Pc -> Hdmi

[trinibwoy]

This might be a silly question but what are some of the options for getting high resolution PC output on an HDTV that doesnt have a PC input. Is the only option a receiver with a DVI input? AFAIK composite and s-video can only carry up to 640x480.

 

[Guden Oden]

If your TV has HDMI just get a conversion cable between DVI and HDMI; they're one and the same. If it lacks both DVI or HDMI in, a transcoder of some sort to component might be an option, provided your TV has that instead.

S-Video is a cheapish option, and provided the hardware on your graphics card is good, can give quite decent quality actually. It's still SDTV rez though, and while the video signal carries more than 480 lines and pretty much an arbitrary number of pixels/line, getting more than 640*480 on an NTSC TV might be difficult without the outermost parts of the screen getting cut off, and also because PCs tend to use square pixels. Otherwise you could have say, 1024*480 pixels...

PAL TVs support much greater vertical rez, so 800*600 through S-Video might be sort of useable in that case.

 

[wireframe]

If your TV has HDMI just get a conversion cable between DVI and HDMI; they're one and the same.

Are you sure about this? It's my understanding that this works with HDMI -> DVI, but not necessarily the other way around. DVI is simpler, lacking security and from what I gathered there is some hand shaking that certain HDMI devices expect and when this is not provided they don't show a picture. So, as long as you are not stripping the HDCP, required for playback, the HDMI -> DVI should work, but the other way around some TVs expect the HDCP protocol or nada. I could be wrong, hence the question.

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There should be no problem with 800 * 600 resolution and I think even 1024c768 should work fine (might depend on what the hardware allows) with S-video but's it's going to look pretty bad no matter what. This means that when I say "1024 x 768 will be fine," it will be fine when you consider that the lower resolutions already look bad. You get a special grainy/jaggy look that may be alleviated by the softer look of composite (imagine S-video being too sharp for its own good, revealing what looks like a flaw in the picture that isn't really there). Component, if available, is better.

I don't see how a receiver is going to help you because you will still be at the mercy of what the monitor/TV will accept. A receiver with DVI in might do a better job converting that signal to composite/S-video/Component, but that's about it.

Is this for watching movies to to make a "desktop" usable on a TV?

 

[trinibwoy]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Is this for watching movies to to make a "desktop" usable on a TV?

It's the latter. And why wouldn't the receiver help? AFAIK, receivers that can accept DVI can output the same signal via HDMI. I doubt current HDTV's require HDCP since many receivers upconvert analog signals to HDMI for output.

 

[wireframe]

I doubt current HDTV's require HDCP since many receivers upconvert analog signals to HDMI for output.

I'm asking because of what I read. It may be a very limited bunch of equipment, but I saw something about TVs going bonkers when you connect something through HDMI to them that is lacking the HDCP protocol. At the time of reading it I understood this to mean that the problem was that the HDCP protocol was completely lacking. If I am not mistaken, the HDCP protocol is still present when there is no protection, a "protection=null," if you will and will do some hand shaking. It is when this is lacking, again, if I understood correctly, that the TV will not display the picture.

So, in the case of a HDMI receiver it may be embedding this HDCP <null> in the stream.

I see your point of the receiver now. I was being silly and thinking composite/s-video/component. I need to get used to thinking HDMI everything.

I could be totallly wrong. I only have HDMI-in and nothing to connect to it so I haven't experiemented much. Unfortunately I don't have a link to where I read this online. It was one of those things I read in passing through an AV forum. We can assume I am totally wrong about this unless someone can confirm it.

What you need is DemoCoder's presence, if I am not mistaken.

 

[Himself]

Get a HDMI to DVI cable off ebay for a $1.

 

[Guden Oden]

Are you sure about this?

Yes.

Fundamentally they're one and the same. DVI equipment may or may not support HDCP copy protection/encryption, something that is a requirement under HDMI, but the underlying signalling standard is one and the same, so they're electrically compatible with the right converter plug or cable.

there is some hand shaking that certain HDMI devices expect and when this is not provided they don't show a picture.

If you have a video source that supports HDCP and a display device that does not, this could happen in some cases when the user tries to show HDTV resolution material. However, PCs don't support HDCP, so in that case there should be no problems. Also, DVD players don't require HDCP so you shouldn't have a problem with that. Some HDTV decoders/tuners might, I hear, but perhaps there are ways around that. Maybe involving contacting tech support for the cable company and explaining the situation, etc.

 

[Nappe1]

There are DVI enabled televisions that support HDCP thru DVI. (like mine, Philips 26PF5520D/10, which even my 6600GT recognizes as HDMI TV) and basically HDMI standard includes all DVI signals (so DVI can be a sub set of HDMI)

I have heard reports about some Sony TVs not accepting all DVI signals via HDMI, but afaik, that's more because of EDID limitations and limited interface HDMI interface on TV. (to get HD Ready certification, you only need to accept via HDMI / DVI connection HDCP 1.2 and 720p60 or 720p50 and 1080i in same refresh rates.)

so, afaik, if HDMI is mentioned as PC input as well, it will accept more resolutions than just those standard HDTV reoslutions.

I luckily got panel native 1366x768 working with powerstrip. (tv does not tell that mode in EDID, but if you get the OS / drivers output it with correct timings, it works.)

 

[the maddman]

HDMI's extra pins are for Audio, not the copy protection. I guess it's nice to have one cable to carry audio+video, but I also hate playing connector wars.

I'm happy with my Hitachi HDTV with a plain DVI input here, works good with my AIW X800XT.

edit: Nappe1 has an important point, make sure you can force the video output into a valid HDTV mode. Some HDTVs only support a few scan rates. If you're dealing with a Plasma or LCD the worst that will happen is a blank screen. CRT based HDTVs can actually be damaged by out of range signals.