Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with HDMI

Recommend a graphics card for my new TV

muckster — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 09:59:50 -0800

Do I need a new video card to hook my PC up to my new HDTV? I have a Dell PC with a ATI Radeon HD 2400 graphics card. It has two connections, one DVI and one S-Video.

I used to convert the DVI to RGB and connect that to my Dell monitor at the max resolution of 1680 x 1050. The S-Video was connected to my tube TV, which worked just fine.

The new TV is a Toshiba 40" 1080p, so of course I'd like to feed it something better than S-Video. I tried connecting the RGB, which gives me a max resolution of 1360x768 -- but it leaves me with S-Video for the monitor, which is pretty freakin' ugly.

Here's the question: is there a way I can use a splitter or similar to feed the DVI (or RGB) into both the monitor and the TV at a resolution both will be happy with? Or do I have to get a new HDMI-ready graphics card? If I do, can you recommend one that might last me little while without breaking the bank? Under $100 would be great. I play the occasional game of TF2 but media is going to be the main use. Blu-Ray might be nice one day. I don't need to expand to a second monitor and would be just as happy cloning the same image on both screens. Thanks much.

Any HDMI for PS3?

fantasticninety — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:09:13 -0800

Can I use any HDMI cable with my PS3? Hi,
I'm trying to buy a super cheap HDMI cable and am wondering if I need to see "PS3" on the package in order for it to be ok. Thanks so much for any help.

Blu-Ray Makes My Mac Mini Turn Green With Envy

willmize — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:05:08 -0800

How can I get my Mac Mini and my new Blu-Ray player to play nice while they both share my big screen HDTV? I've been using my Visio VW46L as a monitor for my Mac Mini. I plug the DVI to HDMI cord into HDMI port #1 and everything has been well. The whole internet just looks better when it's 46" big.
Until now.

I purchased a Phillips BDP-5010 Blu-Ray Player.
Plugged it into a second HDMI port on my TV.
Looks fabulous!
Until I hit the input button and go back to the HDMI input that I use for my Mac Mini.
Everything that should be blue is GREEN.
Now nothing looks fabulous.

If I unplug the Blu-Ray player HDMI, unplug the TV and then plug it in and turn it back on (what I figure is the equivalent of rebooting a television), the Mac Mini's colors are back to normal and spiffy.

Do I have what I might loosely term a HDMI conflict?
Is the TV incapable of multiple 'profiles"?
Are the settings or whatever for my Blu-Ray 'leaking' over to my Mac Mini?

Needless to say, it's going to be a big PITA to have to go through all this plugging and unplugging and turning off nonsense when I want to check email without everything looking a sickening shade of green.

Any ideas on what's causing this color shift and how I can get my toys to play well with each other?

As always, thanks for all your help, I truly appreciate it.

Computer monitor as TV, and vice-versa?

st starseed — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:55:56 -0800

Computer monitor as TV, and vice-versa? My wife and I are now in the market for a new computer monitor that works quite nicely as a television. The idea is to put it in the den/man cave/playroom and utilize it as:

1. The full-time computer monitor for internet browsing, document creation, photo editing, video editing, and motion graphics...

and

2. A video display so we can sit about 6-8 feet back and watch movies or television.

1080p, 1920x1080, and an HDMI input (to run from the video card to the display) are my requirements; I'm not locked into any particular size, although I certainly don't want to go so big that I can't sit a few feet away and do some writing or webbrowsing.

Other notes: We already have a nice 42" LCD in the living room...Please don't mention the projector idea...I am not loyal to any particular brand, but I'd rather spend a few more dollars to get something better than try to hoard a few dollars and get something lame...the budget in my head is anywhere from $200-$400.

Has anyone had any luck finding something that works well for them?

My stubby amplifier...

rleamon — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:12:01 -0800

Home amp filter: Shallow cabinet, 5.1-channel, three-input-HDMI, two-zone, good-quality amplifier-receiver -- does it exist? The missus and I just moved into our remodeled house -- the custom bookshelves are only 12" deep, so my 16" deep Denon amp that does most of what I want juts out unacceptably.

