HDTV Forum

Does anyone know if this is possible? I have a Sony Plasma about 4 years old now, and it has a DVI/HDCP connection on the back. I'd like to somehow hook up my computer to the TV, and I'm thinking this would be the best way. Will it work on that type of connection possibly or do I need some special gizmo or something or is it just not possible?

Thanks!

I believe there is a PC Card out now that supports HDCP over HDMI. I also know that Apple's have supported digital connection for a while now through DVI, but I do not know if it was HDCP capable. A Google search on "HDCP Video Card" should lead you in the right direction.

Note that I don't believe you need HDCP unless you are planning on playing back HD DVD or Blu-ray content through the PC. I don't think there is anything else PC-based that requires an HDCP connection.

Please let us know how it goes.

- Shane

What about the DVI output on a PC vs. DVI on an HDTV? I've got a Media Center PC that has DVI output to the monitor, but I've heard that's not compatible with the DVI inputs on an HDTV. I've got a 57" Hitachi RP with DVI that I'd love to be able to connect to that PC. Are there adapters made for those two different types of DVI?

Thanks,

Wipster

I have computers hooked up everywhere to HDTVs via a number of different ports. DVI works great. There is a cheap adapter from monoprice.com that converts DVI to HDMI. There is no sound on the HDMI, obviously, but the video looks great. Actually the video on HDMI and DVI are identical, put a multimeter on the pins if you dont believe me. You can also hook a pc up to a hdtv via RGB, VGA, or component. I wouldnt recommend using interlaced resolutions however, since the text will not look so good. I would recommend using 720p as a default to try things out. If your tv can handle 1080p and your video card can do it too, give it a try. I dont have this option currently, but I have seen it working before.

The thing to keep in mind, is that gaming resolutions are often differnet from desktop resolutions. If you play alot of games, check into some google searches to see how to change config files for 720p/1080p. Sometimes this can be a bit of a trick, but I can confirm that most games do look great via PC on HDTV.

Video is easy to deal with. 720p is beautiful from a pc on a HDTV. I record firewire out of my Motorola DCT-6200 in MCE 2005, and can playback the files via the Media Center interface (and any other video program for that matter). The files look great. The are either recorded in 1080i or 720p depending on the source. I have my desktop set to 720p as the interlaced fonts get on my nerves. I can confirm that the recorded videos play great and look great too.

I havent tried blueray/hd-dvd yet via pc, but I think there may be some issues with that. I have a Geforce 8800 GTS video card which supports HDCP, however my Sony HDTV is 3 years old and does not have HDMI ports on it. This means that the TV doesn't support HDCP, but the computer does. From what I understand this will cause some problems for playback of BluRay/HD-DVDs. The new version of anydvd will circumvent this for those of us getting screwed by HDCP ($5000 for a TV 3 years ago and I cant play stuff I bought -- give me a break).

Anyway, if you guys have further questions let me know. I have lots of other setups going too, which I can elaborate on further if you are interested.

Adam

Adam, I have an HP Media Center PC hooked to an InFocus 7210 projector that is capable of doing 1080p with no problem. I use a Denon 4806 receiver as a swithing agent. I used an DVI-D to HDMI adapter to hook the media center PC to the TV with no luck. I routinely use Blu Ray disc via a PS3 so I don't think that there are any coptright protection problems. Any suggestions?

thats werid. usually, with digital, I just plug it in and it works. Granted, I need to make sure the computer is set to a resolution the TV will pickup. That shouldnt be too much of an issue, but you can double check that.

As for bluray I dont think copy protection is the issue with a pc, its the fact that if the HDCP isnt properly detected, the disc may play at 480p instead of 1080p. I dont know if any discs do this yet, as I only have HDDVD and its via xbox-360.

Let us know some more specifics of what you are trying to hook up.

Video card, driver version, Operating System, etc...