HDMI to DVI questions

T

Think

Weaksauce
Joined
Jan 20, 2005
Messages
95
Hi everyone.

I'm starting to delve into the wonderful world of HD and HTPCs. My cousin can get me a big discount at BestBuy, and rather than looking at LCD TV's as I was previously I've moved to 16:9 wide aspect CRT HDTVs; I can get a lot more for my budget.

One lingering question that I'm not finding an answer to is this: Is there any quality degredation when going from a PC's DVI port to an HD set's HDMI port using a converter cable?

TVs I'm looking at:
Toshiba 26" http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat31800050031&id=1097582050451
Samsung 26" http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat31800050031&id=1099396991028
Toshiba 30" http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat31800050030&id=1110265591659
LG 30" http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...CategoryId=pcmcat31800050030&id=1099393182544
 
No there will be no degredation of the signal, HDMI is just an additional spec on the original spec for DVI to include audio and allow for more advanced copy protection formats.
 
Bighitter said:
No there will be no degredation of the signal, HDMI is just an additional spec on the original spec for DVI to include audio and allow for more advanced copy protection formats.
Click to expand...


Well in that case, will the TV bitch at me for sending a PC signal to it? This reminds me of trying to play DVD's using my PS2 and XBox using a newer VCR as an interface - the VCR had copy protection on it and borked up the picture. That's the last thing anybody needs!
 
Some TV's (my Philips 37" LCD included) will demand an HDCP signal from the HDMI source before showing any image. Since your PC wont be providing said signal, it may not work. Most however seem to have no problem at all hooking up their HTPC's to thier TV's by DVI or HDMI. I ended up using a VGA -> RGBHV cable and it is working just fine for me now.
 
I was wondering about this myself. I was wanting to hook my pc up to my 51" HD Sony through the hdmi with the dvi connector on my video card. The manual says that it's not meant to be hooked up to a pc. Should I get a hdmi-dvi converter?
 
Hrm, well one of my priorities is being able to use this HD setup as a computer monitor as well. I want to be able to game and watch movies all on one screen.

After getting off the phone with my cousin, it seems the price of a Westinghouse 27" LCD with a DVI-HDCP input is about the same as the 30" LG CRT with HDMA. Both are a bit more than I'd like to spend, but the point is I could have the LCD with a DVI input and guaranteed compatability between my computer and the monitor for a pretty decent price.

One question I do still have however: With these 1080i tube TV's, will I be able to display the full 1920x1080 resolution from a PC?
 
Think said:
Hrm, well one of my priorities is being able to use this HD setup as a computer monitor as well. I want to be able to game and watch movies all on one screen.

After getting off the phone with my cousin, it seems the price of a Westinghouse 27" LCD with a DVI-HDCP input is about the same as the 30" LG CRT with HDMA. Both are a bit more than I'd like to spend, but the point is I could have the LCD with a DVI input and guaranteed compatability between my computer and the monitor for a pretty decent price.

One question I do still have however: With these 1080i tube TV's, will I be able to display the full 1920x1080 resolution from a PC?
Click to expand...

If you are choosing an interlaced resolution, then yes but not 1080p. Most modern video card drivers have these resolutions set up already so you can't choose the wrong one.

HDCP compliant output devices (monitors), being the last point in the chain, is the HDCP receiver (sink) if your output device is HDCP compliant, it will display HDCP protected content. HDCP only comes into play when the source senses HDCP protected material. It shouldn't have any affect on non-protected material, and therefore, using it as a computer display should not be a problem, that is unless you exceed the scan capabilities of the monitor which could damage your set.

Make sure that you are using a resolution that your display can support.
All HDTV's do 1080i(1920X1080@30hz) 540p(860x540@60hz), 480p (720x480@60hz) some can also do 720p (1280x720@60hz). Note: these are 16x9 resolutions
 
Bighitter said:
No there will be no degredation of the signal, HDMI is just an additional spec on the original spec for DVI to include audio and allow for more advanced copy protection formats.
Click to expand...
No. DVI cannot carry 10-bit RGB, only 8-bit. Granted, HDMI 10-bit is 4:2:2 vs. 8-bit in 4:4:4, but since DVD is 4:2:0, you aren't losing anything while operating in that color space, hence 10-bit being preferential. HDMI can acutally carry up to 12-bit.

So you are losing a little, but if you don't know what you're looking for, it won't matter.
 
OP Does BestBuy still carry the 30" Philips w/HDMI? IIRC it was around 700.
 
So bottom line, as a PC monitor, would the 27" Westinghouse LCD give better overall quality? I assume it would because of the DVI and no quality loss, but please do correct me if i'm wrong.
 
Think said:
So bottom line, as a PC monitor, would the 27" Westinghouse LCD give better overall quality? I assume it would because of the DVI and no quality loss, but please do correct me if i'm wrong.
Click to expand...

Thats hard to say, image quality is subjective. If I were you I'd try to look at a few different brands side by side, on the same source, take your time and don't let the salesman rush you. It shouldn't be hard to decide which one you like best. Make sure the panels NATIVE resolution is at least 1280x720. A few larger sets with lower resolutions are sold which look pretty bad since the images are enlarged to fit the screen.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top