[ltp] Using S-video out with R40 & Ubuntu

[Michael Powell]

Hello!

I am looking for a little assistance in getting the S-video out port working
on my Thinkpad R40 with Ubuntu.  I have installed the atitvout package, which 
is supposed to work with debian, as suggested per this site:  
http://www.geocities.com/tivarsson/linux.html.  Because I am in the US, I 
have been using the 'ntsc' command, instead of 'pal'.

I am not having the same luck that the writer of the web site had.  Whenever
I attempt to use the atitvout, I get the "VBE called failed" error message, 
along with a less-than-friendly message that suggests to me that I probably 
should not depend on the atitvout author for help.  ;-)

The only commands that do not meet this error are 'ntsc' and 'detect'.  
Oddly, detect detects a CRT, but no LCD.  This is odd because there is no
CRT attached, and the BIOS is set to use LCD only.

I bought the laptop second-hand, so it came with no manual.  From what I 
gather on the web, the external VGA port can be "hard-switched" to using 
a Function key, but the S-video port requires a software switch (at least
in the Windows world).  

I installed Ubuntu on it myself, about a year ago.  This is the first time
I've attempted to use the s-video port.  The Ubuntu Device Manager identifies
the video device as follows:

Vendor:  ATI Technologies Inc
Device:  Radeon Mobility M6 LY
Status:  Status
Bus Type:  PCI
Device Type:  Unknown
Capabilities: Unknown

Thanks for any help or suggestions that you may have!  Let me know if 
additional info would be helpful.

Michael