Is there such thing as a 13" (or less) deep, 5.1 or better surround, three-input-HDMI amp/receiver, that can play to two or more zones (i.e., 5.1 in the living room and 2 only in the kitchen?).

Help me hook up a new HDTV to an old(ish) stereo receiver?

Dr. Wu — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:03:39 -0800

Can you help me connect my optical-out DVD players to my new HDMI-in HDTV? This is the kind of thing that drives me bananas.

Just got a nice, brand-new Sony HDTV, with several HDMI-in ports. I would like to get the highest resolution I possibly can out of my video components -- generally DVD. In the past, when I had an older, analog TV, I just used the stereo receiver as an A/V switcher, for which purpose it works very well. But now this functionality has been compromised by the new array of input/output jacks.

Here's the setup:
- The two DVD players I have (one "regular" and one multistandard) both have optical-out ports. I have an old laserdisc and an even older VHS player hooked up to the system, too, but I'm not terribly concerned about them right now.

- I have all audio and video components running through a good, but eight-year-old, Sony A/V receiver. LP/tape/VHS/LD are connected via regular old component RCA plugs, which are just fine. The CD player and the two DVD players can connect to the receiver with optical cables -- which I prefer to use whenever I can. They work well and provide good sound.

- The problem is that the new HDTV does not have any optical-in ports. (If it did, I'd just run the sound from the DVD players through the receiver, and the picture, via optical cable, right to the TV. But I can't do this.) It does have composite-in and component-in, but no optical-in. And the receiver has only composite-out.

The receiver I have is a Sony STR-DA 333 ES. The manual, in PDF form, is available on this page; click "primary user manual" and go to Page 5.

The HDTV I have is a Sony Bravia KDL-46VE5. The manual doesn't seem to be online, but you can find the details here by clicking on "Specifications." (The site will not allow me to access that page directly.)

- The upshot of all this (if you're still with me) is that my only current option is to run all video components into the receiver, and thence to the TV via a crappy composite video cable. Which would sort of defeat the purpose of the 1080p set that I just bought. (We don't have any sort of cable, satellite, or other TV, so this new HDTV is really just going to be used as a monitor for movies on the DVD players.)

What I would like to do is get the highest possible resolution (the HDTV can handle 1080p/24f) when I watch DVDs. Is there a simple, inexpensive way to convert the optical signal to HDMI?

I can imagine several options:
1. I find a magical converter device that can handle multiple optical inputs and output HDMI. This device would be a switcher, so I could run optical cables from both DVD players into it, and then a single HDMI cable from the switcher to the HDTV.

2. If it's cheaper, I certainly don't mind eschewing with the idea of the switcher box and just getting two separate optical-to-HDMI cables, one for each DVD player.

HOWEVER: the problem I foresee: What about the audio??
I want to run the audio from the DVD players through my stereo system, which has a nice 5.1 setup. HDMI handles both video and audio, right? So if I choose either option above, will I be locked into using the speakers built into the HDTV? Or would I then just add another cable, so that the setup would look something like this:

DVD optical out --> HDMI cable --> HDMI in to HDTV --> TV audio out --> receiver. (In which case the audio running from the HDTV to the receiver would be component, yes? Which would be a step downwards, yes?)

I am reasonably good with stuff like this, but the age disparity between the new HDTV and the older stereo system is giving me a headache.

What's the best, cheapest, most reliable way for me to get the highest-quality picture from the DVD players onto the TV, and still get the room-shaking audio through the stereo?

Should I just buy a new multistandard, HDMI-out DVD player? If I did, I could connect it right to the HDTV, but I'd still have the audio problem that I detail above.

*****
Related questions, for masochists and/or AV geeks:

- Let's say I solve this problem above. I'm still left with an LD and a VHS, both of which I still use occasionally, that will be unconnected. Is my best bet with these just to run A/V to the receiver, and thence to the HDTV via component cables?

