Connect Laptop to DVD/HDD Recorder

[HamishT]

Hey everyone,

As some of you might know from my posts around the forum, I have a Laptop (HD DV5-1009tx), which has HDMI out (as well as a VGA port).

I also have a DVD/HDD Recorder.

What I would like to do, is to record what is showing on my laptop, in Widescreen format.

In the past, I bought a 'PC to TV' box, which used the VGA port on the Laptop, to the VGA Input on the box, and then from the box, it went to composite out into the Television... but doing it this way, only resulted in a 1024x768 resolution, which is a 4:3 aspect ratio. I know my DVD/HDD recorder can only record SD signals (in 16x9 or 4:3), which is fine, but I would like to be able to display a Widescreen signal from the laptop.

Hope this is easy to understand. What kind of cables/adapters/boxes would I need to accomplish this? Cheapest way if possible.

Just to clarify.. my DVD/HDD Recorder only has Composite input, but i figured that if I go from the Laptop to my Receiver (onkyo 605), I have the ability to use a Component output device (into the receiver), then just composite output on the receiver, into the DVD Recorder.

[edDV]

...
In the past, I bought a 'PC to TV' box, which used the VGA port on the Laptop, to the VGA Input on the box, and then from the box, it went to composite out into the Television... but doing it this way, only resulted in a 1024x768 resolution, which is a 4:3 aspect ratio. I know my DVD/HDD recorder can only record SD signals (in 16x9 or 4:3), which is fine, but I would like to be able to display a Widescreen signal from the laptop.

First, the VGA to composite conversion was nowhere near 1024x758 resolution but more like 640x480i or 768x576i letterbox at best.

To fit 16:9 into 768x576i you would need to pre-process the original source with horizontal resampling.

Let's assume a 720x576 16:9 movie DVD is played. If you pre horizontal resample that to 768x576, then use full screen expansion to 1024x768, the converter's 576i analog output to your DVD recorder will be full height and horizontally compressed. This will show horizontally squeezed in 4:3 mode but as 16:9 if your recorder supports a 16:9 mode flags. It won't be as good as the real DVD because the 24p progressive DVD would be re-sampled to 60Hz before output to VGA. In PAL mode, the converter would resample this back to 50Hz.

[edDV]

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Just to clarify.. my DVD/HDD Recorder only has Composite input, but i figured that if I go from the Laptop to my Receiver (onkyo 605), I have the ability to use a Component output device (into the receiver), then just composite output on the receiver, into the DVD Recorder.

Not sure this will work. If you output HDMI or analog component 16:9 from the laptop to the Onkyo, 480i or 576i output conversion will result in letterbox no?

[HamishT]

It shouldn't, for a test, I played plugged in my older DVD player using component output into the Onkyo component input, then used the Video Out (composite) into the TV and it was displaying in 16x9 widescreen like normal?

[edDV]

It shouldn't, for a test, I played plugged in my older DVD player using component output into the Onkyo component input, then used the Video Out (composite) into the TV and it was displaying in 16x9 widescreen like normal?

You just need to test this with the Onkyo.

What is your source? If DVD just rip the DVD.

IF 16:9 HDTV, just capture the TV signal and output HDMI. Why use the standard def DVD recorder?

[HamishT]

I want the source to be the Laptop display, so what ever is happening on the laptop, gets recorded (like right now it would be recording this web page, the text etc, youtube or something).

I think i'm just going to have to go with another PC-TV box device.. i was hoping to figure out something that didn't require an additional power outlet, but i can't think of any other way to do it.