User’s Guide NVIDIA DualTV MCE For Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) DU-01848-001_v05 December 2005
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide ii
Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................... 1 About This Guide....................................................................................................1 Overview ...............................................................................................................1 Features and Functions...........................................................................................
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Picture Too Dark ............................................................................................... 47 Picture Too Light............................................................................................... 49 Color Balance.................................................................................................... 51 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) ................................................................
Introduction Transform your PC into a home entertainment center! The NVIDIA® DualTV tuner card allows you to enjoy dual-channel analog TV in a Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition® (MCE) environment. About This Guide This User's Guide provides set-up and operation instructions for the NVIDIA DualTV on a Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) equipped PC. For more information about Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, please visit: http://www.microsoft.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Features and Functions Dual-channel analog TV reception ¾ Off-air (terrestrial) broadcast ¾ Cable TV broadcast ¾ Set-top box compatible (with S-video or composite video connections) FM radio reception Dual-channel direct A/V capture Dual-stream MPEG2 main profile @ main level (MP@ML) encoding 3DYC (3D comb filter) and 3DNR (noise reduction) Bracket connectors ¾ TV (with internal splitter) ¾ FM ¾ Direct A/V input (2 sets) S-Video (composite v
Introduction The NVIDIA DualTV tuner card is compliant with the following: Microsoft WHQL Designed for Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition Imaging Science Foundation (ISRL/ISF) Note: If you intend to use your set-top box with MCE, using the set-top box as a TV receiver/tuner and DualTV as the A/V capture device, you need to have an MCEcompatible remote control/receiver with IR blaster(s). The receiver unit controls up to two set-top boxes to change channels.
Unpacking Your NVIDIA DualTV Tuner Card Minimum System Requirements 1.6 GHz Pentium 4, Celeron, or equivalent Athlon/Sempron CPU (2.4 GHz recommended for all CPUs) 256 MB system memory (512 MB highly recommended) Available PCI slot Graphics with 64MB DDR, DXVA (motion-compensation), and Microsoft Direct X 9.
Unpacking the NVTV Dual-Tuner Card 6. RCA Cable for Composite Video and Stereo Audio. Connects to set-top box or other video equipment. 7. Minijack to Dual RCA Audio Cable. Allows stereo RCA cable to connect to the NVIDIA DualTV tuner card. FM Antenna In Tuner (cable or TV antenna feed) In S-Video 1 In Audio 1 In S-Video 2 In Audio 2 In Figure 1.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide FM Antenna In Tuner (cable or TV antenna feed) In S-Video 1 In Audio 1 In S-Video 2 In Audio 2 In Figure 2.
Hardware Installation and Connections Installing the NVIDIA DualTV tuner card hardware requires opening your computer. Please follow all of the safety instructions provided here to ensure that there is no damage to you, your computer, or the tuner card. Safety Instructions To reduce the risk of fire, electric shock and injury, always follow basic safety precautions. Remember to remove power from your computer by disconnecting the AC main source before installing any equipment into the computer chassis.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Installing the Hardware Note: All hardware must be installed prior to installation of the software. Use the following procedure to install the NVIDIA DualTV tuner card into your computer system. Use Figure 3 on the next page as a guide to connecting cables to your NVIDIA DualTV tuner card. 1. Turn off the computer, monitor, and any peripheral equipment and disconnect the power cord to the PC. 2.
Hardware Installation Secure to system chassis using any hardware removed in step 3. Connecting Cables NTSC Version Figure 3. 1 FM: Connect FM Antenna Cable 2 CATV: Connect TV antenna or cable feed (this connection supplies the TV signal to BOTH tuners on the card) NVIDIA DOES NOT recommend that you connect an amplifier or active amplifier/splitter with high gain to the TV cable input. Doing so could cause excessive noise on the signal resulting in distortion of the TV picture.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Connecting a Set-top Box or Other Video Equipment When connecting one set-top box, use the SVID1/AUD1 connectors. Use the SVID2/AUD2 connectors for a second set-top box. Always use the SVID1/AUD1 connectors first. Use the following procedure to connect a set-top box. 1. Use the S-Video Cable to connect from S-Video Out on the set-top box to SVID 1 on the NVIDIA DualTV card.
