Black Screen when using SDTV out

  • Hi folks really desperate for some help on this one as I have no clue.

    So I got a new pi4 and installed the new stable 10.0.2? (or whatever it is). Edited the config to enable SDTV out and select a mode,

    Hooked it all up and got the rainbow test screen that appears for a moment, ah sweet. Then, nothing. Just a black screen, and waiting around doesn't help either. HDMI works fine. Libreelec is running as I can SSH in no problem. Anyone know wtf the problem is?

  • Hiya,

    Thanks for the response. Unfortunately this doesn't seem to have worked although it has brought me closer. I now get to the libreelec logo boot screen, and then the screen flashes for a second and goes black. Again, still able to SSH in. I followed all the steps in the linked post

    Edited once, last by rileyav (July 14, 2022 at 12:52 AM).

  • Edit this dtoverlay line at config.txt, resulting in this:

    Code
    dtoverlay=vc4-kms-v3d,cma-512,composite=1

    Add this line to the end of config.txt:

    Code
    enable_tvout=1

    Add video=Composite-1:720x480@60ie to the end of your existing boot parameters line (file cmdline.txt, after the "quiet" parameter, separated by a space sign).

  • Still no luck unfortunately. this line:

    dtoverlay=vc4-kms-v3d-pi4,composite

    Was put in the distroconfig.txt is this correct? Or do I need to add it to the actual config.txt

  • Yeah still no luck. Tried the original line and also the alternative one in config.txt, still just flickers once and then goes black after the libreelec boot screen

  • You could remove the interlaced parameter "i" from the cmdline.txt line.

    PS: Check the wiring of linked thread.

    PPS: Downgrading to LE 10.0.1 is also worth a try, because thats the version of the linked thread.

  • Tried that and no luck. I'll give the downgrade a go, could you point me towards where I can get the 10.0.1 file please?

    EDIT: ah! working on the 10.0.1 version! Only issue is that the gamma seems really unusually high, everything looks real washed out when compared to running it into the same tv with a HDMI>composite converter. Any idea what that may be?

    Edited once, last by rileyav (July 14, 2022 at 2:03 PM).

  • To my knowledge there is no gamma correction by software (for both, composite and HDMI). I would use hardware to fix this: Use an adjustable resistor on the composite video pin.

  • Ah, as much as I appreciate the pointers there hardware modification is truly a last resort for me on this one..

    Luckily I have the solution! Install the libreelec 10 nightly, follow the instructions in the thread you linked and it works perfect. Not a clue what the cause was but I am a happy bunny now. Thanks for your assistance

  • Thanks haha although I think it has more to do with whoever has fixed the issue I was having with the nightly update. While I'm here I don't suppose you could tell me how to access the home folder (specifically home/pi/) via SSH? The filesystem is different in LE and I'm not at all up on linux anyway so I'm rather lost on what the actual path is