9 PIN mini Din FEMALE connector at the videocard
The 9-pin mini-DIN VIVO (Video In/Video Out) connector appeared on higher-end graphics cards of the late 1990s to mid-2000s era, including ATI Radeon VIVO-equipped models such as the X700 PRO, X800 PRO VIVO, X800 XT, and X850 series, as well as NVIDIA GeForce 6x and 7x series cards. Unlike a standard mini-DIN-9, this connector uses an evenly spaced 3-4-2 pin layout, meaning a standard mini-DIN-9 plug will not fit. A proprietary breakout cable — ATI part number 6110018100 or NVIDIA part numbers 5511A001-001-LF / 6111017500G — splits the connector into two 4-pin S-Video female jacks (IN and OUT) and two RCA composite female jacks (IN and OUT); some variants also provide component YPbPr output. The on-card TV encoder chip (typically a Conexant CX25871/872 or Philips SAA7102/7103) converts the GPU’s digital pixel stream to the analogue composite CVBS and S-Video Y/C signals carried on the connector.
| Pin | Name | Dir | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y in | IN | S-Video input (Luminance) |
| 2 | C in | IN | S-Video input (Chrominance) |
| 3 | GND out (1) | OUT | S-Video + composite output ground (Y-ground) |
| 4 | Signal in | IN | Composite RCA input |
| 5 | GND in | IN | S-Video + Composite input ground (Y-gnd)+(C-gnd) |
| 6 | GND out (2) | OUT | S-Video output ground (C-ground) |
| 7 | Y out | OUT | S-Video output (Luminance) |
| 8 | Signal out | OUT | Composite RCA output Signal |
| 9 | C out | OUT | S-Video output (Chrominance) |
Signals
- Y in — Luminance component of S-Video input; corresponds to the Y signal of the IEC 60933-5 S-Video standard (~1 Vpp into 75 Ω).
- C in — Chrominance component of S-Video input; carries colour subcarrier information (~0.3 Vpp into 75 Ω).
- GND out (1) — Ground reference for the S-Video luminance output line and composite output.
- Signal in — Composite CVBS input (1 Vpp into 75 Ω), equivalent to a standard yellow RCA signal.
- GND in — Shared ground for both the S-Video input (Y and C) and composite input lines.
- GND out (2) — Ground reference for the S-Video chrominance output line.
- Y out — Luminance component of S-Video output, generated by the on-card TV encoder chip.
- Signal out — Composite CVBS output (1 Vpp into 75 Ω); simultaneous output alongside S-Video is supported.
- C out — Chrominance component of S-Video output from the TV encoder.
Notes
- The physical connector uses an evenly spaced 3-4-2 pin arrangement and is not electrically or mechanically compatible with a standard mini-DIN-9 plug.
- The breakout cable is mandatory; without it, none of the signals are accessible. ATI cable P/N 6110018100 and NVIDIA cables P/N 5511A001-001-LF / 6111017500G are the respective official accessories.
- TV encoding is handled by an on-card chip. Connexant CX25871 and CX25872 (used on many ATI Radeon and NVIDIA GeForce3/4 cards) and Philips SAA7102/SAA7103 are the most common variants; both support PAL and NTSC output standards.
- The Conexant CX25874/5 family additionally supports HDTV output modes (480p, 720p, 1080i) and component YPbPr/RGB output via the same connector on cards that include the component breakout lead.
- Compatible ATI Radeon VIVO cards include the X700 PRO AGP, X800 PRO VIVO, X800 XT, X800 XT Platinum Edition, and X850 series.
References
- RADEON Using Video In/Video Out (P/N 117-40122-20) — ATI Technologies Inc. (now AMD)
- CX25874/CX25875 Digital Encoder with SD TV and HDTV Video Output Datasheet (DSH-200670-001) — Conexant Systems Inc.
- SAA7102/SAA7103 Digital Video Encoder Datasheet — Philips Semiconductors