Software Installation The CD that has been shipped with your NVIDIA DualTV MCE contains the following software: NVIDIA PureVideo decoder software NVIDIA MCE Extensions NVIDIA DualTV WDM Driver Note: All the NVIDIA DualTV hardware must be installed prior to installation of the software. See Hardware Installation on page 7 if you have not installed the hardware.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide The procedures are explained in the steps below. 1. Power up your computer. It is always a good idea to disable any antivirus software before installing new software. 2. Click Cancel if the “Found New Hardware” screen (shown below) is displayed. 3. Insert the NVIDIA DualTV CD into your CD drive. The NVIDIA DualTV installation wizard is launched.
Software Installation 4. Click Next from the Welcome screen. The following events may occur after you press Next. If the user ID with which you logged on to Windows does not have Windows “administrator” privileges, the following screen will be displayed. Press OK to exit the software installation and log on again with an administrator ID. If the wizard does not detect a NVIDIA DualTV card in the system, the following message will be displayed. Press OK, and follow the instructions.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide The NVIDIA DualTV MCE works only on MCE. If your system does not have the MCE operating system installed, the following screen will be displayed. Click OK, then make sure you install NVIDIA DualTV MCE on an MCE system. 5. Select the components you wish to install. On an initial NVIDIA DualTV install, you should select all components listed, and optionally specify the path for the NVIDIA PureVideo decoder and User’s Guide (a PDF file).
Software Installation When you click Browse the following screen is displayed for you to select the install path for the NVIDIA PureVideo decoder and NVIDIA DualTV User’s Guide(s).
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide If “NVIDIA DualTV WDM Driver” is selected and the installation wizard detects the presence of a third-party analog tuner card, the following screen will be displayed. NVIDIA recommends that you uninstall the driver for the third-party tuner card before physically removing the card from the system. The next two screens are displayed: Note: The tuner called out in screen message above is called “DEBUG TV Tuner” for documentation purposes.
Software Installation 6. Select the option to check for availability of updated software from NVIDIA. This option requires that you have an Internet connection.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide If the NVIDIA server detects that your NVIDIA DualTV CD already has the latest software versions, the following message is displayed. The following message is displayed if your Internet link is down or if the NVIDIA server is unavailable. Click Yes to retry the connection to the NVIDIA server or No to skip the retry. If your system fails to link to the NVIDIA server, you can download driver updates later by visiting: http://www.nvidia.
Software Installation 7. Read and accept the NVIDIA PureVideo decoder License Agreement as displayed. The following screen is displayed if you have selected PureVideo Decoder in the selection of components to install. Click Yes to proceed. If you click No, you are terminating the software installation. Enter the Product Information for the NVIDIA PureVideo decoder. The information is on the label on the back of the CD sleeve.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Enter the Activation Code. The information is on the label on the back of the CD sleeve. The wizard completes the installation of the NVIDIA PureVideo decoder.
Software Installation 8. The other components are installed depending on your selection of components to install in a previous screen. The following screens appear. Depending on the NVIDIA DualTV package, multiple language versions of the NVIDIA DualTV User’s Guide will be copied to your hard disk. 9. Click Yes to register your NVIDIA DualTV product via the Internet or a direct dial-up line.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Note: If you click Cancel during the registration process, only the product registration is cancelled. The software installation remains intact. Fill in your contact information. Fill in the information relevant to your NVIDIA DualTV purchase. The product part number and serial number can be found on the inside cover of the NVIDIA DualTV MCE Quick Start Guide.
Software Installation Complete the survey. Complete the 2nd page of the survey.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Select the method to transmit the registration data to NVIDIA, and click Register. For the Internet and E-mail options, an active Internet connection is required. For Modem, a direct dial-up line using a toll-free number to the NVIDIA server is used. If the data transmission is successful, the following normal completion screen is displayed.
Software Installation If you click Cancel during the registration process, the following screen is displayed. Canceling the registration does not roll back the software installed in earlier steps. If you select Register Now in this screen the registration wizard will return to the Complete Registration screen (where you select the option among Internet/E-mail/Modem). If you select either Exit registration or Remind me in 14 days, the wizard goes to the normal registration completion screen. 10.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Abnormal Termination If you click Cancel at any time during the software installation before the registration step, or No in the NVIDIA PureVideo decoder License Agreement screen, the following screen is displayed. If you click Yes, the installation wizard exits with the following screen. The software installed in prior steps is uninstalled.