- I'd like to minimize the number of A/V component switchers. Ideally, I'd still like my receiver to be the one and only device that switches between ALL a/v components. And what's nice is that I can split the audio and the video signals -- that is, I can listen to the CD player while watching the signal from the VHS, if I so desire. Is there some way I can use this functionality to refrain from buying any further switchers?

Help with my intermittant hdmi sound issues on an ati 3850 card

prodevel — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:20:13 -0800

I've got an Asus p5e3 mobo and an Gigabyte 3850 hdmi setup to my 42" 720p with major sound issues. I've completely undone any overclocking due to this issue. I was running at 3.6 as opposed to 3.0 ghz and had ram running at 1600 as opposed to 1366 mhz. Almost every other time I issue a video request over FireFox and Flash, I get audio but the audio cuts out after 1-2 seconds. It's like the audio can't "grab onto" the connection. It's also now happening with the now free DDO Dungeon and Dragons online client. All game clients previously worked, eg. warcraft, evo online, the sims 3, etc, etc. All native applications seem fine, as lond as they're MS or tight MS integrated apps.

This issue pops up every time I switch sounds from FF to some application. Audio works fine for almost every application except for Firefox which seems to "forget" it's hook into audio.

Sorry, lil tired so I realize the holes. Please ask me to post the pertinent info.

Run wacky cable or buy a whole new gaming pc?

mindsound — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:37:25 -0800

Is it better to (a) run audio, video, keyboard, and mouse to the TV at the other end of the house or (b) just get a second PC? Help me sort out the cost/benefit. We're going to move into a new house soon and I would like to nail our A/V planning down. I have a PC that will be in a room at the opposite end of the house from the family room where the TV and stereo are. I play console games on the TV and I would like to play PC games both on the TV and on the PC. Is there even a good way to run cable for this? What would you do? Details:

Win XP and the games are on a separate drive (dual boot), so I could just get another nice gaming barebones and put that drive in it. So that's the cost limit. I'd rather not spend that much if feasible.

I do not want fan noise by the TV.

The TV is a 720p LCD with VGA/HDMI/composite and any solution needs to drive it at native res.

The house is a 60's rancher with all original plaster walls and a very accessible attic & basement running the length of the house.

Currently our entire IP network is wireless. Not sure how that's going to fly in the new place. A wireless solution would be awesome but I haven't found a sweet one on the googles...

How can I stream HD content from one Comcast DVR to a another TV two stories above?

parakeetdog — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:18:04 -0800

Does anyone know of a product that can stream HD videos from an HD DVR to another TV two stories above? I have looked at Slingboxes and Popcorn Hour, but both seem to be able to send HD content to a computer, but not another HD TV. I have seen products that allow people to send non-HD programs to a TV, but I want send HD programming too.

Sony and Gefen make wireless HDMI streaming devices, but they are limited to 30 and 65 feet respectively.

Any suggestions?

please tell there is an alternative to Future Shop...

hector horace — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:10:17 -0800

Anyone know where I can get an HDMI cable in Montreal for under $30? I really don't want to pay Future Shop or Canadian Tire $30 for what I know is a $10 HDMI cable. Does anyone know a brick and mortar shop in Montreal that fits the bill? (Yes, I know I can get it for cheaper online but my new TV is getting here TODAY!)

thanks

new Macbook Pro to tv?

cgs — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:12:48 -0800

How do I connect a new Macbook Pro to televisions? My question is identical to this older one, but that the new MBP's have Mini DisplayPorts instead of Mini-DVI.

I want to connect mine to my HDTV, as well as to older/regular tv's (composite). How many adapters do I need to buy? I'm guessing mdp -> hdmi for the hdtv. According to the wiki, I need to get two for the composite: mdp -> vga -> composite, which seems excessive to me.

Do any of you have first-hand experience with this? Can you recommend any sites that offer adapters/cables at good prices?

