HDTV as monitor

[No Limit]

Hi,
I have a 61" 4:3 1080i HDTV and am thinking of getting the 9700 pro or 9800 pro so I can hook my computer up to it. Has anyone ever done this? What is the image quality like, since the resolution is so high I would guess it's similar to a monitor, however, I have not been able to find any information about it. Also, if a game does not support a HDTV resolution will you still be able to use it and have it look good or will the image be disorted?
Thanks,
Paul

 

[Washuu]

i have a 1080i 32" HDTV, it looks okay... resolution doesnt seem to work that well, and widescreen doesnt really get supported out, playing like a video file, which for me is "Anime" looks really nice, and looks better then ever before on a regular computer, but like games, and web browsing, u cant see the text all that well :/

 

[No Limit]

Originally posted by Washuu
i have a 1080i 32" HDTV, it looks okay... resolution doesnt seem to work that well, and widescreen doesnt really get supported out, playing like a video file, which for me is "Anime" looks really nice, and looks better then ever before on a regular computer, but like games, and web browsing, u cant see the text all that well :/

Damn I was afraid of that . Are you running it using component cables and are you using the 1920 x 1080 or a different resolution. Finally great to have someone that tried this, I have searched for ages and have not found anything for some reason.

 

[Steven Q Urkle]

your gonna need to spend 40 bucks more and get a All in wonder pro (there is a 9800 and a 9700 and a 9600 i think)

its got HDTV out cables, im using them on my TV and its awesome.

 

[No Limit]

Originally posted by Steven Q Urkle
your gonna need to spend 40 bucks more and get a All in wonder pro (there is a 9800 and a 9700 and a 9600 i think)

its got HDTV out cables, im using them on my TV and its awesome.

I thought they had a converter for like $20? How is the image quality for things like games and internet browsing. Is the image clear and very similar to a monitor?
Thanks,
Paul

 

[Steven Q Urkle]

"This adapter allows you to connect the AIW directly to your HDTV, supporting 480i, 480p, and the true HD 720p and 1080i resolutions. "

My TV has S-video in, its not HDTV though. It looks good on mine at 800X600 for games and stuff. Im still figuring it out.

read this it might help
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,3973,1167038,00.asp

 

[Steven Q Urkle]

ok from reading more of that article, they video out on it is locked at 800X600. you need the HDTV adaptor to unlock it at HDTV resolutions (you were right)

im not sure how it would look, i assume it would look fine in games and websites.
for 30 bucks its worth a shot.

 

[Washuu]

im using s-video....
i have a DVI in on that tv, but i havent bought a cable for it.. :/

 

[No Limit]

Thanks for the info, however, I need someone that is running it at HDTV resolutions to anwser so I can decide on what I want. My dream is to play HL2 with dolby digital sound on the HDTV with component inputs, I just need to know how the quality looks like. Just curious as to why you guys haven't done it since you baiscally have all the hardware, it will only cost you $20 more.

 

[FictiousWill]

Is there a way to convert svideo to component (red, yellow, white) that's just a cable- i.e. not a powered converter hardware thing?

 

[OCybrManO]

An S-Video signal can be relatively easily converted to composite video (the yellow connector of red, white, and yellow cables)... but not component video (all 3-connectors of red, green, and blue cables... used for HDTV).

EDIT: I have a computer hooked up to my 51" HDTV with a DVI-I cable... it looks great on 720p but blurry and flickery on 1080i (no, I didn't forget to set the video to interlaced).
To get this working correctly you need any video card that has DVI-I output, a program called PowerStrip... and a lot of (sometimes very frustrating) work.

 

[RoyalEF]

The trick is which, if any of your video card's output will output in tru HDTV (ATSC) format. Not all video formats are available on certain conenction types because (supposedly) those connections do not have sufficient bandwidth for the display. The HDTV are interlaced formats, where PC formats have been non-interlaced for many years now. The only resolutions that we should care about (as far a getting hi-rez goodness) are
1080i = 1920x1080 interlaced (60Hz?30Hz)
720p = 1280x720 non-interlaced (60 Hz)
Also your TV may only accept a 1080i/720p through specific HD inputs. S-video is not one of them typcially. I have to buy a DVI cable to try mine out--which are expensive since NOBODY uses them.

 

[Mr.Radar]

HDTV(ATSC) has 2 different resolutions and 3 different framerates:

720p @ 24, 30, 60 Hz
1080p @ 24, 30 Hz
1080i @ 60 Hz

The only way to get the 1080i@60 mode to look good is to run the display at 640x480. Though it should look OK at 800x600 too. With 720p you can run the display at 1024x768 and still have a perfect looking picture. You also need either a DVI or YPbPr(HDTV Component) connectors to get true HDTV signals(sorry, S-Video is legacy analog-composite so it just won't work).

PS. IMHO I think that HDTV Television(not using HDTVs as a computer monitor or for DVDs) signals have too many compression artifacts to look good.

 

[No Limit]

Originally posted by RoyalEF
The trick is which, if any of your video card's output will output in tru HDTV (ATSC) format. Not all video formats are available on certain conenction types because (supposedly) those connections do not have sufficient bandwidth for the display. The HDTV are interlaced formats, where PC formats have been non-interlaced for many years now. The only resolutions that we should care about (as far a getting hi-rez goodness) are
1080i = 1920x1080 interlaced (60Hz?30Hz)
720p = 1280x720 non-interlaced (60 Hz)
Also your TV may only accept a 1080i/720p through specific HD inputs. S-video is not one of them typcially. I have to buy a DVI cable to try mine out--which are expensive since NOBODY uses them.

Do you know of a good place to buy a DVI cable? Also, if you get it please let me know how it looks, I am dying to find out but have not been able to find anyone that actually did this for some strange reason.

Mr.Radar, thanks for the info but did you actually hook this up or are you just guessing it wouldn't look good?

Thanks,
Paul