Do any of you Dopers have a recommended method for converting the output of a laptop PC (not a Mac) to HDMI format for viewing on an HDTV with HDMI input? Thanks!
We’ll need a lot more information, particularly whether the video out supports HDCP. If it does, then a simple DVI-to-HDMI cable will do it.
If not, it likely isn’t possible at all, at least for any protected content.
Don’t most tv’s out there have multiple input formats? including standard VGA, DVI, component and s-video?
Granted that all these formats are SD and will suffer degradation from up-scaling on your HD TV.
The laptop is a Sony VAIO VGN-NR220E series. It has a port (HD-15) to connect an external VGA display.
I would like to be able to take the laptop to the bedroom and be able to watch internet content, such as (Netflix movies)(I am a Netflix subscriber) on the larger HDTV screen there.
DVI is full HD. The drawback of the input types listed by rockypg is that they support video only, so you still have to run audio to the tv or receiver. There might be connectors out there that convert DVI + audio to HDMI.
Check out this convertor boxfor ~ $60
VGA is HD too.
Only components and s-video are SD, VGA and DVI are not (or rather they can be HD (or higher resolution) but can also be SD).
There is no such thing as “laptop” to HDMI. We need to know the output of your laptop. Many have VGA (15 pin) or DVI. If your HDTV does not have both a vga and DVI input but it does have one, just not one that matches you laptop, you can get a VGA to DVI adapter for a couple of bucks.
If you have a DVI output, that’s digital, and I know at least some outputs only need a DVI to HDMI converter (my old video card had this) but I’m not 100% sure if this needs to be supported by the hardware or if any DVI output can be converted. Another issue is that unless your video hardware also processes audio (like my old card) there will be no audio, and a lot of TV’s assume audio if HDMI is plugged in and won’t let you set the audio input tom something else. Finally, this is not an option for a VGA only output since that’s an analog signal.
A final option might lie in a wireless video transmitter or an analog to digital converted. I’ve seen some of the wireless ones advertised recently, but I think both solutions can be pricey.
If you were talking about a desktop I could have recommended a video card with native HDMI output for $60, but alas.
Also HDMI is only needed for native blu-ray playback. You don’t need it for netflix or other HD content on the PC unless it specifically uses HDCP.
And what does the tv have? List ALL inputs.
I stand corrected. I cant believed I typed out what I originally said using a setup with a laptop feeding a 1920x1080 monitor through a VGA cable. facepalm
:smack:
After reading the specs on the TV I plan to buy, I see it does indeed have an input called DVI-PC, so I assume that all I will need will be the proper interface cable.
Sorry for the wasted bandwidth.
Remember that if you have vista/windows 7 you have a built in media center app. You can use it to watch TV, netflix, videos, DVD’s, etc. and be able to control things via a remote control.
DVI cables can have digital signals (DVI-D), analogue signals (DVI-A), or both digital and analogue signals (DVI-I). I made the mistake of buying a cable that had both digital and analogue to plug into a monitor that had only digital inputs. Bad move: the analogue sockets were not present, which meant that my DVI-I cable with its analogue pins wouldn’t fit. Wikipedia link discussing different types of DVI cables–scroll to the section labeled ‘Connectors’.