Thanks for your time-
cgs

Frame Skipping Mac

thefamousmoe — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:43:48 -0800

Why is the video skipping on my Mac when hooked up to seconday display? I have a Mac with 2 gigs ram and 2ghz intel processor. When I play a video on it it works fine. But when I plug my tv to it through, hdmi -> minidvi, and audio cable to the tv. It runs fine for like 10 minutes then starts skipping really bad. If i unplug and plug the hdmi, or even audio cable back in then it works again for another 10 minutes. I dont understand, anyone have any ideas? Oh and when it skips in VLC player it gives me this message.

ffmpeg: more than 5 seconds of late video -> dropping frame (computer too slow ?)

Is there a fix for this dual monitor issue?

mephesta — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 16:58:07 -0800

If I turn on my secondary which is connected to a DVI to HDMI adapter and then turn it off it disconnects my primary which is connected via VGA. I have my Panasonic Plasma hooked up to my Nvidia graphics card through a DVI to HDMI adapter. My monitor is hooked in via the VGA port on the same card. I am trying to use the monitor as my primary and the television as the secondary. If i leave the television off when booting up, my monitor works fine. When I turn on the TV they both work just fine. However if I turn the TV off, I hear the device unplug sound that windows makes as if I disconnected a USB drive. Then my monitor goes black and loses the signal. I can only regain the use of my monitor by turning the TV back on. I have tried several combination's of booting with just the TV on or both off, etc. This is really inconvenient and I was hoping there is a fix, I know I have used this setup before and it has been fine but since I reformatted a few months ago the issue has been constant.

Any help will be extremely appreciated! I won't be able to thank you enough.

PC specs in case they are needed.
Mobo: Gigabyte EP45-DS3L
Proc: Intel Q6600
Ram: 4gigs DDR2-800
Graphics: Nvidia 8500GT 512mb (latest drivers installed)
OS: Tried on XP x86, Vista x64, Windows 7 x64
Currently using vista x64

Make PS3 games use 1080p?

Who_Am_I — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 08:08:22 -0800

How do I force PS3 games to play at their optimum resolution? I've got a PS3 hooked up to a 1080p native TV (Philips 42" LCD, can't remember model number) via HDMI. When I leave all the PS3 video settings alone, 720p-capable games play at 720p, but 1080p-capable games also play at 720p. If I disable 720p output from the PS3, then 1080p games go up to 1080p, but 720p games go down to 480p. I'm getting sick of switching the video setting around every time I play a different game, and I feel like I have to be missing something here. Why won't 1080p games use that resolution normally? How is this supposed to work?

Xbox to DVI or VGA?

BoldStepDesign — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:31:54 -0800

I have an Acer AL2216 W computer monitor with VGA and DVI inputs. I'm thinking about getting an Xbox for things like halo 2 and 3. Is there a way I can feed the xbox video into my monitor and the audio into my computer's speakers (LogiTech LS21)? What would it cost? Such as converting it from a standard video and audio format that you'd plug into your tv to a DVI and 3.5mm female connector. Or HDMI to VGA or DVI and Audio to 3.5mm?

How do I stop my surround sound system cutting out?

Beep — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 17:26:46 -0800

My surround sound system keeps cutting out at higher volumes. Please help me find a way to stop it happening. I'm using a Panasonic SC-AK600 receiver; it has 5 speakers and is programmed to receive digital signals. It's plugged into both my DVD player and Xbox 360 through a coaxial cable and optical cable, respectively. When the volume is at higher levels, all but the center speaker cuts out. And it cuts out at a single instance of sound (such as a sudden explosion or noise in the movie/game). I know that this may be some kind of safety feature to keep the speakers from becoming ruined, but I feel that the volume should be able to be higher.

Important point: the volume only cuts out when it is receiving a signal in 5.1 surround sound. If I'm not watching something in that configuration (ie, noise is still coming from all speakers; it's just not in 5.1) I can turn the volume up as high as I want, and nothing happens. So, I know that the fact the volume can't be higher is something to do with it receiving a 5.1 surround signal. The receiver is meant to be able to play this, so I don't know why this keeps happening.