Configuring the Tuners in Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition If you have any problems with MCE, please consult the documentation associated with MCE. For more information on configuring or using Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx. Setting Up a TV Tuner in MCE With the hardware and software installed, you need to set-up the TV tuners to receive the TV signals in your area.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 3. Select TV. 4. Select Set-up TV Signal and then click Next. 5. Confirm your region to configure for local television service.
Configuring the Tuners 6. At this point, you can automatically configure your TV signals or manually configure them. It is recommended to automatically configure the signals. Make a selection and click Next. Note: Go to the MCE Web site for information on whether automatic configuration is available for your country. Click Next.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 7. Click Yes to continue. MCE has determined your system configuration and asks if you want to continue to configure the TV signal using the results it found. 8. You are done with the TV signal portion of the setup. Select Set Up Guide Listing to setup the TV station guide and then click Next. 9. Select Yes to view the guide privacy statement and accept the agreement. Select I Agree and click Next.
Configuring the Tuners 10. Enter your postal or ZIP code so the proper guide information for your area can be downloaded. Click Next. 11. Select your provider from the list displayed.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 12. You Are Done! Select Finish to complete the configuration. Configuring Tuners Manually MCE allows you to manually configure all settings associated with your tuners. To manually configure the tuners, use the following procedure. Otherwise, you can configure the tuners automatically (page 27). 1. Go to Start and select Media Center to launch the application. 2. Select Settings. 3. Select TV. 4. Select Set Up TV Signal.
Configuring the Tuners 5. Click Next to begin setting up your signal. 6. Confirm the region that you will be receiving the TV signal. MCE determines the region and asks for your confirmation. 7. Select I will manually configure my TV signal and click Next. .
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 8. Select your TV signal type and click Next. 9. Specify if you have a set-top box that you will be connecting to your MCE computer. Click Next. 10. Select the tuner(s) to be configured. With the NVIDIA DualTV tuner card, you have two tuners. You want to configure both tuners. Make sure both tuners are checked. Click Next.
Configuring the Tuners 11. Select Set Up Guide Listing to manually set up your online TV Guide and click Next. Click Next again to continue. 12. Select Yes to continue to use the guide and click Next to continue. 13. Read and accept the terms by selecting I Agree and click Next to continue.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 14. Enter your postal/ZIP code, click Next to download provider information. Click Next to continue. 15. Select a provider that best fits your location. Click Next to download your TV Program Guide information.
Configuring the Tuners Click Next to continue. Click Next to continue. Congratulations, you have successfully downloaded the online TV programming guide. Click Finish to complete the process. This completes the tuner configuration in MCE.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Setting Up the Radio Note: The TV must be set up prior to setting up the radio. Be sure you have the FM antenna cable connected to the FM connector on your NVIDIA DualTV tuner card. FM Antenna Cable (included in the kit). Note: Actual cable may vary from picture shown. 1. Go to Start and select Media Center to launch the application. 2. Select Settings 3. Select Radio. 4. Configure your favorite station to load the FM radio presets.
Configuring the Tuners If you do not see the Radio menu item in the MCE main menu, do the following after you have closed the MCE application/menu: 1. From the START menu on the Windows desktop, select ALL Programs, then Set Program Access and Defaults. 2. Click Custom, then the down arrow button. 3. Select Choose A Default Media Player, click the checkbox for Media Center Radio. 4. Click the checkbox for Enable Access to This Program for Media Center Radio.
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Optimizing the Audio and Video Experience This section contains information on common video problems with instructions on how to correct and repair these problems. In addition, there are settings that help you optimize the audio and video experience, taking full advantage of both MCE and NVIDIA tools. Antenna/Cable TV Signal Strength Low Signal Level In general, NVIDIA does not recommend connecting an additional amplifier or active amplifier/splitter with high gain to the TV cable input.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Note the diagonal lines and horizontal color distortion. Figure 6. High Signal Level Adjusting LCD Panels LCD panels pose special setup challenges for TV viewing. The range of settings for brightness is not as varied compared with a CRT monitor or TV, and the color temperature is usually lower. This can result in imperfect settings even after running the Media Center calibration. Each LCD panel is different.
