Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dvi

Help me plan my HTPC

Zed — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:17:13 -0800

Old-school SD TV with only coax and composite video inputs seeks modern HTPC for MythTV and maybe light Hulu. Can this relationship work? I ♥ my modded Xbox with XBMC, but I find myself wanting to do some things it can't handle. If I'm to build a new HTPC, I need to keep it cheap. Toward that end, I don't want to replace my TV. I'd expect a new HTPC will probably natively have DVI, and maybe S/Video output.

What's the easiest/cheapest way to bridge the gap between those outputs and my TV's inputs? (You can assume I know a fair bit about computers, and not much about A/V.)

LaTeX + pdf = employment fail?

geos — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:30:37 -0800

LaTeX + pdf = employment fail? I am looking for a job and have been using LaTeX to generate my resume and cover-letter. At a recent job interview I was told that they weren't able to print my resume. It looked fine on their computer but when they printed it, it was as if most of the document had been whited-out: a couple of phrases appeared approximately where they should but, most of it was just missing. Are all of the resumes I've emailed screwed up or special unix snowflakes? I have been using texlive on ubunutu to generate a dvi of my resume and cover letter and then dvipdf to create the pdf. The laser printer they were using didn't appear to support postscript, and by clicking on the 'print as image' box in windows I was able to get the resume to print out fine...

Can't switch between XBox and Computer on my LCD Monitor

ODiV — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:33:06 -0800

How can I switch between my XBox 360 and my Computer on my LG 22" widescreen monitor? I have a 3rd party VGA adapter for my XBox. It only works with the LCD monitor (Model L226wtx-bf) if there is no signal on the DVI from the computer.

I can run another computer into the VGA input and switch between both computers just fine using the Source button. If I try to do the same thing with the XBox, It will not switch to Analog. I get a black screen for a second or two and then it goes back to the DVI.

If I have the XBox running and displaying on the LCD, I can boot up the computer and the VGA continues to work until I switch over to DVI. Then I can't get back to the XBox.

DVD on a really really big screen

saysthis — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:05:04 -0800

I have DVD's that I need to show on a Barco DP-1500.. How? Here's what I know:

I need DVI-D input. Most video cards/DVD players seem to have a dual-link DVI-I output, but I'm confused as hell about what variety of male connector I should be using.

Assuming we settle physical connectivity issues, I then need to convert standard DVD to...JPEG 2000? This is what I've heard, but I've also been told there may be "max resolution issues", i.e. filling only half the screen. I'd definitely like to avoid that, if I can. Is there a better format to use? And what software should we use to convert the video? Do I even need to convert, or will the hardware do that for me?

And is there anything in general that I should know about Barco projectors? Are they fussy?

This is the first time my organization (meaning 4 guys with laptops, day jobs, and a withoutabox registration) has had to deal with theater-size venues in our screenings, and this won't be the last, so whatever solution we figure out, we'd like it to be cheap, portable, and replicable without too much fussiness once we know what we're doing.

I'm googling, but any help/pointers are appreciated!

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

Connect Intel Macbook to basic TV?

AONeal79 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 19:24:43 -0800

Even after reading these forums, I still can't get my head around exactly what I need to connect my Macbook to my basic, non-HD TV. What I would love is if someone could give me specific product ID numbers from Monoprice for each cable/adapter that I need. Here are photos of my Macbook and the back of my basic, 5-year old Toshiba TV. Thanks so much!

Video killed my audio stars

larsks — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:43:45 -0800

Plugging in an external monitor to my Macbook Pro kills the audio. What's up with that? And is there a solution that does not involve an expensive USB audio product? My Macbook Pro is attached to a stereo system, which has worked just fine and dandy...until I plugged in a DVI cable and suddenly the audio was almost overwhelmed by static and "machine noise" (e.g., there are changes in the sound when I press keys or scroll windows). I usually associate this with poor shielding on cheap sound cards...what's up with my Macbook?

