Sony VGX-XL3 - Page 105

hahaha
well you might be right about the in need of a good blow job but my 302 has recently had a grand oh blowing...
I am just saying that with cover off i can only hear the psu fan rather than the GPU..
I would be amazed if anyone could notice any noise level differences between with fan or passive cooling and with fan then you have the option of cooling it more if required
have to say robert it is a whole different machine than it was 3 months ago,as said before i was on the brink of hiding it in the cupboard but now found fresh love for the old girl

I rescued my credit card from the fridge and have ordered the 5450. If I'm caught meeting the postman I'm going to say "The big boys in America made me do it."

I think that your decission is a safe bet if your not going to upgrade the cpu also..
I purchased the 6570 for the reason i would like to play 3d blu ray in the near future(untried since upgrading but will do soon)
but in my experiance the faster running GPU overloads the processor speed..How that is or why I am none the wiser of (not so much a pc bof) but can definatly say 2gb version caused a longer play but longer pause than the 1 gb and now i have faster cpu it has smoothed out the playing of HD films and dropped the cpu frequency use (but not cpu usage)

I'll have the cover off when the 5450 card arrives and will check the board numbers

I'm not using the xl301 to play or record TV. I'm trying to copy a vhs tape from a VCR connected to the front S-video jacks but am having no luck so far. The frone video connects to one of the Avermedia cards. Presumably, if I turn on the vcr I should be able to run WMC setup to detect the VCR signal. Or am I missing something?

Not 100% sure but if the leads are the same but when you get the new graphics card the leads that go into the top of the OEM card you have to remove.. they go over to the avermedia tuner so... don't think this is going to cure your problem
have you considered such an item as this...
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VIDEO-AUDI...#ht_1367wt_698

If I have analog TV in, How does this get output via HDMI?

not sure i totally understand here.. you mean you have old style tv at the moment??

Nope Sony Bravia with HDMI input. If the antenna analog signal goes into the RF in jack on the Avermedia card is the signal output via the hdmi out of the PC?

oh ok yes it does... it goes via the pci slot to graphics card..
did you see the link i put up in earlier post?? it might be a cheap easy way for you to convert over to HDD

I'll check tomorrow or rather later today, I'm off to the land of nod now

REPLY: Thanks, Francis. Here's the deal. I believe I have the Sony P/N (which should be on a long white sticker between the RAM slots and the passive cooling system). For the Sony P/N I am looking for confirmation of this number which I got from Sony: 1 789 642 13 (may or may not have the spaces).

The face printed Sony/ASUS model number, however, may not be as easily seen. The location it is printed on the XL1/XL2 motherboards is partially concealed by the mini-PCI Wireless LAN card. If you are unable to see that printed model number, don't worry about it. Someone else on this thread might be able to get me that number eventually when they upgrade their wireless LAN card to faster 802.11n .... Thanks.

Cheer!
Robert.

REPLY: Francis, I might misunderstand what you are asking, and I can't of course say for certain that this applies for your UK spec XL301 system, but if you are expecting to connect and see your analog VCR in "My Computer" as if it were a connected peripheral or external drive, you won't. You see the VCR through the OEM Sony software called "Click to DVD." Have you already read the "Click to DVD" user guide? In case you have misplaced yours I'm sending you a .PDF copy of the user guide by attachment to email (exceeds the size limit for .PDF file attachments on this discussion thread).

When I converted my few VHS home movies I plugged the yellow VIDEO and white & red L/R AUDIO cables from my VHS into the analog VIDEO2 INPUT connections inside the door on the front panel (you can alternatively use the S VIDEO input if you have S VIDEO OUT on your VHS/VCR. If you want to connect a digital Video camera you connect to the digital iLink connection and choose either the "Click to DVD" or the Sony "DV Gate" software from the popup screen.

Turn on the VCR (and sometimes you have to start playing the video to get an active signal handshake; depends on the VCR).

