HDMI or VGA

[jonxm05]

Hi all

I have a LG 42" plasma TV connected to my PC via VGA. Video quality is very good and we don't have HD here so I don't need the high resolutions

The TV has a HDMI port and I have a DVI port on my video card which is a ATI 800GTO. The problem is that my PC is about 5M away so it will cost about $100 for a good cable at that length. Audio is handled via the receiver in SPDIF so it's not an issue

What I'm interested to know will I see a improvement and is it worth the investment to buy a DVI to HDMI cable or should I just stick with the VGA

thanks

Jonx

[ThaClown]

I's stick with VGA, as you say quality is already very good, Both are digital so not really alot difference

[Spragleknas]

VGA is NOT digital....

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vga

I believe that digital transferring of signals in general are less affected by disturbance.

[ziphnor]

LG has a very good track record with regards to PC connectivity over HDMI, so normally i would say go for HDMI.

Whether or not you will see an improvement is a different story, VGA doesnt (normally) support 50hz as far as i remember, so if you watch PAL TV, things might be slightly more smooth with HDMI at 50Hz, as the frame rate better matches the TV's refresh rate.

[chrissooo]

Hi,
when i start with MediPortal and my HTPC i use VGA. For me was a good video quality.
After i buy a new Graphic Card and this card have a DVI Post i use since this the DVI connection.

And ... its much bether, its sharper and i can use my max. Resolution of 1360x768px ... over
VGA and my old ATI Card it was only 1024x720 possible.

When you need a DVI HDMI Cable ... take a look on ebay.
I have found some good cables with 5m leangh for only 8€ (~10$)

Chrissooo

[FLY]

I have a 47"1080p tv. with vga I get 1360x720 or something and with dvi->hdmi I get 1920x1080 but the quality is about the same for normal pc use. if you want todo photoediting etc... or use really small fonts it will good otherwise its not woth the time and money. I am currently using vga as it works reliably and resolution is fine.

[Sebzap]

I have a projector with HDMI connected to my graphic card with DVI with the cheapest 10m cable I could find and guess what - it works. As far as I understand digital and analogue if a HDMI cable works without problems there is no quality improvement if you buy a real expensive one. It's just zeroes and ones which come through - or don't.
I would buy a cheap one and try it - if it doesn't work send it back.

[jonxm05]

For anyone interested in the out come. I just installed a 5M cable DVI to HDMI. In my opinion it make a quite a big difference.

fist off all there are more features to control the video output once the ATI driver reads that it has a digital device connected and I do believe that thee is a big difference in quality of picture its shaper and more responsive

thanks for the advice

jonxm

[KevinM]

I think this is something that deserves further discussion.

I have recently upgraded to a full 1080p 42" LCD and have tried connecting it various ways to my HTPC.

I am fortunate because the screen has a native 1920x1080 resolution. I have connected it via DVI-HDMI cable and also by DVI-VGA. The picture is far superior on VGA.

If I run the ordinary Windows desktop at the same 1920x1080 resolution, it becomes apparent why this is the case: using the VGA cable, everything looks pin sharp like an ordinary monitor connection. This is especially obvious looking at small text on the screen.

However, when I connect via HDMI the edges of the text are indistinct and the colour looks too harsh. My guess is that this is something to do with the negotiation between the TV and the graphics card. The TV is designed to behave in some sort of smart way with the digital signal to cope with all sorts of devices. It features a whole bunch of picture tweaks (sharpness, colour balance, XD etc.) that just aren't available as options when connecting through the PC interface. It's as if the HDMI connection is going through an additional layer of processing whereas the VGA connection is a case of "OK - I'll just display what I'm getting".

My particular TV has an option to optimise the PC VGA screen that appears to work in the same way as an auto-adjust button on an ordinary LCD monitor, so it's possible that this is one reason why the VGA input looks so good.

Nevertheless, it seems that what works for my particular setup needn't necessarily be the best for everyone - especially if the native resolution is 1366x768, not 1920x1080.

My advice would be to obtain the best picture possible on the Windows desktop, ie. sharpest small text, at the native resolution of the screen. I'd also recommend that people try both types of connection before deciding which one to use, because I really doubt there is any "one-size-fits-all" solution to these connections.

[Spragleknas]

What brand and model are you talking about?