More importantly, is there anything I can do to fix this? I'd really like to be able to use an external monitor. One solution is some sort of external USB-connected audio device, but I'm not entirely sure what my options are...the only things I've found are (a) headphones, when what I really want is 1/8" stereo out, or (b) audio input devices like the M-Audio FastTrack (which also support audio out). I don't want just headphones, and I don't need anything as fancy as the USB connected devices I've found.

Thanks for your suggestions!

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?

Is VGA that bad on an LCD?

smackfu — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 07:48:21 -0800

Is it worth upgrading to a 22" or 24" widescreen LCD if I'll be hooking it up with VGA rather than DVI? I know DVI is better, but is VGA that bad?

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?

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

How to best set up 1 computer & 2 video cards for 2 screens?

lpctstr; — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:41:29 -0800

I have a computer with built-in video (GMA 3100) [1 D-sub] and also just bought a $20 video card (Radeon X1300) [1 D-sub, 1 DVI]. I'm connecting both my LCD monitor and Projector to the computer. Will I be able to use both video cards at once and show different things? Which of the two D-subs should I connect to? Which screen should get the better (DVI) connection?

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?

Capturing video from VGA...

stackhaus23 — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 07:38:23 -0800

Capturing video from VGA to either HDMI/DVI input or Component Input? A colleague at work needs to capture some footage but the output is VGA (which I assume is analog). We have two inputs, one is a DVI/HDMI into his Mac, the other is component or maybe composite into a DV Tape Deck.

Am I correct in thinking the VGA will not be compatible with either of these? Are there any alternatives or cheap/easy methods to get this to work?

Thanks!

How can I attach my Wii to a computer monitor?

DMan — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:57:58 -0800

How can I plug my Wii into a computer monitor? So I'm going back to college in about a month, and since I'll be living in a dorm room, I've decided to not bring a TV. One of my roommates is going to have one, but his will be in his bedroom (which is separate from mine) and so that's not really convenient for me.

I have a USB TV tuner (it's an "AVerMedia Hybrid Ultra USB") that I use to watch TV. It has a cable plugin and the yellow, red, and white RCA plugs, although I've never been able to figure out how to use the RCA hookups.

My question is, what can I do to be able to play my Wii on the computer monitor? This would be a no-brainer if the Wii had an HDMI cable, but the best I can get is component. I have a composite cable, but I'd really prefer to use the component one since it allows for 480p. My computer monitor has VGA and DVI plugs, and I'm also fine with using a USB-based solution if that will work. I have those RCA hookups on the TV tuner, but I can't find a single thing in the user manual about how to use them. I'd prefer component anyway, but that would work if someone knows how to set it up.

I hope this makes sense--I can clarify as needed. Thanks for the help in advance!

How do I display 6 slide shows on 6 LCD displays?

MrBobaFett — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:06:43 -0800

We are building a video display wall for our new office and I need to figure out the best way to do it, with out spending too much. The output source are 22 LCD displays, there are 6 of them all showing different slide shows. DVD? PC? Any help would be appreciated. More details of what has been tried are inside. We started with the idea of 6 LCDs hooked up 6 DVD players, with slide show CDs in them. Turns out it's a huge pain in the ass to get computer monitor LCDs (1680x1050) to play an HD (720p or 1080p) video signal. (The method I have been using is an HDMI to DVI cable going into the digital in on the LCD, also the DVD player is a Philips DVP5982)

I had two Acers (AL2216Wbd) from my desktop I used in the prototype which worked and displayed 720p fine. Then I ordered six of the same model to use in the wall and Acer changed something in the manufacturing in the last year so none of them will display 720p or higher, and Acer doesn't want to help unless I am plugging them into a computer.

So I went out and got a Samsung (2253BW) monitor that looks great and I can sent it 1080p video signal, for up to 1 minute. Then the monitor tells me this is not the optimum video mode and turns it self off.

I don't have the time and money to keep getting LCDs and testing them to see if they will work with a DVD player. Also because of budget I am focusing on the $200-300 range.