Also, my left surround speaker has some additional speaker wire I had to hook up to it to extend the length, and has a lower volume than the right surround speaker. I don't know if that's a result of the additional speaker wire or not. I know it has nothing to do with settings on the receiver because I've checked that. Anyway, does this lower volume or additional speaker wire on the left surround speaker have anything to do with the speakers cutting out in 5.1 surround sound? I'm no sound expert, but thought I'd throw that out there for anyone who may know.

While I'm at it, there seems to be a slight difference between the audio coming from the TV and from the receiver's speakers (again, only in 5.1) when using the DVD player. I usually just turn down the TV's volume to 0, but feel as I shouldn't have to. There's an HDMI cable running from the DVD player to the TV. And again, the receiver is hooked up directly to the DVD player.

Thanks for reading this whole thing. Please help me with any knowledge/experience you may have.

Windows Vista Doesn't Work with VGA to HDMI Converter Box

ao4047 — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:46:02 -0800

We have an HP Slimline machine running video with an Nvidia Geforce 6150 SE graphics card. We are wanting to use a VGA->HDMI box to convert the video output of the desktop and connect it to our television: 1) We know the VGA->HDMI box works correctly.

We tested with an Asus EEE Laptop running Windows XP and the video successfully outputs to the TV.

We tested with a Macbook Pro laptop and the video successfully outputs to the TV.

2) We know the HP Slimline desktop works sometimes.

When we boot up the desktop the 'HP INVENT' splash screen shows on the tv.

Then, the green status bar with 'Microsoft Corporation' displays.

Then, something happens to the video and the signal stops. I'm guessing that once the boot begins and then Vista settles in something is interfering with the signal being sent to the the VGA->HDMI box.

Any ideas? Thanks!

I found this previous thread but I think we're a bit further along in our testing.

Is HDMI hook up necessary for awesome High Def TV?

zzazazz — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:40:06 -0800

I have a new Samsung 1080/120hz hi def LCD yadda yadda yadda... The cable company provided RGB cable when they hooked up hi def cable. My question is whether or not I should get an HDMI cable. Does it make that much of a difference? It looks pretty darn good right now.

Please help me get my new MacBook Pro projecting through the projector

bryanjbusch — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 14:20:24 -0800

What do I need to look for in an HDMI switch that will enable my Mini-DisplayPort video signal to reach my projector?
I've just successfully connected the Mini-DisplayPort > DVI adapter > HDMI directly to the projector. I also tested an HDCP-crippled video through iTunes, and it didn't complain to me about the display not being HDCP-enabled, so that's a load off my mind.

However, when I pass the HDMI through my extremely generic 4-port switch from Monoprice.com, I get nothing but a blank blue screen through the projector lamp. The laptop screen blinks gray for a second as if it were attempting to make a connection, but gives up.

Is it an HDMI version thing, do you think? What kind of specifics should I be looking for in a new switch?

Or is it maybe not the switch at all?

Hooking up a projector to HDMI

crapmatic — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:47:59 -0800

Audiovisual question. What will happen if I plug the HDMI output of a Sony Playstation 3 to the DVI port of this max. 1280x1024 pixel LCD projector? I would of course have a HDMI-DVI cable. Will I be able to display 720p or 1080i stuff? And if it doesn't work, are there devices out there that downsample HD so I can use the projector for pseudo-HD movies and games? I really do not want to buy an HDTV. If it matters, a PDF manual for the projector (2.2 MB) is here.

n00b htpc 3850 dvi to hdmi with audio

prodevel — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:45:20 -0800

I've got a Gigabyte HD3850 w/dual DVI outs and 1 Svid out.I went n00b and got a dvi to hdmi 30ft cable to my 42" LCD TV. Help?! E6850 duo + 2GB all overclocked and running flawlessly. Before you judge, it's only oc'd to 3.6 ghz and the gfx card was oc'd via it's auto tune....

I've got this for what it's worth: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/toms-reference-system,1748.html

Being a replaytv/dvarchive user, I realized that after moving to a new address, I could connect my puter and 42" lcd to each other. I purchased a dvi to hdmi cable @ 35 ft.

