While Im sure there is much to learn and pick up from members on this website, I'll set about addressing the most pressing issue currently on my HTPC.

I've got an old PC put together with bits and pieces - this is by no means a demon of a machine - but I am in the process of tweaking this thing to the limit to get as much out of it as possible.

I have a ATi Rage 128 / Xpert 2000 / All in wonder graphics card with svideo and composite outs.

It's 32mb and uses AGP 2x.

I have a S video cable which then converts in-line to composite to connect to my TV (bear in mind I am a student and don't have a high end TV to play thrings on! ).

I am running the latest ATi catalyst drivers and so on and so forth, but it will only display grayscale output on the TV, no matter what I do. I have had it running fuzzy coloured input, and tried using all of the PAL profiles available..but this didn't render the problem.

One thing I've noticed is that unlike my flatmates laptop, this can only put out display to one desktop, and not 2, or 4. Could it be that my card is so budget and old that it can only manage to put out one desktop so that the TV gets s grayscaled mirror image of my display!?!

any help muchly appreciated. <b>if you've got a better card going for cheap and you're around Hamilton/Auckland (I'm between these 2 places often) then hit me up!</b>

EDIT: tried using outputs via different monitors/tvs.

when playing back video from hdd:

monitors: both fine
tv1: no difference whatsoever on auto, pal, ntsc 3.53 or ntsc 4.58
tv2: coloured, blurry/fuzzy output, but no option to change or select from.

card? or tv?