Optimizing the Audio and Video Experience 4. Select Configure Your TV or Monitor. The following screen displays explaining how the wizard works. Click Next to continue. 5. Select your display type and click Next to continue. 6. Select the type of connection on your monitor or TV and click Next.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 7. Select Adjust Display Controls and click Next. Click Next again to make adjustments. 8. Select the adjustments you wish to make and follow the instructions given. See the following sections to make adjustments to you monitor.
Optimizing the Audio and Video Experience Centering the Picture on Your Screen Onscreen Centering and Sizing On a computer monitor, these controls are normally along the bottom of the screen. Consult the user documents for your monitor or TV to locate the controls. Click Next to continue. Click Watch Video. The objective is to center the larger picture on your screen so that you see all the edges as shown in the smaller inset picture. Use your monitor or TV adjustment controls to center the picture.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Adjusting the Aspect Ratio Aspect Ratio Select Aspect Ratio (Shape). If you feel you need to change your screen resolution, click Change Screen Resolution to display the Display Properties window. Adjust the resolution per your computer documentation. Locate the adjustment controls for your TV or monitor and click Next to continue. To adjust the Aspect Ratio, click Watch Video and adjust the controls as necessary.
Optimizing the Audio and Video Experience Picture Too Dark If your picture is too dark, you need to adjust the Brightness (Black & Shadow). Brightness controls the dark and shadowed areas of the screen. Incorrect settings may cause a black screen to look grey or lose detail in shadowy areas of the screen. To adjust the color balance, go to Settings¾ TV¾ Configure Your TV or Monitor. Select your monitor type and connection (see Adjusting Your Monitor or TV on page 42).
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Too dark: Suit, shirt, and background blend Make sure you can distinguish the black shirt from the black background. When you are satisfied, click on the MCE Back button to return to the previous menu. Click Next on that menu to go back to the Display Calibration menu.
Optimizing the Audio and Video Experience Picture Too Light If your picture is too light, you need to adjust the Contrast (White). Contrast controls the intensity of the white signal of your display. If contrast is set incorrectly, it can cause the picture to appear faded and lose detail in brighter areas of the screen. To adjust the color balance, go to Settings¾ TV¾ Configure Your TV or Monitor. Select your monitor type and connection (see Adjusting Your Monitor or TV on page 42).
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide Contrast too high. Buttons and wrinkles are not sharp Adjust the contrast as high as possible without losing the wrinkles and buttons on the shirt. Correct contrast. Buttons and wrinkles are visible When you are satisfied, click on the MCE Back button to return to the previous menu. Click Next on that menu to go back to the Display Calibration menu.
Optimizing the Audio and Video Experience Color Balance Incorrect adjustment of color temperature can cause unwanted color information to appear in black and white pictures or leave the picture with a skewed tint. To adjust the color balance, go to Settings¾ TV¾ Configure Your TV or Monitor. Select your monitor type and connection (see Adjusting Your Monitor or TV on page 42). From the Display Calibration menu, select RGB Color Balance. From the Display Calibration window, select RGB Color Balance.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide The billiard scene is shown and pans in on the gray panels in the background. Color temperature too low Adjust the color so that the gray panels have no tinge of red, green, or blue. It may be necessary to fine tune brightness and contrast after adjusting the color balance. Correct color balance When you are satisfied, click on the MCE Back button to return to the previous menu. Click Next on that menu to go back to the Display Calibration menu.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) This section provides answers to frequently asked questions on set-up and usage of the product. For the most up-to-date information, please consult NVIDIA Customer Care knowledge base available at: http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php Note: Use the latest Adobe Acrobat Reader to browse this document and go to the Web links. Visit http://www.adobe.com/acrobat/ for more information on downloading the free reader.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide MCE remote receiver with IR blaster. The IR blaster is in turn commanded by the MCE application itself (for scheduled recording) or the remote control (for live TV). 3. How can I take advantage of both tuners on NVIDIA DualTV when I have a single set-top box? Answer When using a single set-top box you can only use the NVIDIA DualTV in singletuner mode, unless an antenna or cable TV (RF) connection is also used.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 6. Are there any known compatibility issues with the NVIDIA DualTV and any graphics boards or DVD decoders? Answer For the latest information, visit the NVIDIA Customer Care knowledge base. It is available at (hold Ctrl and click the link): http://nvidia.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/nvidia.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php 7.