Monitor & TV Connection Advice

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I'm building a new PC which will be connected to my TV via HDMI but I'd also like to connect it to my monitor (when applicable). Throwing another wrinkle into this is that I currently have my Mac hooked up to said monitor via the HDMI port. Long and the short I'm looking to hook up both the Mac and PC to the monitor and also have the PC running to the TV. In case it helps the monitor has one HDMI port and one VGA port while the PC video card is a Gigabyte 7950.

Any suggestions on how to do this with minimal swapping of cables and ideally minimal cost would be appreciated.
 
An HDMI switch can help.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10110&cs_id=1011001&p_id=8150&seq=1&format=2

So plug your Mac and PC with HDMI to this and toggle the switch for whichever source you plan on using. Use the DVI or Display Port from the 7950 (awesome card btw) and connect that to your monitor. The 7950 can support two monitors no problem :D

For visual learners:

TV-(HDMI)->Switch-(HDMI)->Mac
|​
(HDMI)​
|​
\/​
PC-(DVI/DisplayPort)->Monitor​


Parts Recap: Going to need 3 HDMI cables. Ideally the Switch is near your desk, so the PC and Mac HDMI cables can be short while the HDMI from the switch to TV can be as long as you need. And 1 DVI/Display Port cable.
 
Thanks for the reply. I do have some questions because I feel like I'm missing something, specifically around the DVI/Display Port section. My monitor doesn't have either a DVI or Display Port input. So would it make sense to do the following?

PC -> TV via HDMI
PC - > switch via cable that's DVI (or Display Port) on one end and HDMI on the other
Mac -> switch via HDMI
Switch-> Monitor via HDMI

Maybe that's what you were saying and I'm just slow. Let me know if that makes sense.
 
Sorry misunderstanding on my part. You have the Mac hooked up to the monitor (I thought you had it hooked up to the TV), so then what you wrote is correct.

If you plan to buy a 7950, buy a new monitor aswell. Specifically one that supports DVI or Display Port, so that you can get the best use out of your 7950.

You need this:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10231&cs_id=1023104&p_id=2404&seq=1&format=2

So in your step

PC - > switch via cable that's DVI (or Display Port) on one end and HDMI on the other
Click to expand...


This will work if you buy that kind of a cable.

I am still kind of a distraught that you have a monitor with no DVI out, meaning that it is either old, smaller than 24 inches or a specialty brand monitor. If you plan on purchasing a 7950, getting a monitor that supports it is a huge factor in its ability to perform. Display Port connection is the new "thing" with all high end graphic cards.
 
My setup is complete and I've run into a somewhat related problem. Initially I just had my DVI to HDMI cable running to my monitor and played any audio through the speakers or headphones. Once I got a long enough HDMI cable I ran that to my TV. The problem is that since then audio is only coming out of the TV. I've tried updating drivers, disabling the TV as an audio output device, etc. but it's still saying that I don't have the speakers plugged in. Anyone have any advice as to what might be causing this?
 
[quote name='Megazell']What TV is this?[/QUOTE]

It's a Sony KDL46XBR2 and it case it matters my motherboard is an ASRock Z77 Extreme 4.
 
I missed this earlier but have a slightly different suggestion.

The minimal cost approach is to hook up to the TV via HMDI and then get a DVI-VGA connector. I am not talking about for performance or anything else and with only two connections you do not need to use the display port interfaces.

I concur that if you purchase a new monitor that you should purchase one with a display port input. The active connectors are an additional $30-50 to use.

You also do not need a switch for the TV unless you already have 4 devices plugged in to fill up all of the HDMI ports. I should know since I have the same television in my living room.
 
what's wrong with just keeping the monitor hooked up to the Mac (HDMI) and PC (VGA) at all times?

VGA outputs video as good as HDMI (until really high resolutions.) The only issue sometimes is synching but that's pretty rare. (in Windows it's easy to quickly change audio output source, I always hook my laptop up to my TV and switch to the TV's audio)
 
Thanks for the tips but at this time the issue isn't really how to hook up the monitor and TV but the issue with the the audio part (post 6). Any insight into that would be appreciated.
 
Checked the BIOS to make sure something there did not get accidentally changed for audio? That's off the top of my head only and assuming you are using the on-board audio.
 
When I hook my laptop to my TV I have to go to Control Panel - Sound and change the default device. Any open file has to be reopened. This will switch it to outputting to the HDMI. When I want it back on the laptop speakers I have to do the process again.

(this is win 7)
 
Are you using the default AMD drivers? I thought HDMI was an optional install for sound....then again I have a cold and my head is plugged. If my foggy memory is correct I would say completely uninstall that, then reinstall without that option.

If you are not using the reference drivers you can always try that as well. Just uninstall your current drivers first.
 
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