Computers on your HD TV

[Donk]

So how many of you brothers have you computer system hooked up through your Plasma or LCD T.V.? I was messing around today and hooked my laptop up the the tv with an S video cord. Then I had to mess with the laptops graphics settings a bit. But for typing and internet browsing it is really cool.

Any of you guys have a set up similar?

 

[gibbleguts]

I built a home theatre PC last year that worked out pretty cool. It works as my DVD player, has all of my music, Cable tuner and HD sat tuner card. My biggest issue has been finding a good enough wireless keyboard and mouse to work it from accross the room.

 

[Donk]

I built a home theatre PC last year that worked out pretty cool. It works as my DVD player, has all of my music, Cable tuner and HD sat tuner card. My biggest issue has been finding a good enough wireless keyboard and mouse to work it from accross the room.

Logitech makes some of the best wireless stuff. but don't go Bluetooth, just go wireless. I have a Wireless mouse from logitech best damn mouse ever. How many gigs is your system? My girlfriend wants a designated system with graphics card and top notch video card and about 5 TB of storage for her DVD collection.

 

[gibbleguts]

My system is a low end quad core processor, 8 gigs of ram, a gforce 9800gt vidoe card with 512megs of ram, 4 500 gig hard drives in RAID 01 so 1 terabyte of storage, ati theatre pro cable tuner and Haupaage sat tuner running under vista 64. I have logitech MX? series keyboard and mouse just doesn't quite have the range I am looking for.

 

[bohizzle]

This is going to be my next project. When I buy my new TV!!!!

 

[Donk]

My system is a low end quad core processor, 8 gigs of ram, a gforce 9800gt vidoe card with 512megs of ram, 4 500 gig hard drives in RAID 01 so 1 terabyte of storage, ati theatre pro cable tuner and Haupaage sat tuner running under vista 64. I have logitech MX? series keyboard and mouse just doesn't quite have the range I am looking for.

Nice system, I guess I can't offer much more on the mouse and keyboard. Maybe move the receiver a bit?

 

[Benzopyrene]

Just built a new desktop. Have an HDMI graphics card now and hoping to hook it up to my TV soon. Spent the entire weekend trying to figure out how to rip my blu-rays to the hard drive, and after finally figuring it out I realized I cant stream it from my comp through my PS3 using a wireless or wired connection, so Im gonna have to settle for hooking the thing up to my receiver via HDMI. Oh well, guess Im just gonna have to wait for Windows 7 to fix stuff.

 

[Donk]

I checked out the price of HDMI cables at Best Buy, For a 8' Monster Cable they wanted $135. I damn near crapped myself. Way to much money for a friggin cable.

 

[njstone]

I have a MacBook that lives in my home theater system. Been using my 56" HDTV monitor as a computer monitor for years, but just last summer got a computer dedicated to that purpose. I use a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard.

Love it!

 

[njstone]

I checked out the price of HDMI cables at Best Buy, For a 8' Monster Cable they wanted $135. I damn near crapped myself. Way to much money for a friggin cable.

Dude, do you need an HDMI cable? If so, let me know. I have one I'm not using.

 

[Craig Mac]

I use my 42" LCD as my computer monitor, I have a cable that is DVI(computer) to HDMI(TV). Audio is via optical out on my Delta 1010 to a 5.1 Logitech DTS 1000 watt surround setup. No Blueray drive....yet, as that will require a new video card.

I have a Gyration Ultra wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is RF and works from 50 feet and even from the other room(s). The mouse has a gyroscope in it and a "trigger" under the bottom, pick it up and pull the trigger and the mouse works by wrist movements, took a bit to get use to.

 

[njstone]

Just built a new desktop. Have an HDMI graphics card now and hoping to hook it up to my TV soon. Spent the entire weekend trying to figure out how to rip my blu-rays to the hard drive, and after finally figuring it out I realized I cant stream it from my comp through my PS3 using a wireless or wired connection, so Im gonna have to settle for hooking the thing up to my receiver via HDMI. Oh well, guess Im just gonna have to wait for Windows 7 to fix stuff.

Hooking it up directly with HDMI will work better than streaming through the PS3 anyway...all that extra buffering is simply not needed (and would probably give you SERIOUS lag). Direct connections can't be beat.

By the way, I'm jealous...I have to use a DVI and optical-audio for mine, and so the audio is always sub-par. But when you're talking about .avi files anyway, the audio is often not exactly DTS quality anyway :king:

 

[Craig Mac]

I checked out the price of HDMI cables at Best Buy, For a 8' Monster Cable they wanted $135. I damn near crapped myself. Way to much money for a friggin cable.

I get mine "buy it now" on fleabay for usually around $20-$25, I see no point in paying over $50 for any cable.

 

[Craig Mac]

Hooking it up directly with HDMI will work better than streaming through the PS3 anyway...all that extra buffering is simply not needed (and would probably give you SERIOUS lag). Direct connections can't be beat.

By the way, I'm jealous...I have to use a DVI and optical-audio for mine, and so the audio is always sub-par. But when you're talking about .avi files anyway, the audio is often not exactly DTS quality anyway :king:

Agree with the first part completely, just get some software like Power DVD to play it back from the computer.

Nate I don't see how optical(digital) audio is "sub par" at all. Is there anything higher??

 

[gibbleguts]

I use my 42" LCD as my computer monitor, I have a cable that is DVI(computer) to HDMI(TV). Audio is via optical out on my Delta 1010 to a 5.1 Logitech DTS 1000 watt surround setup. No Blueray drive....yet, as that will require a new video card.

I have a Gyration Ultra wireless keyboard and mouse. The keyboard is RF and works from 50 feet and even from the other room(s). The mouse has a gyroscope in it and a "trigger" under the bottom, pick it up and pull the trigger and the mouse works by wrist movements, took a bit to get use to.

That sounds like my next keyboard and mouse combo

 

[njstone]

Nate I don't see how optical(digital) audio is "sub par" at all. Is there anything higher??

Well, HDMI is just as good or better depending on who you ask, but my real problem isn't my connection, it's my receiver (old and starting to blink out intermittently).

What I'd really need to do is convert all the files I watch to encode a better audio format...but I'm way to lazy, lol.

[By the way, if anyone knows how to rip Dish DVR recordings to a computer...I'd love to know.]

 

[diveroger]

HDMI will give you the best quality. If your laptop doesnt' have that you have to go HDMI from the screen to DVI or VGA, whichever your laptop has.

 

[Crypto Sailor]

I hook my dell mini 9 up to my bedroom LCD when I'm not being lazy. And if I want to watch movies I've got to use my normal laptop as the mini 9 doesn't have a cd/dvd drive.

 

[smokinghole]

For two years I used my 32" LCD Vizio as my computer monitor/tv. When basically renting a room it was the most space saving way to set myself up. Then when I was in Turkey I just did the same thing. It was a good setup and plan on doing something like that again when I get a new desktop.

 

[cvm4]

This seems promising. May'be when I get a new laptop I'll have to try this.