> however when I play a movie file using xine or mplayer, either full > screen or windowed, it just shows a blue expanse, like a windows BSOD > but without the informative messages.
Which version driver (or distro) are you using. I found that the driver on http://www.probo.com/timr/savage40.html worked better than that provided with Mandrake 9.0 (especially for xine). I don't have TV out, but the web page gives you instructions for the savage chips that do. - Mark