Start the "Click to DVD" application through the 'start' menu, and let it find (capture) your external analog VHS source. Then you use the "Click to DVD" application to create your DVD from the VHS source, or to save a digital copy to a file folder.

You should first check your Sony VGX-XL301 support page software updates downloads, and make sure you have installed all of the "Click to DVD" updates (in the right sequence, by release date, of course)

Once you get the hang of "Click to DVD" it's pretty simple to use. But it's very time consuming. The transfer alone is real-time play; so a 120 minute tape takes 2-hours just for the "capture". Then the processing / reincoding takes from 6 to 12 hours, depending on quality, and then there's the burning of the DVD from the converted file. The few times I used it averaged about 8 to 10 hours per VHS tape project, so it's a good overnight project. Set it, ...forget it, ...go to bed, ... and check it in the morning to see if it worked or if you have to start over.

If all else fails, take your VHS tape to the photo/camera department in your local pharmacy, give 'em your tape and 15 to 20 GBP and have them copy it to DVD. HA!

Cheers!
Robert.

Hey guys and gals,

I thought I would share the nifty little "Power Supply Calculator" that I just found on the New egg site. You might find your own configured system results/power supply size recommendation interesting.

The calculator lists as options all of the various Radeon HD4000, HD5000 and HD6000 series video cards that we have been discussing.
And it seems to cover the full range of various CPU families.
It does not have the option of selecting a SSD rather than a HDD. Hard to say how much that missing option skews the result for those of us using a SSD boot/OS drive; but I would suspect that the total watts would actually be lower, were we able to select that option?

Here's the link/URL. Enjoy! :
http://images10.newegg.com/BizIntell...age-Calculator

Saw the link. there is only Scart out on the vcr.

I'm going to go back a step or two. I'll connect the vcr to the scart on the Bravia and see if it plays the tape

then I'll connect to PC with my Scart to s-video lead

Please, Robert, that's a sign of defeat. It's like being lost and asking someone for directions!


Francis

OK, I can play tape direct to tv. Without Recording will the VCR out put via PC to tv?

click dvd tapes to an mpeg2 file

i'm good to go, light the candle

Summary.

I managed to set up the XL301 to convert VHS to DVD. Used VCR with a cable with Scart out of VCR, and S-video + Audio in to XL301. Tested some of the VHS tape. Mpeg 2 file is viewable (I think it used WMP).

Then the brother calls in with a Philips dongle, Cpmposite, s-video, audio all to usb. Now I can use my Win 7 machine to convert tape to hard drive.

Well, you COULD simply run your regular coax into the coax input and set both the VCR and Media Center to whatever channel they default to (channel 3 here inthe U.S.) but that's just dredging up a bunch of new issues. Like, a) greatly reduced picture quality...b) Media Center is going to record in either MS-DVR format (difficult to edit) or .WTV (damned near impossible to edit) format...plus when you said your VCR only outputs SCART, did you really mean that - there is absolutely NO other output including analog coax?

I repeat my recommendation, which works absolutely fantastic for me. Copy your video tapes to a digital camcorder, preferably a camcorder than records to hard drive, mini-VDR, or secure digital card (in increasing order or preference) and simply bypass the computer part of it in the first place.

VCR only has two Scart and Audio line out. No camcorder available. Got Click to dvd to work

I don't know if anyone else has looked at the Nvidia GT520 series of cards as an alternative to the ATI cards, but I just breathed new life into my VGX-XL1 by installing a ZOTAC ZT-50603-10L GeForce GT 520. This card is rated for 300 watt PSU's. This particular model is not fanless, but very quiet. I do believe a fanless version is available. I picked it up for $24 (after rebate) on Newegg. I'm very pleased with the performance.

REPLY: Hello 'Boldfin'. Welcome to our asylum. Insanity is not a prerequisite here, but it does help!

Thanks for adding NVidia and ZOTAC back into the mix of workable video card options. We haven't discussed many cards other than the Sapphire cards for awhile, so it's good to expand our horizons a bit.

