Black & white picture problems

[spike]

Have just built my first HTPC and am an utter newbie and have a problem with black & white channels.
I have ancient telewest cable via an old Jerrold 550 STB, HTPC spec is Aopen EZ65, 2.66 P4, 256mb ram,Hauppauge 150pvr mce, FX5200 graphics card and 17Gb drive (drive and ram are temporary fitments while i get it all to work), Windows XP and GBPVR. Graphics card is connected by s-video to TV scart socket by s-video to scart lead. Have already checked that it is to the scart socket on the TV that will accept s-video.

Problem is that on the HTPC regular TV channels BBC1, BBC2, ITV, CH4 and CH5 are all black and white, but occasionally show some colour when scrolling through the channels but it doesn't last long. The cable channel (No. 92) works fine though... all colour and reasonable if not fantastic picture.

As I have only one tuner card I have split the signal to the PVR150 and to the TV tuner via a 2 way splitter so I could watch another channel while recording. The picture from the TV's tuner is fine on all channels but the picture through the PVR150 has the B & W problems apart from the cable channel as previously mentioned. I have tried with the signal not split and run straight to the PVR150 but it makes no difference and have also tried a mains plug-in signal splitter/booster but that makes no difference either.
To my non technical eye it looks almost like the tuning is off, but I can find no way of manually adjusting the tuning.

Am sure the card is all ok though as if I hook it up to a terrestrial aerial and re scan the channels I can get all the basic 5 tuned OK, Picture isn't great on some as the aerial is in the loft, but it does work.

Anyone have or had similar problems or know of a fix?
I'm sure it must be something simple it's just that I'm too daft to see it... right!

[Darx-starz]

I had the same problem. The reason that your picture is mono is either you are outputting 60hz and your TV only accepts 50HZ or your TV is not svidio at all. It probably joins the chroma and luma together and this does not allways work becuase of the losses on chroma. Thats why your picture is monochrome. What you need is a true composite output or, a UHF modulator. Maplins do one for about 30 notes. Try setting your FX5200 for 720X576 and 50HZ. If that dont work then the above applies

[spike]

If I remember rightly the FX5200 doesn't give the 50HZ option only 60HZ (I'm sure I looked)
But this doesn't explain why the cable channel (no. 92) works fine.. it's only the normal 5 channels (numbered 60,63,66,70 and 72 for Ch5,BBC1, BBC2 ITV and CH4 in that order) that are have the B & W problem.
TV has 4 pin S-video plug on front and scart 3 on back will accept s-video or so the manual says...

[spike]

Forgot to say in my previous posts I also tried s-video direct from the graphics card to the s-video input on the front of the TV but still the same problem  

[stefan]

Could it be some PAL/NTSC setting issue?

[spike]

If that was the case surely it would affect all the channels including the cable one...

If understand it correctly and you'll forgive my simplicity all the signals, both cable and terrestrial come down the same lead to the STB and then to the video player or TV, hence I can select BBC1 via the cable channel or by the TV tuner itself independently.This is how it has worked up till connecting my HTPC.After connecting my HTPC I can now select channel 6 (No. 92) on my set up which is the cable channel. Then I can use the cable remote to change to any channel with no problems and get a colour picture. But of course the EPG is useless then because I'd have to choose to record the cable channel via EPG and then make sure I had the correct channel selected via the cable remote which makes it a bit pointless, but if I want to select BBC1 not from the cable channel it won't work because the picture is B & W.

It seems to be only affecting the terrestrial signal from the STB not the cable signal if you see what I am getting at.
I don't think I have explained this very well...

[Darx-starz]

Quote[/b] ]
If I remember rightly the FX5200 doesn't give the 50HZ option only 60HZ (I'm sure I looked)
But this doesn't explain why the cable channel (no. 92) works fine.. it's only the normal 5 channels (numbered 60,63,66,70 and 72 for Ch5,BBC1, BBC2 ITV and CH4 in that order) that are have the B & W problem.
TV has 4 pin S-video plug on front and scart 3 on back will accept s-video or so the manual says...

News to me. I have a FX5200 and I run 720X576@50HZ. Yup I accept that it may have a svidio connector but inside they common up the chroma and luma with about a 70pf capacitor and call it svidio. Most TV's in the UK are composite. My TV supports svidio but I have the same problem as you. It does not work. Make sure it is set for 720X576@50HZ PAL/I

[spike]

Will give it a go... many thanx for your help

[spike]

Darx-starz if you're still out there - I have tried but failed...
I made up a custom resolution of 720x576@50Hz as it wasn't already an option on my card but the result was still the same.

How does it work that the channel for cable isn't affected then, any ideas...

You're other option was a UHF modulator - right. I will see if my local Maplin has it in stock.