How to get your vga2tv converter to work with windows 95, demos or dos vesa games

This document is based on the documentation by Adam Parker

This method has worked succesfully for me with a creative labs external vga2tv converter on a PAL tv, but might also work with others with different drivers than those that came with it. If you havn't already got Scitech Display Doctor grab it here, this will enable you to tweak a TV compatible mode in conjunction with your drivers and save it.

For creative tvcoder grab the Teleyes TE200 package for others try you original drivers if they are working fine in DOS. Change your windows resolution to 640x480 256 then reboot and go to dos (F5) load sdd then the tvcoder driver. (note on some cards textmode displays improperly changing to large fonts fixes this on my s3 968 with creative labs drivers).

If it works in text mode chances are it will work in vga, so run unicentr.exe in the sdd directory and try 320x200 256 colours, check out the picture on your tv and see if it looks ok, if the image is flickering vertically then adjust the verticle refresh by pressing + or - you will want to get it as close as possible 50Hz for PAL tv and 60Hz for NTSC. If you can't see anything try toggling both the verticle and horizontal sync pulse to negative . This hasn't worked for me but try pressing Ctrl and left or right arrows to adjust the horizontal size this might change the horizontal refresh.

Do this for each resolutoion and color format and save it (enter) or esc to try again if you get to far of the track (if you do save a wrong mode you have to delete uvconfig.dat and run uvconfig again), you might want to turn your monitor off to avoid damaging it, though this shouldn't happen seeing as you will probably be lowering the resolution (mine switches off if I go to low). I can now display all low res vesa modes, 640x480 and 800x600 (which is a little to tall for the screen but that is better than it being squashed as its using the full res of PAL tv).

Edit your autoexec.bat and config.sys to load sdd and then the tvcoder drivers, I suggest you make a boot menu. Load win95 and it should work, if it doesn't make sure that sdd is enabled (set to on). Run the sdd control panel and enable direct x refresh. There are some teleyes utilitys for win95 that might stop colour smearing ect.

Please email your results and what converter and drivers you used.

Creative Tvcoder and original drivers work well with Cirrus Logic video cards. It works with diamond s3 968 but not in 16-32-bit colour low res modes the te200 drivers fix this, the 320x200 mode looks better (less squashed). Happy Whatever.