One of these days we all need to put our ideas together to figure out a good way to build an open source XL systems down-loadable and printable data base/knowledge base about what works, what doesn't work, and results, etc. for these VAIO VGX-XL* systems. Maybe build something in Open Documents Format on a go-forward basis, eventually recapturing many of the terrific tidbits buried in the earlier pages of this thread? This thread is laden with gold, ... but at 105 pages so far and several years of posts, it's getting harder and harder to find the nuggets we all know are here.

I believe your XL1 system shares the same Sony/ASUS P5LP-MB motherboard with my XL2. Have you made any other upgrades to your system, other than the video card?

I have recently purchased an all factory original XL1 system which I am planning to gut/part out to reuse the case for a "project." I am thinking of trying the much dreaded BIOS update on that motherboard before tearing that system down. I have an inside source at Phoenix with whom I have been communicating. He informs me that the BIOS updates released for the Hewlett Packard OEM HP/ASUS P5LP-LE boards fix the identical issues as for the the OEM Sony/ASUS P5LP-MB version boards; specifically that the BIOS update "unlocks" the microcode to allow for the installation of the later, faster Pentium D Dual Core and Core2 Duo processors.

I would never try the BIOS update on my XL2 system, of course, unless it came from Sony. But the "spare" XL1 system I just purchased is going to become an empty shell 'hanger queen' with all the guts removed anyway, and a motherboard I won't be reusing. So I see trying the BIOS update on that machine as a fault-tolerant opportunity.

Cheers!
Robert

Hi all, I have just installed my ram and hd5450

The install was real quick and simple and so was the driver, had to configure overscan to get the display to fit my screen but this was simple enough.

Here are some before and after stats...

This is my system performance ratings with a standard xl301 but with a e6700 processor @2.66GHz

Processor = 6.1 (was 4.9 with original processor)
Ram = 5.5
Graphics = 5.4
Gaming graphics = 5.1
Hard Disk = 5.5

After upgrading to 4gig Ram and to HD5450 I got these results...

Processor = 6.1 (was 4.9 with original processor)
Ram = 6.1
Graphics = 4.7
Gaming graphics = 6.1
Hard Disk = 5.5

So my base score has gone down to 4.7 which is very disappointing, I have installed the latest drivers from the Radeon site, but, will check that I havent done anything wrong.

In real life usage though (after a quick test), I now have hdtv working fine and video play mp4 hd video has improved plus my whole system seems a little quicker, due to the extra ram, Im sure.

Oliver

Went with the 5450. Will report back when I have installed it.

Update on VHS to DVD:

My brother gave me a dongle with composite and s-video on one end, usb on the other. So I tried it on my Win 7 quad core pc. It's hard to find freeware for vhs to dvd. I had the vhs to dvd running and managed to transfer a small piece to mpeg. When I went to do the whole thing it gave me synch errors and stopped (AVS Video Recorder)

I'm going see if I can install Click to DVD on that pc. No luck.

My brother has decided to buy DVDs of some of his tapes. (The Day the Earth Caught Fire). He has a few tapes of personal stuff so it will be easier to do if I get Click to DVD working on the XL301.

My other project at the moment is trying to get an original IBM PC, the 5050 working. I've managed to put an image of DOS 1.0 on to a floppy and it boots up on my quad core. Can play Donkey which Bill Gates coded himself. Cool or what!

REPLY: You probably didn't do anything wrong, Oliver.

There is a recommended set of pre-installation preliminaries for replacing a video/graphics card however. Specifically going into device manager, turning on 'show hidden devices' from the top menu, and uninstalling all audio and video drivers and remnants associated with the old OEM Sony/NVidia card before installing the new card and new drivers to avoid any conflicts or unintended 'shared' resources. So preparation is very important.

