[Falariun]

Hi guys n girls,

I am looking at using a TV as a monitor/TV unit in the same room as my computer but I need some advice on what I can achieve.

I will be looking for a 26" 1080P telly (any advice appreciated) and this will be commected to my computer.

At present, I have an ASUS 8800gt card, a P6N Diamond Mobo and a Xonar D1 sound card.

The GFX card has 2 x DVi slots, the sound card has 5.1 surround 3.5 jacks and the Mobo has, I think, normal outlets, no HDMI, etc.

What would I need to do to use something like a Samsung, LG/Pana type LCT telly as a monitor?

What is the best way to get sound, etc to come out of the 5.1 speakers from the comp?

Is a TV card ( Hauppauge HVR1100 or similar) a good way to go? If I plug the ariel into that, will it then just use the telly for pictures and the speakers for sound?

I am a bit out of my depth here so any advice would be great,

Fal.

[xactly]

A TV card is good but if you have the choice go for the T.V, that way you will not need the PC on to watch T.V (less noise and less hassle).

T.V' aren't as good as monitors for PC use but if you want advice on choosing specify a price range. Get a T.V with a good:

Contrast Ratio: 1000:1 static not dynamic at least for good and deep blacks.

Brightness (CD/M2): Look for at least 250CD/M2, you will want a higher value if you are viewing the T.V under brighter lighting conditions.

Response Time: You will want this to be no higher than 6ms (26" screens aren't as fast as 22" screens at updating the pixels)

Conections: You'll want one or two HDMI ports, DVI, D-Sub (maybe), Component and maybe even composite and S-video. Most T.Vs have a 3.5mm jack to output audio you'll want this to connect your speakers to.

Make sure the T.V is Digital and not analog.

1080P on a 26" T.V is useless, there is also the matter of jaggies being more noticable, just get a regular 26" 720P, you won't be disappointed.

What are the speakers you intend to use? If they have the three 3.5mm jack outputs (Green, Orange and Black) then you can use this

RCA adapter

RCA adapter

to convert the audio output from the T.V to the speakers, bear in mind it will output fake 5.1 not true 5.1, still T.V is not recorded in multichannel surround sound.

I have a pretty similar setup to you, I use a DVI to HDMI cable for the video signal and an RCA adapter for the T.V audio, it's a sweet setup and works great .

[Falariun]

Many many thanks for the feed back, mate.

With regards to the sound, I can see that the Red/White would be 3.5-3.5 from the telly to the RCA thingy, but then it looks like the speakers plug straight into that as well. How would the Comp then use the speakers and where would the other two leads go, i.e the sub and the center, etc. I need the speakers to work with the comp. Is there some type of switching box you can think of that will ake the leads from a speaker set, a 5.1 headset and the Red/White from the telly?

Sorry to be such a newb.

Fal

[xactly]

The red and white connections are RCA connectors, not 3.5mm jacks.

You will have to physically swap the cables from the PC to the T.V vise versa, it's what I have to do as there are no switches on the market that can do that (not that I know of).

The Center and Subwoofer connect with the orange cable.
The Rear Left and Rear Right connect through the black cable.
The green cable is used for Front Left and Fron Right.

I could understand your situation if you were to elaborate on which speakers you have.

[Falariun]

lol, still to buy them, possibly looking at a 5.1 with wireless rear for ease but dont know whats out there yet
Fal

[xactly]

I can no longer be mithered to swap between the 2 sources so I use the T.V' built in speakers.

There are a multitude of speakers out there, specify a price range and I'll come up with a few.

I am unsure about wireless speakers though, they may need to be charged from time to time, which is a little short of what I'd call "ease".

[philthomas]

If you consider changing your motherboard or graphics card, a better solution would be an HDMI connection fro the PC to the TV. If you choose the correct hardware, the HDMI will carry audio (5.1) as well as Video, so no need for any additional audio cables.
If you consider an AV Receiver and better class speakers at a later stage, this will also be good to go.

I have an HTPC hooked up to an Onkyo AV Receiver, which is hooked up to my TV, both using HDMI.
I also have other devices connected to the Onkyo Receiver, including HD Virgin+ Box. Switching the output to the TV is all done via Onkyo Remote Control.

[xactly]

Originally Posted by philthomas

If you consider changing your motherboard or graphics card, a better solution would be an HDMI connection fro the PC to the TV. If you choose the correct hardware, the HDMI will carry audio (5.1) as well as Video, so no need for any additional audio cables.
If you consider an AV Receiver and better class speakers at a later stage, this will also be good to go.

I have an HTPC hooked up to an Onkyo AV Receiver, which is hooked up to my TV, both using HDMI.
I also have other devices connected to the Onkyo Receiver, including HD Virgin+ Box. Switching the output to the TV is all done via Onkyo Remote Control.

Neither of which are cheap solutions .

[philthomas]

No .... not cheap, but he did ask :

"What is the best way to get sound, etc to come out of the 5.1 speakers from the comp?"