PC2TV: S-Video or DVI

[NautTboy]

Right now I have S-video from PC going into a Tube TV and text is blurry but video looks smooth.

Now, I bought a new 46" LCD TV, if i use DVI/HMDI will it be clear like pc monitor or same as S-Video?

I like to know because i would like to use my TV and get rid of the Monitor. Also those DVI/HDMI cable is like $30 and a video card with DVI for $20 @Fleebay.

[jagabo]

Yes, DVI/HDMI will be much clearer than s-video. Depending on the resolution and your TV maybe not as clear as a monitor though. I use a DVI-->HDMI cable from my computer to my 1080p Samsung LCD HDTV. The computer runs at 1920x1080 and the HDTV is in "Just Scan" mode, Samsung's name for pixel-for-pixel mapping. The TV is just as clear as a computer monitor.

[NautTboy]

Thank Jag,
Now I can go to Fleebay and buy me a video card with DVI output.

So, do I need to set my pc at 1920x1080 because mine is 1080p? If so, i might need to look for a video card that will give me that output. Otherwise, i'll get cheap card with DVI.

[jagabo]

Yes, if your TV is 1080p you will want to use 1080p. Probably at 60 Hz. But check your manual. If your TV supports pixel-for-pixel mapping use that. You can get a decent 6 to 10 foot DVI-HDMI cable for about US$10 from places like NewEgg or MonoPrice. There's no need to spend more unless you are going to run longer cables.

[NautTboy]

Wow, I just tried plugging in the S-Video and it's not bad. My card is set to 800X600. Since I'd already order me a new Video Card with DVI and DVI/HDMI cable, I hope it will be clearer. I thought it would be like when I plug it in to tube tv, the text was blurry. This is actually legitable.

[yoda313]

Well I would still get the card since if you step up to bluray you will eventually need hdcp compatibility. A dvi-hdmi cable is what I use on my nvidia 8400. It lets me set my res to 1366x768 which is what my tv's native res is. Looks perfect and bluray passes through.

[jagabo]

For standard definition video switching to VGA, DVI, or HDMI won't improve the quality much. But for HD video and the desktop you can get a far better image.

I run a DVI->HDMI cable from my computer to my HDTV. At 1920x1080 I get perfect pixel-for-pixel image quality. The tiniest text is readable on the HDTV (if you're close enough, obviously). Just like when running computer monitor.

[edDV]

The text will be much clearer using VGA or DVI->HDMI. Even though you set your desktop to a 800x600 raster, conversion to analog S-Video reduces the actual luminance resolution to below 720x480 and color components will be limited to below the analog equivalent of 180x480 (horizontally smeared).

The one trap with DVI->HDMI is mandatory overscan on some HDTV sets. This will cause the loss of picture edges which is a big deal for desktop menus. Many newer HDTV sets have a mode for pixel to pixel mapping. Most newer display cards allow the desktop output to be zoomed to fit, but this "scaling" is resolution lossy. The VGA connection is intended for PC or game use and usually does not have the overscan problem.