And sensible precautions. Specifically disconnecting the power cable from the power supply, wearing a wrist-ground strap or at the very least making sure that you discharge the static from your hands/body by touching the metal shell of your power supply every time before handling your video card. And try diligently to never touch the PCI-e contacts or any of the soldered printed circuits. It's advisable to actually wear a non-conductive rubber glove, if you have one. Video/graphics cards are VERY sensitive to static electricity. People have actually killed, or permanently damaged their cards with a touch.

I'm assuming you followed all of the correct procedures, and if so ... try double-checking in device manger that all of the remnants of old drivers are gone, then rebooting and running a Windows Experience Index refresh after restart.

The main thing is that your HDTV and video experience has improved, and the full point improvement in your "gaming graphics" number is actually pretty significant, since that's some of the most intensive video rendering (save for Blu-ray) and speaks to the capability of your card for intensive load.

Note: Always install the entire Catalyst Software Suite, not individual driver updates, and do not let Windows Update install driver updates for your video/graphics card. Be sure to change your settings so that you have to give permission for non-critical and hardware updates.

Check your driver suite version number in Catalyst Control Center "Information". The most current HD5xxx series Catalyst Software Suite of drivers for 32-bit Windows Vista and Windows 7 is "version 11.12"
Here's the direct link to the download page if you need quick access back there.

http://sites.amd.com/us/game/downloa...n_win7-32.aspx

One more note. It's important to carefully check the installation report at the end of installation of the software. You should verify that you get a "Success" note for every driver and utility; no "error" or unsuccessful" notes in the individual parts of the installation report.
Cheers!
Robert.

@fjk61011,

I hope all goes well with your upgrade. Here are some problem that I came across and how I fixed them...

1. I found that at 720p (my tv resolution) I had boarders top, bottom, left and right this is fixed on the catalyst control centre, my digital flat panels, scaling options then move the bar to the far right.

2. The screen did not look as sharp as before the upgrade so I increased the resolution to the next setting and scaled again, if scaling is greyed out, goto.. my digital flat panels, properties and select Scale image to full panel size.

3. Colours looked washed out after the upgrade, I fixed this in CCC, my digital flat screen, pixel format and selecting RGB 4;4;4; (Full RGB)

4. The performance was a little disappointing so I used AMD Overdrive to clock the GPU, I have mine running at the max, 900Mhz for memory and 700Mhz for GPU.
Since I increased the performance I now get 5.2 for graphics and 6.3 for gaming graphics my GPU runs between 65c and 75c, highest I was able to reach with tests and running hdtv was 81c! I understand this to be ok for a passively cooled CPU

It will be interesting to hear how your upgrade goes.

@Renninga

Thanks for the driver advice, I did what you said and found the old signtel audio driver still there, so I removed all drivers restarted and started again. I did not use a wrist strap (or anything for that matter) but I did unplug the power supply lol, I guess I am lucky I didn't damage the card.

After all the tweaks I am happy with the card, I can now play BBCHD BBC1HD ITVHD fine, however, C4hd is all pixelated. I maybe need to re scan or something, will look into it.

Just wanted to share my experience with you all,

Oliver

Greetings and Felicitations, O Great Ones,

Two double espressos today with my sister.

I've given up on the VHS to DVD. Either the VCR is broken or the Scart to S-video is broken, or both.

I'll be returning to my audio project soon.

Still waiting on my 5450.

Updates to follow.

Francis

Hello everyone,

I have an embarrassingly stupid question, which I would not post here, humiliating myself before my peers, except that I just cannot find the answer in my reading.

Here goes: Do our VGX-XL* systems "up-convert" DVD when played out through the HDMI connection to a HDTV?

I think I have now read every word I can find on these systems, and can only surmise that the reason there is no mention of "up-conversion" ....is because our systems do not up-convert through HDMI.

Can any of you answer this question definitively?

Cheers!
Robert.

PS. Side Note: I have a standalone "up-converting" Sony DVD player, also connected to my HDTV by HDMI. I can see no difference whatsoever in image quality between the standalone up-converting DVD player, and playing DVD out from the VGX-XL2.