Folk,

This is an arcane question of application rather than repair but I
don't know of a better place to ask.

I've connected the composite video output from a Compaq Armada e500
running Debian Squeeze, to a Panasonic LCD TV TC-20LA1. The display
on the TV works for the COMPAQ logo, the BIOS, and the console
startup messages. When X takes over, the TV appears to lose sync.
Nothing helpful is evident in the BIOS of the Armada.

The Armada was donated without the original software. I'll guess
that there was software designed to drive the composite video output,
independently of the laptop screen.

I'm thinking of trying this in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
Section "Monitor"
...
VertRefresh 60.0
EndSection

Can a setting in xorg.conf harm the laptop hardware? Any advice or
comments or instructions to get a display on the TV suitable for
watching a movie?

Thanks, ... Peter E.