The other obvious answer would be to use a computer to drive the displays. But I don't want to buy 6 shuttle PCs, I'd rather just get 3 dual head video cards and run all of the monitors off one machine, but I haven't found any slide show software that will display different slide shows at full screen on different displays.

Am I going about this all wrong? I thought I was fairly competent but so far this project is proving otherwise.

KVM that doesn't suck?

dyslexictraveler — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:13:38 -0800

Do you know of a USB/DVI KVM switch for 2 computers that doesn't suck? I'm looking into buying a KVM (keyboard video mouse switch) to run a Macbook Pro and a windows box on the same keyboard, monitor, mouse and keyboard. However, I'm skeptical of even buying one, because it seems that ever product review I read says that the KVM makes the USB connection "flakey" and that it drops out frequently (e.g. this) which would drive me nuts.

Are there any good ones? Is there something inherently difficult about building a good USB KVM (reviews for the PS2 ones seem to be slightly better)? Any good experiences or recommendations for a KVM that natively supports both USB and DVI?

Avoiding DVI interference on stereo for Macbook

tonci — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 08:43:58 -0800

Macbook- DVI question: How to avoid "hum" sound interference on stereo cable with DVI/HDMI cable hooked in? I tried connecting my Macbook from the DVI port through adaptors to an HDMI cable to hook up to my projector for the first time and the video worked great. The problem is that when I plugged in the stereo cable into the Macboo's headphone jack to plug into my stereo it picked up lots of hum-sounding interference. Any ideas on how to remedy this problem?

Can't get DVI to HDMI working

crypticgeek — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:53:02 -0800

I'm trying to hook up my pc to my tv via DVI -> HDMI but it's not working. What am I doing wrong? Here are the pertinent facts:
- Windows XP
- nVidia GeForce 6200
- DVI to HDMI adapter and HDMI cable from monoprice.com
- Sony KDF-46E2000 LCD Rear Projection TV

I have the HDMI cable plugged into the video 6 input, and the audio going to the corresponding audio jacks for the HDMI input. I checked the manual, and made sure the video resolution was in the list of supported resolutions on page 85. I've tried 1280x768, 1024x768, etc. Nothing ever displays.

For what it's worth, I never hear any audio either but I thought it might not play the audio unless it also has a video signal. I plugged the audio into one of the composite inputs and verified that it is working, so I think that may be the case.

I'm stumped here. What am I doing wrong?

Yet More Mac Mini-DVI Hearbreak

ChasFile — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:13:26 -0800

MacBook DVI output connected via adapter to my TV results in nothing. I'm pretty handy with a Mac, but I guess not handy enough.

I'm trying to get a MacBook (model A1181) to play a DVD on my TV (its an exotic region code, otherwise I'd just use the DVD player). And first off, the DVD plays fine on the Mac's LCD, so that's not it.

So I went out and got a mini-DVI-to-Composite-Video adapter, which I plugged into my MacBook, and then connected to the TV, which is a fairly old standard NTSC 4:3 CRT set, a Panasonic. What I see is a slight change in the margins around the TV's "blue screen of no input" and occasional flickering. Changing the resolution on the Display Control menu in the toolbar results in a slightly different flicker in the blue screen of inputlessness. The options said menu offers me are "800x600, 60Hz" and "640x480, 60Hz." Again, neither produces anything other than than the flickering blue screen.

In my attempts to solve this myself, I've Googled around and found some people who say putting the Mac to sleep and then waking it solves this. I tried this and several full restarts and the output on the TV is always the same. I also tried using DisplayConfigX to detect the TV and set the output, and it wanted to use 100Hz, which I tried but only resulted in (predictably) higher frequency flickering. I've hit "Mirror Displays" and just about every other button I could find in the display control panel, and nothing changes much. I bought an s-video cable and used that (this adapter has both composite and s-video outputs) which again resulted in a slightly different flavor of flicker but nothing substantial.

So, um, any ideas?

