PC to HDTV, Resolution & hardware issues

Posted on Saturday, November 01, 2003 - 06:28 GMT

I'm planning on purchasing a 1080i HDTV solely for use as a display for my computer. I have two questions:

I know simply hooking up a DVI cable would be easier, rather than obtaining a transcoder for component input and using powerstrip, but are the results the same? What would the difference be?

Another concern- This computer is going to be used mainly for playing games.

Many computer games run full-screen, and force the screen resolution to whatever the game is set to display... This can usually be set to some standard computer resolutions.. 800x600, 1024x768, etc..
The question:
Are HDTVs capable of displaying these resolutions with simply a DVI connection? if not, then a question about powerstrip:
I know it lets you set a custom resolution, but do games override that custom resolution when they are run? Would this change in resolution (assuming it happens) scramble the display, or would the picture just be cut off / bordered by blank space?

Any input is appreciated.

Derek

Posted on Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 15:15 GMT

First you should know that 99.9 percent of HDTV cannot display a 1080i picture with the same quality that you may be used to on computer displays. They can SYNC to the 1080i signal but unless thay have 9 inch CRTs they can't actually display the full resolution. I don't know of any rear projection TVs that are made today that have them. Zenith and Mitusbishi used to make a set that could and Toshiba and Mitsubishi just introduced LCOS sets that can (they're $8000).

You're best bet is to use DVI. DVI forced the scaling to happen on the source device and not the display device. You should be able to display any resolution up to the displays' native resolution without having to use Powerstrip or a transcoder. DVI also has lower noise because its digital. If you used Powerstrip, you would need to create custom setttings for all of the standard resolutions.

Hope that helps.

PC to HDTV, Resolution & hardware issues

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Robert Whitaker	Posted on Saturday, November 01, 2003 - 06:28 GMT I'm planning on purchasing a 1080i HDTV solely for use as a display for my computer. I have two questions: I know simply hooking up a DVI cable would be easier, rather than obtaining a transcoder for component input and using powerstrip, but are the results the same? What would the difference be? Another concern- This computer is going to be used mainly for playing games. Many computer games run full-screen, and force the screen resolution to whatever the game is set to display... This can usually be set to some standard computer resolutions.. 800x600, 1024x768, etc.. The question: Are HDTVs capable of displaying these resolutions with simply a DVI connection? if not, then a question about powerstrip: I know it lets you set a custom resolution, but do games override that custom resolution when they are run? Would this change in resolution (assuming it happens) scramble the display, or would the picture just be cut off / bordered by blank space? Any input is appreciated.

Derek	Posted on Sunday, November 02, 2003 - 15:15 GMT First you should know that 99.9 percent of HDTV cannot display a 1080i picture with the same quality that you may be used to on computer displays. They can SYNC to the 1080i signal but unless thay have 9 inch CRTs they can't actually display the full resolution. I don't know of any rear projection TVs that are made today that have them. Zenith and Mitusbishi used to make a set that could and Toshiba and Mitsubishi just introduced LCOS sets that can (they're $8000). You're best bet is to use DVI. DVI forced the scaling to happen on the source device and not the display device. You should be able to display any resolution up to the displays' native resolution without having to use Powerstrip or a transcoder. DVI also has lower noise because its digital. If you used Powerstrip, you would need to create custom setttings for all of the standard resolutions. Hope that helps.