Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: VGA toDVI connector

This is topic VGA toDVI connector in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 03-26-2005, 03:30 PM:

has any one ever used an adaptor for VGA to DVI? I bought a Radio Shack adaptor (changes DVI connector to VGA HD15). I'm wanting to hook my laptop to my tv. I know the DVI input on the TV is good, because the cable box works. When I plug in the cable to the laptop, i get nothing on the TV. I'm running XP pro on the laptop, am i missing a setting on the computer?

Thanks,
Rick

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-26-2005, 04:03 PM:

Your TV probably does not have DVI-A in (DVI analog).

Posted by Wolff King Morrow (Member # 2226) on 03-26-2005, 04:57 PM:

There is also an issue of refresh rate and resolution. Anything above 60Hz will not show up on the TV. Though I think laptops may already be on 60Hz, but you might want to check.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 03-27-2005, 10:48 AM:

First one must understand the DVI connectors. There are two in particular that are in real use...DVI-D...it is digital only. There other is DVI-I. It is also known as DVI Integrated. If you look around the the larger horizontal pin on the right (as you view the face of the input) you will see four little square pins. This is the tell-tale signs of a DVI-I connector.

The four little pins? RGB and Sync. They borrow the grounds and another sync pin from the DVI part of the connector. The DVI-I to VGA adapter uses these pins. However, there is NOTHING digital about it...either your set can handle RGB or it can't. It should not have a DVI-I connector on it unless it can handle RGB though.

What some set will use the DVI-I connector for is HD Component (analog)...thus you connect your set top box's component out to the RGB portion of the VGA-DVI adapter and the set should handle 720p and 1080i signals. Your computer won't work with that unless you have sync on green where you will get a picture on a 720 vertical resoultion but your colors will be messed up since RGB does not = component color space.

Take your DVD player and connect it up component out it will probably work. However, many devices must be set to use which portion of the DVI-I connector you want (not auto switch).

[ 03-27-2005, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: Steve Guttag ]

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-27-2005, 12:26 PM:

In general, computers are not able to send video signals to a TV set without a dedicated output on either the motherboard or graphics card. The ones that do typically feature only composite or S-Video as the TV-out jack. I'm not aware of any video card products or mainboards that offer DVI-I type connectors.

ATI has their HDTV All In Wonder HD tuner card, but it is kind of a limited device. It is mainly designed to handle over the air signals and doesn't feature digital inputs and outputs for the signal. It does comply with the 5C flag. Unfortunately it lacks component or HDMI outputs. Still, it's not a bad product for the $199 price. Hopefully designs of these cards, as well as gaming cards packing in HD features, will start offering the better ouputs soon.

Posted by Richard Hamilton (Member # 321) on 03-28-2005, 07:47 AM:

Thanks for the info! I guess my TV wont accept it. When I was in China, I bought a flat screen for my girlfriend. My laptop plugged right into it and it had a great picture using a standard moniter cable. When I got back home, I just figured I could do the same with my HDTV. I told the guy at Radioshack what I intended to do, I had questions, he had answers! My bad. Anyone need a VGA to DVI adaptor? I lost the receipt! 25 bucks down the drain!

Thanks again,
Rick

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-28-2005, 05:32 PM:

Some of that issue, as well as the problem with many HD monitors having waaay below the 1920 X 1080 resolution of the 1080HD format gives some incentive for watching HDTV on a computer.

A variety of add-in cards can provide the HDTV tuner. There's lots of widescreen computer monitors on the market that boast 1920 X 1200 resolution. Apple's Studio Cinema Display has been available for years. Dell just introduced a 24" widescreen monitor to their product line for $1,100 -well below the prices of similar units from HP and others. If you buy that monitor with a new computer system you may get it for as little as $700 depending on the sale that is running.

Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 03-28-2005, 05:39 PM:

quote: Bobby Henderson
A variety of add-in cards can provide the HDTV tuner.

Stay away from the ATI HDTV-Wonder. As far as I'm concerned it's a total piece of crap. Especially the software. I'll sell mine for $75 plus shipping to anyone who wants it. [Mad]

Dell 20.1" Widescreen LCD on sale. Supposedly it uses the same LCD panel that Apple uses in its similar display that sells for $400 more than the Dell sale price.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-28-2005, 09:34 PM:

The Dell 20" widescreen monitor is decent, but it is has a native resolution of 1680 X 1050 (WSXGA+). For the same price, you can buy Dell's standard 20" flat panel monitor which shows 1600 X 1200. That's more native pixels of display (1,920,000 versus the 1,764,000 of the 20" widescreen unit).

I have my heart set on the 24" model (with 1920 X 1200 display) for the replacement desktop machine I'm going to order in a couple months for work.

Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 03-28-2005, 11:22 PM:

Widescreen monitors are the way to go. That way you can have more clutter on your desktop. The Dell monitor is the same as my Apple Cinema Display in every regard except the lack of USB and firewire connections on the monitor itself, not to mention the touch panel features to easily put the computer to sleep or shut it off or restart it, as well as bring up the monitor control panel. Can Windows even do widescreen resolutions? You gotta remember that Windows is still stuck in the stone ages, so I assume their aspect ratio options are, too. I am surprised that Windows is even in color.

I wouldn't want to watch HDTV on my monitor. But I'd like to edit it. If I did that, I'd have an external HDTV about 20" or so for my preview monitor.

Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 03-29-2005, 12:08 AM:

Actually, Dell's 2005FPW 20" and new 24" 2405FPW widescreen monitors both feature 4 USB 2.0 ports. Two of the USB ports are on the side of the monitor. The 24" model also has a 9 in 1 flash memory card reader and a number of different signal inputs (15-pin D Sub, DVI-D, S-Video, composite and component). At a list price of $1,199 (or significantly lower when you buy it with a new PC) it's arguably the best large widescreen monitor buy on the market. Dell's website says its only PC compatible though. Apple's monitors will work on Macs and PCs (although the PC drivers are very very basic).

No Firewire inputs on these Dell monitors though.

Typically, the way you get 1394 inputs on a Dell is if your desktop machine comes with a Sound Blaster Audigy2 sound card or you pay extra for an add in card. Most of their notebooks have at least one Firewire port though. For Firewire on a desktop PC, I'd just buy an after market add in card. You really have to do that if you want Firewire 800 ports on a PC.