HELP: confused by 3 ways PC-to-HDTV...

[andrewwan1980]

Just bought Samsung LE40M87BD (recommended by using HDTV Selector: Which Is The Best LCD/ Plasma TV To Buy?). However, according to Best LCD TV & Plasma 2007 Samsung is only 5.33% popular. Why?

Anyway, it's got 1 PC VGA (HD-15), 1 component, 1 s-video, 1 composite inputs. What are the differences and can someone rank in order of low-to-best quality please. I would like to connect my Dell Inspiron 531 PC to the TV. My PC's got 1 DVI, 1 s-video and 1 VGA outputs. Ofcourse I want the best quality to show off iTune's 1080 HD trailers on my HDTV. How can I go about this?

Hopefully my PC is powerful enough to play 1080 smoothly. If not, what is the cheapest option to play 1080 files?

Cheers guys

[Jimdefruit]

For PC connection, dvi is the best but it does not carry audio so you need a separate audio connection.

Where are you getting 1080 signals? TV transmissions are 560 unless you get HD and they are 720. If you get a HD DVD player then you can get 1080.

They are possibly output as 1080i which is not better than 720p

In terms of quality go:
composite - worst
scart/s-video - better
component - better still if signal is good
dvi - best for pc use
HDMI - best for HD

[andrewwan1980]

Originally Posted by Jimdefruit

For PC connection, dvi is the best but it does not carry audio so you need a separate audio connection.

DVI from the PC. Cool. What cable should I get? Is there a DVI input on my Samsung? (don't think there is.. just HDMIs, scart, etc)

Where are you getting 1080 signals? TV transmissions are 560 unless you get HD and they are 720. If you get a HD DVD player then you can get 1080.

They are possibly output as 1080i which is not better than 720p

In terms of quality go:
composite - worst
scart/s-video - better
component - better still if signal is good
dvi - best for pc use
HDMI - best for HD

Apple iTunes provide 1080 HD trailers. So I like to check them out.

[Jimdefruit]

You can get a dvi to HDMI cable but dont forget that the dvi output does not carry audio so you will need a separate audio cable from the PC to the Sammy. The ideal is if you get an AV amp or receiver/amp and have an optical digital audio cable to get surround sound.

The TV just gives a pseudo surround from two channel stereo at the best.

[andrewwan1980]

Originally Posted by Jimdefruit

You can get a dvi to HDMI cable but dont forget that the dvi output does not carry audio so you will need a separate audio cable from the PC to the Sammy. The ideal is if you get an AV amp or receiver/amp and have an optical digital audio cable to get surround sound.

The TV just gives a pseudo surround from two channel stereo at the best.

Yep, we've got a 5.1 amplifier sound system. Optical Digital Audio? what kind of special cable do I need for that? Or can I just use normal sound leads from my 5.1 PC sound card to the 5.1 amp?

I assume my PC DVI-out is male... and the TV HDMI-in is male? Please correct me if am wrong (esp. the TV side).

So the cable I should be buying is, DVI-female to HDMI-male?

[Jimdefruit]

The audio connecting cable depends on the output and input facilities of your PC and 5.1 amp. You can usually use either optical or coaxial digital audio cable. I find the best option for me is optical cable.

The dvi to HDMI cable is standard and unless you have a very long run I would go for the cheapest you can.

[andrewwan1980]

Originally Posted by Jimdefruit

The dvi to HDMI cable is standard and unless you have a very long run I would go for the cheapest you can.

Not really. on dabs, misco, maplins, they've got both male & female DVI & HDMI... which is really confusing me.

[Jimdefruit]

The standard dvi is a male plug on the cable to fit the female socket on the video card. I dont think Maplins do a female plug except for their gender changer plug.