How do I hook up my PC to my HDTV, and get HD quality for games and movies?

Question

Is there a certain cord or adapter??

Answer 1

Hi,

Its worth noting that until Blu-ray and HD-DVD really kick off, ALL DVDs are essentially in SD (Standard Definition), so I wouldn't really worry about it for movies.

In regards to games, as most PC games are produced with a high resolution in mind anyway (1280x1024 for example) you already get, essentially, HD performance from your games - without the need for an HD monitor.

Most PC to HDTV/Monitor connections now are made by either a DVI or a HDMI cable - make sure that you have these sockets on both ends before getting a cable. You will probably find that its just a standard set of sockets (normal PC to monitor) will do you just as well.

Some graphics cards allow for RGB (Red Green Blue) connections - if you can, use these.

Hope this helps.

email if I can be of any further help... I have just spent ages setting up my home media network, so have been through a few trial and error periods!!

Answer 2

The only way to get full HD quality is with an HDMI cable.
The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is an industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface.
The standard Type A HDMI connector has 19 pins, and a higher resolution version called Type B, has been defined, although it is not yet in common use. Type B has 29 pins, allowing it to carry an expanded video channel for use with high-resolution displays. Type-B is designed to support resolutions higher than 1080p.



To hook your PC to an HDTV, you must get a VIDEO CARD for the computer that supports HDTV format 1080p (i.e. it must have an HDMI output). There are a number of them on the market.
Without HDMI, connections running between ALL of your HDTV devices, you can't get full HD quality.

Also keep in mind that the Playstation 3 for $600 will come with a Blu Ray Disk player and an HDMI output when it is released in November.
If you buy the Playstation 3, you will automatically have a BLU RAY DVD player with full HDTV abilities that won't cost you upwards of $1000.
The PS3 is probably the cheapest, most efficient HDTV -DVD solution.


Also note that HDMI cables longer than 5 meters in legth suffer degraded video quality due to the fact that as a wire gets longer, its electrical resistance changes.

Answer 3

If your Graphics Card can give out Composite out Video ( basically the video comes out using three av-out cables) . Connect using these to your HDTV and thats it. Most HDTV supports DVi Out. So if your GFX card has DVI out, then connect using that.

Answer 4

Not sure if this will help. If you have a good quality LCD flat screen you can already watch HD movies and play your games in hi-res.

It's really your video card that's going to determine your video capabilities not your television.

Answer 5

You need a cable that connects your HDTV and your video card. I am not sure if such cable exist.