No sound. I immediately assualted google and found avforums, et al. again... I've spent nearly 3 hours reading posts and posting 1 other myself.

I'm suspecting I need an ati dvi to hdmi adapter and a long hdmi(-to-hdmi) cable.

Otherwise I would be stuck with the svideo to svideo/component adapter included w/the product.

I would love love love to get the dvi-hdmi cable to work since it's strung. Darn bulky, some are. I'm suspecting that it just might be a one-off, though.

I'm a unix guy but I know my fair share of M$

BTW already tried realtek, ati, bios settings combos........ many, many combos...

Thanks

Can you recommend a good SDI/HDMI monitor?

infinitewindow — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 12:07:22 -0800

Video engineers: help me out with choosing a QC monitor for all flavors of HD, SD and HDMI. We currently have a CRT for PAL/NTSC/SDI that syncs almost instantaneously and decodes and displays line 21 closed captions.

We have a JVC DT-V24L1 which takes about five seconds to sync over HDMI, and it galls me that a fifteen-year-old CRT can sync instantly while the LCD takes five seconds to get a lock and display a signal. It also doesn't decode closed captions, and these two issues are becoming major hassles.

What we want is an LCD that is about 24 inches or so, widescreen, decodes closed captions and syncs quickly to HD-/SD-SDI, composite/component/S-video and HDMI. Native display of 1920 x 1080 is also required.

Does such a beast exist? If not, can you recommend a monitor with fast sync and an SDI Line 21 decoder/displayer? Thanks!

30" Apple Cinema Display with Xbox 360 and PS3 (all HDMI) problems.

spinko — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 08:54:28 -0800

30" Apple Cinema Display with Xbox 360 and PS3 (all HDMI) problems. I have bought probably $100 worth of cables and still it doesnt work. Tried PS3 HDMI > HDMI to DVI converter > 30" cinema doesnt work
Tried Media player > HDMI to DVI converter > 30" cinema doesnt work
Tried Xbox 360 > HDMI to DVI converter > 30" cinema doesnt work

I have bought a pack of leads for both Xbox 360 and PS3 to work on monitors. The only problem is that the leads go from hdmi to DVI male. As the Cinema display only has a DVI male to plug in it wont work.

I purchased a DVI-D female to DVI-D female converter to bridge the gap. Will this work?

LCD Monitor Recommendations?

nokry56 — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 21:58:09 -0800

I need recommendations for an LCD monitor 22" or bigger, under $500, great display, and as "future-proof" as possible. I need a monitor to hook up my laptop & 360 to. HDMI connection is preferred. Integrated speakers aren't necessary.

I do some gaming and lite video editing, so a decent screen is a must.

I'm going to be building a desktop in a couple of years and would love to still be able to use whatever monitor I buy now with that machine without sacrificing visual quality too much. So whatever I buy now needs to be as "future-proof" as possible.

I really know nothing about what makes a "good" monitor, so I'm hoping for some brand/model recommendations. I did look at this one on NewEgg.

Thanks!

Help with cable mod

pilibeen — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:38:24 -0800

How can I modify the 360 Xbox component/analog cable so I can use the HDMI for video and the analog audio cables for the audio...at the same time? OR Which wire(s) should I cut? - pics included I have my 360 connected to my LCD monitor via a HDMI to DVI cable. This works for the video. I'm trying to use my RCA audio on the analog cables to output the audio to my computer speakers at the same time.

The problem is, when I have the component/analog cables hooked up to my 360 at the same time as my hdmi cable, the component stuff seems to override and I only get audio - no video signal (it also reboots my box when I start w/ the hdmi plugged in, and then hook up the component cables once it's started).

So after a lot of googling, I can't find anything which tells me how to fix it without buying another cable - which I don't wanna do.

I've taken apart the component/analog xbox cable, and am wondering which (if any) wires I can cut to only output the audio and solve the problem.

Using this picture, can anybody tell me which wires I would need to cut to work around this problem?

Also, if I do need to cut some wires, should I just tape them up to prevent any sort've fire?

thanks