pc desktop to hd tv

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lokizz

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do any of you use a desktop tower on your hdtv and if so how good is it? can you connect it to your tv using hdmi inputs? how does it tend to look? my tv have the input for one of those bulky computer cords but im just trying to see what the options are when doing this. any help or info is greatly appreciated?
 
I have an older HP PC tower that I connected to my 46" Sanyo. I installed a newer (not that new) graphics card (GeForce 9600GT) that I got on clearance from Staples for less then $30 and it gave me a DVI output when before my CPU only had VGA out. I think I used an HDMI cable to go from DVI to the HDMI in on my TV but since DVI doesn't output sound I used a audio out cable from the PC to the Audio in input on my receiver.

The nice thing is I can have my PS3 playing on the TV but if I select the Audio in input on my receiver I can listen to music streaming from the PC while seeing the picture from the PS3. Which is nice because that is one short coming of the PS3 is you can't rip music and then play it from the harddrive while playing a game.


Really wasn't a hard thing to do and it is nice when I want to put youtube up on the "bigger" television in the house. I would recommend a multimedia control like the one Lenovo has (it is now backlight) or making sure you have a bluetooth mouse/keyboard combo because the wireless USB mice only have a range of like 3-5 feet from their receiver.
 
You can use HDMI if you've got a video card or IGP that has an HDMI out. If not, your TV would need a VGA or DVI input.
 
[quote name='SEH']You can use HDMI if you've got a video card or IGP that has an HDMI out. If not, your TV would need a VGA or DVI input.[/QUOTE]

Yeah..and if all your cpu has is a VGA output then I'd by one that has the VGA cable and 3.5mm audio cable combined otherwise you'll have to buy them seperately (the 3.55mm audio cable is necessary for outputting sound to the TV as VGA doesn't output sound, just picture)
 
For gaming and movies, it won't be a big deal. Just use an HDMI cable

But if you plan on actually using your PC via a TV display, be aware that image quality may suffer. Most TVs do not support 4:4:4 chroma subsampling (which every computer monitor does) and as a result certain images/text will look noticeably worse than vs. a computer monitor.
 
I've been using PC to TV/Projector since the 90's. Once you go that route you really can't go back.

I'm not into the HDTV scene but I do love watching movies/shows and playing games with the family on a projector for the theater like experience.

I have helped others setup their HDTVs and regular TVs for their homes and recreation centers. Many have already given you great advice.

If you plan to dedicated an HTPC for movies, TV and gaming PC try to go with HDMI over SVGA and other connections. It's the fastest and most easier route to go with for beginners.
 
sounds like a good way to go then i appreciate your input. been seeing alot of towers for cheap lately so it seemed like itd be a good way to go with just a tower since i have alot of the other stuff i need. thanks for the help folks.
 
I have a 40" Samsung hooked up to my PC; I find it works awesomely for watching movies etc, while doing something else on my other monitor. I did my research to get a 4-4-4 TV and then I just used a HDMIDVI cable and it works great.

z3zqf.jpg
 
[quote name='miniMacGuru']I have a 40" Samsung hooked up to my PC; I find it works awesomely for watching movies etc, while doing something else on my other monitor. I did my research to get a 4-4-4 TV and then I just used a HDMIDVI cable and it works great.

z3zqf.jpg
[/QUOTE]


^ That's cool! Thanks for sharing. I don't game on my office PC (well laptop) but I spend a lot of time in there as I work from home so I have a similar set up with my laptop on my desk and a 32" LCD TV mounted just above the laptop to the wall behind it so when I'm doing work I can have netflix or espn3 or whatever streaming on the TV while messing around in excel on the laptop.

I didn't know about that 4-4-4 figure on monitors. Is a TV like that more expensive?
 
Interestingly enough, usually more expensive TVs have more image-processing going on, and do not support 4-4-4. I just read up on models that do at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1381724 and then shopped around to see what I could purchase locally. (I dislike shipping things as big and fragile as a TV)

On a side note, I actually wanted the 32" model, but they didn't have any instock; I suppose the 40" doesn't crowd my desk too much...
 
Is 4-4-4 for text reading purposes? I'm not sure exactly what the purpose is. If he's looking to use his PC as a HTPC it may not even be important.

I've built a couple of HTPCs, and they are just older desktops with a dual core processor. Even old Athlon x2s work great. If it's a recent PC (within 3 years) then the onboard chipset is fine for 1080 movies, if it's a older PC you may need to buy a video card to do HD/bluray movies. A cheap Radeon 4250/5250 for 20-30 works well.

For mouse/KB as someone else said you only get range from Bluetooth. Personally I just use a Microsoft 5000 mouse, and use the onscreen keyboard built in Windows 7. I rarely type on the HTPC though, so no need.

Anyways the result is great. I use mine for BR/1080/Youtube content, and it looks fantastic. My sister just does Netflix and Youtube here and there and she loves it.
 
yeah ill be getting a newer tower the main thing is just convenience ease of upgrading.
i have a wireless mouse already and i can find a wireless keyboard easy enough i can put the tower in the same media center i have my ps3 and cable box so itll all be out of the way and in one place.now i just need to keep looking around for the good deal on a tower.

its pretty cool to see how tvs have progressed to the point where this is possible.and i may at some point do gameplay videos thats something down the road though.
 
if i got a bluetooth kb and mouse i could use those with my ps3 too right? if so then its worth it to get another mouse.
 
If you want a PC to use as a HTPC but also play games on, buying some random pre-built is NOT the way to go. Build your own. It's easy, it's way cheaper than buying pre-built, and you can build it to do what you want.
 
ive always wanted to try doing that and down the road i will but its been a while since i fiddled with a pc . are there any companies that do premades with easy upgrading in mind?
 
Just built a new computer and I'm running on a 24" monitor and games look great at 1080. Can I run it to my 50" 720p plasma without having it look shitty?
 
If even half of the rumors of next-gen consoles are any indication then I'm very much leaning towards skipping the lot and getting a SFF PC instead. (Steambox)
 
[quote name='n4styn4t3']Just built a new computer and I'm running on a 24" monitor and games look great at 1080. Can I run it to my 50" 720p plasma without having it look shitty?[/QUOTE]

Games will most likely look fine, but text and whatnot may be hard to read due to that 4-4-4/chroma subsampling tidbit posted earlier in the thread.
 
I just want to add that if your PC only has DVI out, you can get a DVI to HDMI adapter for it and then just use a normal HDMI cable. Some graphics cards even come with a HDMI adapter in the box.
 
I have two Samsung 1080p HDTVs: results have varied. One is 52" and newer; looks fine with HDMI regardless of the video card I've used (Radeon and GeForce.)

The other is a ~42", and the display looks like CRAP when using HDMI. Colors are all washed out and the display is somewhat blurry. Sticking with a classic RGB cable did the trick to make the display shine nice and crisp (RGB to RGB.)
 
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