PC to HDTV question

Post by r***@optonline.net
My question is this. My current video card, a Radeon HD5770 1Gb card with a VGA
connector, a DVI-I connector and an S-Video connector. I am
currentlyusing the
DVI-I connection for my desktop monitor, leaving me the VGA and the S-Video.

I'm sharing a 22" Vizio HDTV/monitor (1680x1050) between two
computers, a desktop with an EAH4350 using a DVI-to-HDMI cable and a
laptop with a Quadro NVS 135M that uses VGA. The sharpness is similar
from both, and good enough for me. The computers have external
powered speakers.

Could you switch your monitor to VGA and use a DVI-HDMI cable for the
HDTV?

G-squared

2013-10-16 04:10:51 UTC

Post by r***@optonline.net
I was at a friends house last week and he was showing me family pictures from
his PC to a 42inch TV. I was very surprised at the resolution on the TV. He was
using a spare PC which he moved into the living room to hook the TV up to, and
also using a wireless keyboard, of which I have two with a couple of spare
wireless mouses (mice?)
My TV is about fifteen feet as the crow flies from my desktop computer, with a
wall between the two. I could easily run a cable to the TV from my computer.
My TV is a 52" Sony Bravia. There is an input on the back which says "PC In". It
consists of an RGB plug and a plyg for audio. The picture in the manual for the
TV shows some sort of a splitter which takes the cable from the computer and
splits it into two inputs, one being an RCA jack for audio. The TV also has a
S-Video input.
My question is this. My current video card, a Radeon HD5770 1Gb card with a VGA
connector, a DVI-I connector and an S-Video connector. I am currentlyusing the
DVI-I connection for my desktop monitor, leaving me the VGA and the S-Video.
Is there a combination of inputs and outputs I can use to get HD resolution on
my TV from the computer? If need be, I have no problem buying a new video card
with HDMI outputs and I do have one unused HDMI inpuut for the TV. I also had an
HDMI switching box in case I ever came up short of HDMI inputs.
I'd like to try hooking the TV up to the computer but only if I get the hi-def
my friend was able to get.
I'd appreciate any input or opinions on this.
Thanks.

Download the Nokia Monitor test program version 2. One of the test patterns is vertical lines alternating white / black. VGA interface will likely show lots of horizontal streaky noise due to the resampling clock in the monitor not being in sync with the pixel clock in the PC. There will be no trace of this with the DVI or HDMI interface. Also, if the monitor resolution is different than the PC, the re-scaling may blur the edges. Most TVs have an 'overscan' mode that expands the picture a few percent. That mode will blur the edges too. Sometimes it's called 'just scan' in the menu. If you get it right the Windows desktop will go exactly to the edge of the screen and cut off half of the taskbar if it's wrong.

15 feet from a 52" wouldn't cut it for me as I'm usually about 8 feet from a 55" but that's why some sit in different rows at the movies.

G²

dmaster

2013-10-16 17:31:12 UTC

Yes. The PC input *is* a VGA input. Just run the cable. I use the one on my Panasonic TV occasionally.

Dan (Woj...)

meagain

2013-10-16 21:00:55 UTC

Yes. The PC input *is* a VGA input. Just run the cable. I use the one on my Panasonic TV occasionally.
Dan (Woj...)

DVI is replacing VGA. And some TV have HDMI input and some computer have HDMI
output, so the solution may be to put the computer NEAR the TV and use a wireless
keyboard and mouse.

r***@optonline.net

2013-10-16 22:47:27 UTC

Post by meagain

Yes. The PC input *is* a VGA input. Just run the cable. I use the one on my Panasonic TV occasionally.
Dan (Woj...)

DVI is replacing VGA. And some TV have HDMI input and some computer have HDMI
output, so the solution may be to put the computer NEAR the TV and use a wireless
keyboard and mouse.

I can't put the computer near the TV. They're in separate rooms. When I said the
distance between the two was about fifteen feet, I should have said there was a
wall in between them. But I already have a couple of LAN cables running through
a hole in the wall to my Blu-ray player and my Roku. So I could easily run a
cable to the TV, through the wall. My real concern is will I get hi-def on the
TV using the connections I have? I should be able to buy a cable with a RGB at
oane end and a VGA at the other end. Does that equal hi-def?

r***@optonline.net

2013-10-16 22:48:02 UTC

Yes. The PC input *is* a VGA input. Just run the cable. I use the one on my Panasonic TV occasionally.
Dan (Woj...)

So are you saying RGB = VGA?

Charlie Hoffpauir

2013-10-16 23:41:54 UTC

Yes. The PC input *is* a VGA input. Just run the cable. I use the one on my Panasonic TV occasionally.
Dan (Woj...)

So are you saying RGB = VGA?

Wikipedia has a decent graphic that shows the various resolutions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_resolution

VGA is 640 x 480, definitely not HD. I consider HD to "begin" at 1280
x 720 ,while many consider anything less that 1920 x 1080 to *not* be
HD.

To answer an earlier post, connecting "VGA out" from your computer to
"computer in" on the TV should give you a decent picture, but it won't
be HD.

