1) and 2) DVI and HDMI are the same thing as far as video quality.
HDMI carries audio as well, whereas DVI does not. Both are digital
video. HDMI alone seems to be more common on new CRT HDTV's than DVI,
but DVI is available on some models. Many LCD and plasma displays
have both.
VGA is also good, but is analog video. I have not seen it on a CRT
HDTV, but it is common on LCD and plasma displays.
S-Video is very common, but is much worse resolution. It is not
suitable for use as a computer monitor, although it can be used for
watching movies played on a PC.
Composite video is the worst.
3) Because of differences between computer display timing and
resolution and the standards for HDTV, most CRT HDTV's will not work
with a PC unless a converter is used and the computer is capable of
generating customized displays and timings. Many CRT HDTV
manufacturers recommend against using their televisions with a PC.
Many LCD and plasma displays, on the other hand, are designed for use
with PCs. In order to get the computer to interact properly with the
display, you need to select a resolution that matches one that the TV
is capable of displaying. This may require additional software, and
your older PowerBook may not be capable of displaying a compatible
resolution. "You need to look up the native or accepted input
resolutions for the XBR, then set the Mini to one of them or download
SwitchResX or DisplayConfigX to set the proper res if it is not
already available." "Mac Mini on a HDTV CRT(How do you do it?)" AVS
Forum (2005) http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=601924
"There's the DVI->VGA adapter or VGA port on the video card for use.
With VGA output you use a VGA Transcoder to go from VGA-> Component.
From there you use Switchres X or Display Config X to change from what
will likely be a booting resolution of 640x480 to a resolution for
your TV. ATI Display's 4.5.1 is probably advised as well." "HDTV
adapter?" AVS Forum (2005)
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/archive/index.php/t-537223.html
You also need to set the TV so that it is displaying the input from
the VGA port. If the Powerbook is like a Windows notebook in this
regard, you also need to toggle a particular key to tell the computer
to output its display to its VGA port rather than to the built-in
display. As you will see from the links, each TV has its own
peculiarities which makes it impossible for me to give you generic
instructions. For this reason, I strongly advise you to not purchase
a display unless you can get it working in the store to your
satisfaction. I also think you will get better results from an LCD or
plasma HDTV than from a CRT HDTV. Because of burn in problems, an LCD
is preferable unless you are just planning to use it to watch movies.
You might also want to consider just getting a large computer monitor
instead if the HDTV capability is not important to you.
4) I found a DVI to HDMI converter cable for $14.95. There are still
potentially issues with connecting to a CRT HDTV because of resolution
and timing incompatibilities.
5) There are many different resolutions depending upon the TV, the
connection type, and how the computer and TV are configured. The
problem you face with HDTV CRTs is that the HDTV specification for
720p does not match the common computer resolution of 1024 x 768.
LCDs and plasma displays have native resolutions that match typical
computer resolutions, such as 1366 x 768 for a widescreen display.
The only connectors that will produce a usable resolution with a
computer are HDMI/DVI, VGA, and component, although component will
require a converter. LCDs and plasma displays tend to come with a
least one of DVI and VGA, so conversion is not necessary.
A CRT with S-video will be awful for anything other than watching
movies on your PC. You should be able to find an LCD display with VGA
that will work with your existing Powerbook, particularly since they
come in both standard and widescreen formats. Check to see what
display resolutions your computer is capable of producing and look for
a LCD display that has a native resolution that matches the one you
prefer or is higher.
This is a very complicated topic, and I hope my explanation has helped
you to better understand your options. I encourage you to review the
following resources to further enhance your understanding.
Here is one example of someone who got a PowerBook with a DVI port to
work with an HD display (a Samsung rear projection television):
"While I was waiting for the mac mini to arrive, I did some tests with
my Powerbook. Plugging it into an NTSC TV was a real disappointment.