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide In addition, the Microsoft Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility can determine if a DVD decoder is installed on your computer and whether or not the decoder is compatible. You can also set the priorities among the decoders if multiple versions are installed. To download this utility please visit: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=de1491ac-0ab6-4990-943d627e6ade9fcb&displaylang=en 9.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 11. How can I tell the version number of the NVIDIA PureVideo DVD Decoder (other than from version text on the CD)? Answer The Microsoft Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility (see FAQ #8) will tell you the version of the NVIDIA PureVideo decoder installed on your computer. Currently, the utility replaces the first number with a 4 instead of a 1. See the following screenshot: 12.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 13. What should I do if I see stuttering video when I watch live TV or record video to my PC? Answer Frame dropping is typically a result of a hardware component running slowly, possibly due to improper configuration. Please try the following: Check that Direct Memory Access mode is enabled for your IDE hard drive to improve transfer speeds and lower CPU utilization. Close any running (background) programs that are not being used.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 15. What can I try if I get poor TV reception from my NVIDIA DualTV when using an antenna to receive over-the-air TV broadcasts? Answer If you experience choppy playback because of weak signal reception, please make sure the antenna is placed far away from the PC to avoid signal interference. An amplified antenna may also provide better results. If you live in an area surrounded by tall buildings or hills, an outdoor antenna may be required. 16.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide The following table summarizes how a NVIDIA DualTV MCE user can take advantage of NVIDIA’s MediaSqueeze technology. NVIDIA DualTV MCE Aspects of MediaSqueeze Quality recording at lower bit rate Bit rate conversion MCE MyTV TV Recording Microsoft Sonic MyDVD LE * v6.11 or Later MovieMaker* TV/Video Capture Sonic MyDVD Studio * v6.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) FAQs Specific to Microsoft Windows XP MCE 1. When I install a new TV Tuner such as the NVIDIA DualTV, change the TV signal type, or update the tuner driver, should I always launch the Media Center TV setup wizard? Answer Yes. You should run the MCE TV setup wizard every time you install a new TV tuner or change the signal type (e.g. switching from a direct cable TV feed to set-top box).
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 4. The NVIDIA Audio Decoder is not working under Media Center Edition while watching live TV. What should I do? Answer This is expected behavior. MCE uses Microsoft’s own MPEG-1 audio decoder instead of the NVIDIA audio decoder. 5. I have configured MCE to support a set-top box, but the MCE IR (infrared) blaster does not seem to control the settop box.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 6. How can I enable or verify closed captioning is working in MCE? Answer MCE 2005 supports closed captioning by default when you press the mute button on the Microsoft eHome remote control or can be set within the on-screen user interface. Obviously the broadcast program needs to carry closed captioning for you to see the text. To change this setting, go to Settings¾TV¾Audio. 7. My system runs MCE 2005 previously upgraded from MCE 2004.
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide 8. What is “NVIDIA MCE Extension” and how can I access it? Answer One of the modules installed during NVIDIA DualTV’s software installation was the NVIDIA MCE Extension. This module provides additional tools to enhance your audio and video experience. To access these tools, go to More Programs. Select NVIDIA Settings Additional tools are available to you if you have an NVIDIA graphics card installed along with the latest NVIDIA MCE graphics driver.
Registration, Support and Warranty Registering Your NVIDIA DualTV At the end of the NVIDIA DualTV software installation, the installation wizard prompts you to register your NVIDIA DualTV. You can register immediately, or choose the option to remind you in 14 days. An Internet connection (for direct NVIDIA registration server access or for e-mail) or a phone line (for direct toll-free call to the registration server) is needed.
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Index 3DYC, 2 hardware installation, 7 audio, connection to card, 8, 10 high signal levels, 41 basic trouble-shooting steps, 55 How to... bracket connectors, list of, 2 brightness controls, 47 set-top box, 10 How to...
NVIDIA DualTV MCE Dual-tuner Card User’s Guide How to... adjust TV or monitor, 42 How to... center picture on screen, 45 How to... adjust dark picture, 47 How to... adjust light picture, 49 How to... adjust color balance, 51 How to...
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Notice Information furnished is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, NVIDIA Corporation assumes no responsibility for the consequences of use of such information or for any infringement of patents or other rights of third parties that may result from its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent or patent rights of NVIDIA Corporation. Specifications mentioned in this publication are subject to change without notice.