My laptop has HDMI out. I connected that to HDMI in on a HD TV, and
got a decent picture streaming a TV program from Amazon. Then I got a
Hulu HD and used that to stream the same program.... a GREAT picture,
better than I get from my DirecTV service. I'm guessing my Computer
HDMI out is less that the 1080p that I get from the Hulu. Just FYI.

Charlie Hoffpauir

2013-10-17 01:23:22 UTC

On Wed, 16 Oct 2013 18:41:54 -0500, Charlie Hoffpauir

Post by Charlie Hoffpauir

Yes. The PC input *is* a VGA input. Just run the cable. I use the one on my Panasonic TV occasionally.
Dan (Woj...)

So are you saying RGB = VGA?

Wikipedia has a decent graphic that shows the various resolutions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_resolution
VGA is 640 x 480, definitely not HD. I consider HD to "begin" at 1280
x 720 ,while many consider anything less that 1920 x 1080 to *not* be
HD.
To answer an earlier post, connecting "VGA out" from your computer to
"computer in" on the TV should give you a decent picture, but it won't
be HD.
My laptop has HDMI out. I connected that to HDMI in on a HD TV, and
got a decent picture streaming a TV program from Amazon. Then I got a
Hulu HD and used that to stream the same program.... a GREAT picture,
better than I get from my DirecTV service. I'm guessing my Computer
HDMI out is less that the 1080p that I get from the Hulu. Just FYI.

Oops, brain fart. That device is a Roku 2 HD.

Stephen H. Fischer

2013-10-17 01:54:08 UTC

Post by Charlie Hoffpauir
VGA is 640 x 480, definitely not HD. I consider HD to "begin" at 1280
x 720 ,while many consider anything less that 1920 x 1080 to *not* be
HD.

Then why does my HDTV report 1366 x 768 on my VGA input?

Same as my DVI input, DVI quality is a little better. VGA input driven by
MyHD is just as good as DVI, desktop not as good (Sync problems at times).
Desktop on both inputs.

I could also use HDMI, but I keep that for my Laptop.

Rotten HDTV:

AVS Winbook 37M1 - 37 LCD HDTV & PC-HD Monitor Official Thread
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=724017

SHF

Jim Wilkins

2013-10-17 12:43:55 UTC

Post by Charlie Hoffpauir
...>
VGA is 640 x 480, definitely not HD. I consider HD to "begin" at 1280
x 720 ,while many consider anything less that 1920 x 1080 to *not* be
HD.
To answer an earlier post, connecting "VGA out" from your computer to
"computer in" on the TV should give you a decent picture, but it won't
be HD.
My laptop has HDMI out. I connected that to HDMI in on a HD TV, and
got a decent picture streaming a TV program from Amazon. Then I got a
Hulu HD and used that to stream the same program.... a GREAT picture,
better than I get from my DirecTV service. I'm guessing my Computer
HDMI out is less that the 1080p that I get from the Hulu. Just FYI.

This morning I'm set up to compare my 22" Vizio's 1080i HDTV picture between the antenna tuner input and VGA from a laptop, using Aver Mediacenter. Individual hairs in a Good Morning America studio camera close-up aren't quite as sharply defined on VGA, but they can still be seen. There's more sharpness difference from the camera, studio vs outdoor vs commercials, than between VGA and the Vizio's internal ATSC tuner. From a normal viewing distance instead of a foot from the screen, both are essentially identical.

Alan

2013-10-18 21:48:43 UTC

Post by Charlie Hoffpauir
VGA is 640 x 480, definitely not HD. I consider HD to "begin" at 1280
x 720 ,while many consider anything less that 1920 x 1080 to *not* be
HD.

Yet many video cards have a 400 MHz DAC on the VGA connector, suitable
for better than the resolutions you quote.

VGA connector does not mean you are using the original VGA resolution
standards.

Alan

Bill Gill

2013-10-17 01:48:47 UTC

Yes. The PC input *is* a VGA input. Just run the cable. I use the one on my Panasonic TV occasionally.
Dan (Woj...)

So are you saying RGB = VGA?

Not really. VGA is a slightly different animal.

One thing you are wondering about is getting HD from your PC.
That won't happen unless you have an HD output. My monitor on the
PC I am working on is an HD monitor, and my computer has the HD
output to work with it. If you have a card that can provide the
HD output that will be able to give you HD to your TV. For a long
time it has been possible to get various resolutions from PCs. This
varies a lot depending on your PC and its graphics card. You can see
what resolutions you have available by looking at the settings for
your system. They are found in the Control Panel.

Now if you don't have an output that will give you an HD signal you
can still see it covering the screen, or at least the full height
of the screen. Most TVs have a setting that will upconvert non-HD
signals to fill the screen vertically. Of course it probably
has a setting that will fill it horizontally also. That will
probably cause severe distortion of the picture on the screen.
I recommend against that particular setting.

Oh yes, using a longer VGA cable from the computer to the monitor
may cause smearing of the picture. I tried once and found it
to be unusable. You may not have a problem, but you may. You
will have to check that for yourself. If you can get an RGB
connection it will work better over longer distances. As far
as HDMI is concerned for 6 feet or so any cheap HDMI cable will
work, but you can easily run into problems as you extend the
length. Again you will have to try that for yourself.

Bill

G-squared

2013-10-19 06:50:47 UTC

Post by Bill Gill