PC to TV card purchase question

[MeCurious]

Well I purchased an ATI firegl z1 video card after all.

I am planning on skipping the monitor part and just saving for a widescreen plasma or lcd, I suppose it'll take me all summer but guess what?

It's taken me 1.75 years to even get it together for a computer!?
no joke. and its gonna be a powerful computer.

I have an old CRT television with only a coaxial cable(the kind that screw in from the wall with one pin) that I want to hook it up to while I learn Linux/ programming language. I also want to watch DVDs on it. No major workstation graphics yet.

The GL came with a DVI to vga(svga?) adapter, and I can't seem to find any cables that go from vga to coaxial cable. Are they around? Or a really cheap converter($50)?

So I'm curious, should I get a pc to tv tuner card? If I did, would it output the dvds with quality? The only other option I see is to buy a really cheap monitor which would not be cool to watch my dvds on.

what kind would work well with a workstation card? I keep hearing that those TV tuner cards don't convert the resolution well or something. Blurry stuff?

I know this question has been asked before, and I've read some posts here and there but I am hoping to get some more specific info to my specific questions if anyone out there knows,
please help.

*edit*
I do have a vcr at home, I am now seeing more about how VCR's have s-video? I'm not even sure about this format, but I may have it on my vcr, would this help?

Thanx

[Peter M]

Some important facts:

TV tuner cards let you display the TV image on the PC monitor. That's the other way round than what you want to do. You need your graphics card to have a TV-out connector.

TV signal resolution STINKS. Even more so when you go through an aerial input. If you want readable text, be aware that even at 640x480 pixels, normal text sizes will be barely readable if at all. That's inherent to the TV standards itself, cards are not to blame.

[MeCurious]

oops.
Yer right.
Tv tuner is from tv to pc, not pc to tv. . . .
I found something on Startech.com when I searched VGA to NTSC
but these products are so obscure(it seems to me) that I'm not so sure I should go for it.

What is really annoying to me is that I work at a place that just went from CRT monitors to LCD's. They had at least 100 terminals.

And I emailed the computer person with Video card questions one day, and asked if they had any more spare crts, and she responded with: "please limit your questions to work related questions only"

There's our tax dollars at work.

[MeCurious]

well I talked to the computer guy this time(at work)
and he told me that all the CRT's get donated to charity for free.

Darnit, I'm needy too!
I need a bigger paycheck.

I suppose the best way from here on out is to just get a CRT monitor, since the TV option isn't good for graphics, at a yard sale or pawn shop or something.

Oh well.

[douglas55]

I have a TV Wonder Pro and I'll have to say the res really really sucks. Really!

[Sixpac_XP]

I have my IBM laptop (using S-Video out) to my TV (32" Panasonic) @ 800x600 and it still sucks.

The text is blury and the fonts are hard to read.

Not sure what they had in mind when they did this but its pretty much useless.

[RedFury]

You can find a CRT monitor pretty cheap these days if you look around. Heck, keep looking and you'll probably find one for free. I got a 17" NEC free..older but good picture for the price

Another friend got a 21" for free...had to spend 30 bucks on cables for it, but it's pretty decent for a cheapo 21" ( wish I had it )

[Peter M]

Originally posted by douglas55
I have a TV Wonder Pro and I'll have to say the res really really sucks. Really!

For the 39467653456129375th time: OF COURSE IT DOES.

TV signal bandwidth is good for about 360x240 distinguishable pixels. 360x480 if you like your small print interlaced and flickery.

What do you expect from a (roughly) 5 MHz signal? The same crisp high resolution display as from your 130-400 MHz VGA signal?

[videobruce]

I haven't seen a TV out that is any good yet!
The only way to get a 'good' image with a composite in monitor is a 'good' standards adapter for at least $1,000!
For that $$, you would be better off getting a new display with at least a VGA input and skipping the conversion altogether!