Thursday, July 31, 2008

PC to HD TV

Looking for how to hook up a PC to a HD TV and get great results. This way, you could leverage investment in an HDTV. I have a 720p Panasonic Plasma 42" and hooking up my PC via the supplied VGA input was abysmal.

Here's a chart showing all the various video and computer resolution "standards."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Video_Standards.png

This writer has a Sharp Aquos LCD, suggests simply getting a TV that advertises compatibility with PC resolutions, and connecting using a DVI cable (since it's a digital signal). Note that full HD, or 1080p, contains 1920 x 1080 pixels. It also has some advancing tuning advice using PowerStrip software.

How to Connect Your TV to Your HDTV (Engadget)
http://www.engadgethd.com/2006/02/08/how-to-connect-your-pc-to-your-hdtv/

Update: found this article, very good, argues that 720p is fine for most (vs. 1080p), with the exception of those choosing to use it for a computer monitor:

720p vs. 1080p HDTV: The final word (David Karney, CNet, December 2007)
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6449_7-6810011-1.html

HDTV Resolution Explained (David Katzmaier, CNet)