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Hello, I have set up a computer for a friend of mine to use with his HDTV (wireless keyboard and mouse). I let him use my backup PCI express graphics card for now and need to find a card that will work for his application. I have experience with graphics cards and upgrade a lot for gaming but never attached one to a TV. So I have no experience whatsoever with graphics cards and regular TV's. I used my GeForce 9600 GT (temporarily) so that he would have something to get him by. Here's the issues I had and the questions I need help with before I order him his own card;
Issue #1 Used adapter to get component out to the TV and the resolution was stretched larger than the screen (tried adjusting TV and everything, tried Nvidia settings, nothing worked)
Issue #2 Used HDMI and didn't have sound and there was not an input for a 3.5 mm plug on the TV for that specific input. I know there is a way to set up sound through HDMI but how?!? I would rather built in sound on the graphics card if that exists to make set up easy (I want to install drivers and plug in HDMI cable to TV and be done).
Issue #3/temporary fix, I attached the TV to the graphics card using the component/s-video adapter and an S-Video cable for video and a 3.5 mm to 3.5 mm cord for stereo sound. The result; The video screen is smaller than the TV and looks horrible! It is working for now though.
What I am trying to do is get a card that will work at a high resolution 720-1080 with HDMI and built in sound (if it exists) or someway to use SPIFF out (what is SPIFF????) to get a audio signal through the HDMI output. I also heard that there are some cards out there with a built in video decoder/encoder (?) so that there is less stress on the CPU as well as a built in sound card. I don't know but basically all I am trying to achieve is a TV that can play simple video files on the web (news) and off the web (regular movies) and do some stuff on eBay. Very basic set up but I never did it so I don't know how, this is a Dell Dimension 8400 with 4 GB Ram that will be attached to a Panasonic Plasma HDTV 54" (no DVI input). I need to get my card back so I'm not trying to make the 9600 work, I just need to find a card designed for this application and I prefer one that has a fan. No gaming required so it doesn't need to be powerful. I was assuming I could find a new one for around $50-$75 max, maybe go used. Anyone have any thoughts? I really need to help this guy out because e-bay is how he makes a living, I'm going to buy the card for him because he's struggling to afford his medical. I gave him the comp and am unhappy that he isn't complete. I know that this post is probably very confusing so please ask any questions you have. I was hoping for a card that I can plug in the comp, install and hook up HDMI cable and be done. I'm a fan of Nvidia but will do whats best. Any help is greatly appreciated and I promise will go to a good cause. Thanks.
Hi Cuthroat12,
I want to mention just for the beginning that I am not an expert in this field. I want to speak only from my experience.
You need a graphical card with a HDMI-port (better with a normal one than mini-HDMI) which sends audio signal 5.1 coded through the HDMI-port of the graphic card. The AMD/ATI graphic card can do this for almost 3 years already when the NVIDIA ones can do this only for a year. This means if you want to stick with NVIDIA you need to buy a new one.
I am using for more than 2 years this card:
http://www.msi-computer.de/product/vga/R4870-MD1G.html
and I am very satisfied with it. The fan is big and it makes almost no sound even when you play. The sound get through HDMI-port onto my TV and it has a normal HDMI output. I think the price is good for such a graphic card. You can play almost all modern games in FULL HD resolution.
For a better understanding I want to describe my configuration. I have a PC in one room and a 10 m HDMI cabel which goes to TV, an extra wireless keyboard, a wireless Microsoft controller which has a very good range making the connection through radio and not bluetooth or infrared.
So even if I have my PC 8 m away from my TV and my couch I still can play games on my TV with my controller and I don't hear any noise from my PC. It's better than a console because I can play games in a higher resolution (Full HD). The problem is that Microsoft did't implement perfectly in WIN 7 the possibility of using 2 displays in a way such I am using them. If your friend wants to use his PC only on TV then this problem won't bother him.
Hopefully I could help you in choosing the right graphic card.