends on your TV and the
PC application you are running.

To reduce edge distortion, you can increase the TV
display’s horizontal size.

To Increase the Horizontal Size

1 Access the Windows

®

Control Panel. Double-

click Display.

2 Click on the Settings tab and then the

Advanced... button.

3 Click on the ATI Displays tab.

4 Click on the TV button.

5 Click the Adjustments tab.

6 In the Screen Size section, click on the plus (+)

button beside the horizontal arrowheads to
increase the horizontal size of the TV display.

7 Click OK or Apply to save the changes you have

made.

You can also reduce edge distortion by increasing the
TV’s contrast.

To Increase the TV Contrast

1 Access the Windows

click Display.

2 Click on the Settings tab and then the

Advanced... button.

3 Click on the ATI Displays tab.

4 Click on the TV button.

®

Control Panel. Double-

5 Drag the Contrast slider to the right to increase

the contrast.

6 Click OK or Apply to save the changes you have

made.

Changing Display Configurations

If you move your PC to a place where you are using
TV display only, make sure that you have the TV
display feature enabled.

You can set your display resolution as high as
1024x768. However, higher resolutions will result in
a virtual desktop. If a TV is your only display device
and a higher mode is selected, the display on your
TV will disappear.

31

Using Games and Applications

Some older games and applications may program the
card directly, to run under a specific display mode.
This may cause your TV display to turn off
automatically or become scrambled (the PC monitor
will not be affected). Your TV display will be
restored once you exit the game or if you restart your
PC.

32

Connect to a TV, VCR, or Camcorder
for video capturing

The RADEON 9000 family has video capturing capabilities
from your camcorder, VCR, or TV. Use your favorite video
editing application to add effects, make edits, or stream your
video on the internet.

Connect a TV, camcorder, or VCR to your RADEON 9000
family graphics card, as shown.

The audio and video output connectors on your TV, camcorder, or VCR
will be similar to these. Use
Video will provide better results.

COMPOSITE VIDEO OUT or S-VIDEO OUT. S-

33

L. AUDIO
Out

R. AUDIO
Out

Cable with
RCA plug
at each
end,
available
separately
from a
consumer
electronics
dealer.

COMP.

VIDEO
Out

OR

S-VIDEO

Out

Cable with S-Video plug
at each end.

A/V OUT

A/V IN

SOUND

CARD

To record audio on your stereo VCR or to hear
audio through your TV speakers, use a stereo

cable with two RCA plugs at one end, and a mini
stereo phone plug at the other, available
separately from a consumer electronics dealer.

LINE IN

LINE OUT

LINE IN

must be

connected

RADEON

9000

Family

34

Windows® Volume Control

For correct audio performance, your sound card’s line input
must be active. To display the Line Input setting in the
Windows

®

Volume Control panel:

1 Right-click the speaker icon in the Taskbar (usually in

the lower-right corner of your screen).

2 Click Open Volume Controls.
3 If the Line-In volume slider is not visible, click Options,

then click Properties.

4 Click the Line-In volume control checkbox, then click

OK. If the Mute checkbox is checked, click it to cancel

muting.

If the volume icon is not in your Taskbar, do the following:

• Click Start, then click Control Panel.

• Double-click Sounds and Audio Devices.

• In the Vol ume tab, check Place volume icon in the
taskbar.

35

Capturing video using
Windows

®

Movie Maker

To capture video with Windows® Movie Maker:

1 Click Start then All Programs then Accessories then

Windows

2 Click the Record button to open the Record dialog.
3 Select Record both to record video and audio.
4 Choose record quality.

a Click Change device...
b Click Configure...
c Locate theVideo Standard selection box.
d Choose the video standard appropriate for your

country (PAL for most of Europe, NTSC for North
America).

®

Movie Maker.

5 Start playback from your camcorder or VCR.
6 Click Record button.

For detailed information on using Windows
the application’s Help files.

®

Movie Maker see

36