The mac desktop looked horrible. So it wasn't long after that that I
bought a Samsung HL-P5063W. It had an HDMI input, for an eventual HD
TiVo of some sort, a DVI input for the mac, and a bunch of analog
inputs. Its native resolution is 720p (1280x720, 60 Hz), and the mac
desktop looks great at that resolution. More importantly, the TV is
capable of shrinking the desktop so that all of it fits on the screen
(TV sets have overscan, meaning that the picture is actually larger
than the visible area. That means the edges aren't visible. In the
case of the mac desktop, about half the dock and the whole menu bar
don't show up)." "EyeTV 500 + Mac Mini" OS X Hax (January 26, 2005)
http://www.osxhax.com/archives/000063.html
Sincerely,
Wonko
"DVI to HDMI Cables" svideo.com (2005) http://www.svideo.com/dvihdmi2.html
"HELP!!! vga vs component vs s-video vs dvi vs hdmi" eCoustics (2005)
http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/5/150612.html
"DVI vs. HDMI vs. Component Video -- Which is Better?" eCoustics
(February 14, 2005) http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/34579/122868.html
"HDTV-Resolution... And TV Picture Quality" HDTVInfoPort (2005)
http://www.hdtvinfoport.com/HDTV-Resolution.html
"How to connect a PC to an HD-Ready Digital TV?" Digital Connection
(2001) http://www.hdtvinfoport.com/HDTV-Resolution.html
"Connecting your Computer to your HDTV" RAM Electronics Industries
Inc. http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/PC-HDTV.html
"Plasma/Flat TV Resolution Options" Plasma TV Buying Guide
http://www.plasmatvbuyingguide.com/plasma-monitor15.html
"What is the difference between all these video types (connectors)?
Does it matter?" GrandTec USA (September 22, 2005)
http://grandtec.com/connectors.htm
"All About DVI" by Anthony Van Winkle, DataPro International Inc.
http://www.datapro.net/techinfo/dvi_info.html
"How to connect your Home Theater" RAM Electronics Industries Inc.
http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/howto-av.html
"6600GT to Toshiba CRT HDTV via DVI-HDMI Cable, pitcure is grainy"
eCoustics (2005) http://forum.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/3/129094.html
"Monitors Buying Guide" CNet Networks Inc. (2005)
http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/4520-7610_16-6384019-5.html
Search terms: HDMI DVI; CRT HDTV computer; connect PC to HDTV; HDTV
resolution; S-video HDMI DVI; Connect Apple Powerbook to HDTV;
PowerBook DVI CRT HDTV |
Clarification of Answer by
wonko-ga
on
05 Dec 2005 13:21 PST
Here are the answers to your follow-up questions:
720p equates to a resolution of 1280x720.
Not really. CRT televisions are built with different capabilities
than CRT monitors. Most CRT televisions, even HDTV televisions, will
have problems acting as computer monitors. Therefore, manufacturers
have no reason to put a VGA input on them since they do not intend for
them to be used with a VGA source like a computer.
VGA is analog, whereas HDMI/DVI are all digital (video only for DVI).
As a result, there is less degradation of the signal when it is
transmitted over the cable. In practice, the differences are alleged
to be virtually indistinguishable assuming a VGA cable of reasonable
quality is used.
S-video is much lower resolution than a typical computer display. As
a result, while it is fine for watching video (it is better than
standard television), it cannot adequately display the fine details
associated with most computer operations, such as text and small
icons.
Potentially, although there are HDMI/DVI switch boxes to allow you to
change between multiple HDMI/DVI sources. Different manufacturers
offer different combinations of sources and outputs.
You could use a large CRT computer monitor. However, LCD TVs and
plasma displays are available in much larger sizes than are CRTs. It
depends upon the size of screen you need. Also, large CRT monitors
are very bulky and heavy, but they are cheaper for the same screen
size and have the advantage of better contrast and viewing angles than
do current LCD TVs.
Coaxial cable can carry a wide range of signals of varying
resolutions. The quality you get depends upon the source and display
connected to it.
I would have to assume the longer cable has different specifications
or is made by a different manufacturer. I am not aware of any obvious
reason for such a huge change in price simply based upon length.
There are multiple standards that can be properly called HDTV. These
are 720p and 1080i. However, some LCD TVs are also capable of
producing 1080p. The vast majority of LCD TVs are only capable of
720p, whereas 1080i is much more common in CRT HDTVs.
Regarding your comment about your old Mac: the issue is whether you
are just wanting to watch video on the large display, or if you are
wanting to perform a wide range of computer operations, including Web
surfing and word processing, using the large display. For example, my
Windows PC has an s-video port that allows me to play DVDs on it and
view them on my TV with good results. However, the desktop is of such
a low resolution that it is barely navigable, and I could not begin to
use it for word processing because I could not distinguish the text on
the screen. The resolution is simply too low since there are very few
pixels comprising each letter.
There are lots of details that are missing in S-video and DVDs. You
get much more detail in a movie theater from film. This is the whole
motivation for developing high-resolution standards inherent in HDTV
and HD DVDs so that more of this detail is viewable.
I hope this clarification has assisted you.
Sincerely,
Wonko
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