MacPro Dual DVi->VGA problem with the Quadra 4500

Towelie — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:00:17 -0800

MacPro Leopard 10.5.2, Problems with the Quadro FX 4500 card. It has dual DVI ports. It'll run 2 DVI devices when it's DVI to DVI, but it won't run the same two screens if they go via VGA (both DVI ports having a DVI to VGA adapter). The second port (port 2) has the screen detected in the Displays System Preferences but the screen never lights up. Yes, I know all about DVI extenders, etc; I need the VGA to work.

Makeshift production monitor from a computer LCD?

UnnotciedTypo — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 10:12:52 -0800

Can I use my computer monitor as an HD production monitor? I'm putting together a camera package with a Sony PMW-EX1 camera and a 35mm lens adapter. My budget, however, cannot support a decent professional production monitor (yet). My interim solution (which will be used for focusing, not color/exposure evaluation) is to use my LCD computer monitor instead. Obviously not an ideal solution, but could this possibly work?

It's an older model with only VGA inputs, and I'm using a DVI-to-VGA adapter on it now, as I'm using a newer video card.
The camera (which has yet to arrive) has analog component outputs. The most detailed information I've found states the following:

The EX1 uses the same micro-D-shell connector used by most Sony HDV cameras for analog component outputs, and another micro connector carries stereo analog audio and composite video. Y/C is not provided.

The camera also has an HD-SDI output. My background is in film, so I don't have a good enough handle on video signals to figure this out. Can I convert an HD analog component signal to DVI somehow (which would then be adapted to VGA)? My fear is that this will take an expensive converter box that costs just as much as a real production monitor. Does anyone know if this is true?
Thanks so much, in advance.

Please monitor don't blow up...

SpacemanStix — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:01:37 -0800

If I hook a monitor up to two devices (using a different video port for each device), will it be able to tell which one is using it (assuming just one device is on), if I keep both plugged in? And is there any potential harm to the monitor, if it's plugged into two active devices at once? I'm planning to use my LCD monitor for both my computer and a console gaming system. One would utilize the DVI port, and the other the VGA port. I'd like to keep them both hooked up without having to change the connections when I want to use one or the other. Is it reasonable to expect that I'll be able to do this without problems? I'll have all of the required cables to make use of the ports.

I'm assuming that the monitor will be able to tell which device is giving it input, but I'm not super tech savvy. I'm sure this is a question that makes tech people chuckle, but I'd hate to wreck this monitor, for the same reason.

Also, if there is a better that I'm not thinking of here, I'd be happy to hear it.

DIVX/XVID from PC to TV by DVI

onshi — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 15:08:45 -0800

I want something just like an Apple TV, but without the reliance on iTunes. Specifically, I want to view DIVX/XVID content from my Vista PC, wirelessly, with DVI output. With a $200 budget, have I no hope? All the CES coverage has reignited my interest in this product category. If streaming devices are too expensive, are there any simpler products analagous to the SanDisk TakeTV... again, with DVI or HDMI out?

DVI out (or HDMI in a pinch via a converter) is important because I'll be viewing content on an LCD monitor lacking component inputs.

Is HDMI a Deal Breaker on an LCD?

chrisWhite — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 09:58:39 -0800

I'm looking at getting a new LCD that I'll be using with my computer and really like the HP 2408 & LP2465. However, will I end up shooting myself in the foot for not having HDMI? Primarily I'll be using it with my Vista workstation doing 3D and other media production. I also use this workstation as a Media Center, DVD player and TV (web based, don't have a tuner card--yet) and a PC gaming machine. Finally, I'll be getting an Xbox 360 and probably the HD-DVD add-on before too long that I would also like to run through the LCD.

I've read that DVI is very similar to HDMI (without audio) and that you can just put an adapter on and it works just as well.

I assume this workaround would still support 1080P? If I did do this would I be losing HDCP support?

I've done some searching and a lot of the information I'm finding is either too over simplified or they expect you to know all about it already so I'd really appreciate your help!