[danviento]

I currently only have a TV with RF and Composite inputs, so my Apple TV only seems to be capable of B&W (filtered for green levels). In a few months, I should have a new HDTV with HDMI inputs, so I don't need a permanent solution, but something to fit the bill in the meantime.

It used to be that with a HDMI->DVI converter and a DVI->VGA converter stacked together and correct timing, I could fool the video card on my Apple TV into outputting full color over the green composite connection. After it updated its software, however, its seems to have wised up and no longer fall for the trick. Anyone else notice this disability lately?

Would the following be a possible solution? :

Take the connected HDMI->DVI converter and DVI->VGA converter (from my powerbook), and attach VGA->S-video/Composite converter like this one:
CONVERTER

I assume there will be some signal loss, but at 480i or 576i, would it really show that much? I tried Apple's DVI->S-Video/Composite converter with at set at these resolutions (using the HDMI->DVI converter), but I got no signal from it period. Must be a graphics card/OS thing with that particular converter.

If none of the above methods work, does anyone have any other suggestions?

[ibook_steve]

I don't understand. Your picture from the composite output (yellow RCA plug) is black and white? That's broken. You should get the ATV fixed or replaced.

Steve

[danviento]

Actually, no, it's not broken. ATV has component out (RGB cables), not composite. Composite is a single video cable, normally the yellow in a group of RCA cables with the red and white being audio.

Here's how I keep it straight: Component has multiple cables, a.k.a. multiple component signals. Composite, as the word suggests, combines all of necessary colors into one cable. Yeah, they sound similar, but if you know how to use the terms in reference to a different subject, it's simple enough.

And if you're wondering why I get B&W when using the green cable, I would guess it's because it's only sending the alpha channel (brightness) for that color across the screen. A TV with component connections would know to interpret it as green. A composite input just sees it as the grayscale that it is, and projection an image as such. If you've ever shot B&W photos, just think of it as seeing the photo with a straight green filter over the lens.

My question centers on if, after passing through all of those converters, would a 480i or 576i loose a significant amount of quality? The signal isn't compressed, and the ATV already has it set correctly for the type of TV I have, but will there be a loss of quality after the digital to analogue signal conversion at the DVI->VGA converter which gets pushed through a composite connection?

I've been told there's no real loss from HDMI->DVI since they have a similar number of pins to pass the signal, just in a different configuration. The DVi->VGA converter that came with my PowerBook always did a good job going to projectors and TVs in the past, so that side should be fine. I'm just not sure how well the VGA->Composite connection is handled by such a converter. Is it much like the HDMI->DVI where there's little difference in the way a signal is carried, or is there a measure of compression even there with a 480i or 576i signal?

Sorry to get technical. Just trying to lay out where I'm at with this.

[danviento]

Most VGA-> Composite adapters assert this requirement:

"...Your video card MUST be able to support s-Video or Composite out through it's VGA port. This is known as a TV out function..."

Since the Apple TV can do analogue and offers 480i and 576i, can we assume it has this "TV-out" function?

[ibook_steve]

You said composite in your initial message:

"I currently only have a TV with RF and Composite inputs, so my Apple TV only seems to be capable of B&W (filtered for green levels)."

And I forgot that ATV does not have composite out. So you're saying you've been hooking up the green component output to your composite-only TV?

If the DVI to composite adapter doesn't work, there's not much you can do. That has to be connected directly to the box, not through another adapter, and the box (usually a Mac), must be able to detect it and set the analog RGB to output composite, and chrominance/luminance (s-video signals).

Basically, I think you're stuck until you get a new TV.

Steve