Cables!!
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Milwaukee Mike Unregistered guest | I've done a good job hooking up my entertainment system thus far for a rookie (just got a Samsung 50" DLP and Yamaha sound system and love them both!) The last piece of the puzzle is the one I'm having the most trouble with: hooking up my computer to the screen. My TV can support 1280*720, so I knew I needed a high quality cable. Every store I looked at had two types of RGB cables: VGA and SVGA. I assumed the SVGA cable could carry this resolution but it seems it maxes out at 800*600 (I hooked it up last night and - ick)... where can I get a cable that suits my needs?? Preferrably over 10'. Thanks so much for your help! |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | If you have a Best Buy near by, Acoustic Research are very good cables. Don't be sucked into Monster Cable. Get component RGB cable. |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | Oh, by the way, does your computer video board support 1280X720? You really should be OK with the SVGA cable anyway. |
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Milwaukee Mike Unregistered guest | Thanks... What if all of my component inputs are used? I have a PC input in the back of my TV.. is there a way I can use this? PS - I have used AR cables for all of my other connections  |
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Milwaukee Mike Unregistered guest | "Oh, by the way, does your computer video board support 1280X720? You really should be OK with the SVGA cable anyway." Well, I haven't used it with my desktop yet. My laptop supports 1024, but would only output 800*600 when I hooked it up to the TV with this cable. Are you saying that even though SVGA is technically 800*600, the SVGA cable should be able to carry more? Perhaps I should try my desktop? |
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jimmy5665 Unregistered guest | shouldn't the PC imput be the best bet? I mean, that's what it is designed for, right? |
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Milwaukee Mike Unregistered guest | Argh - I just went home over lunch and tried the cable with my desktop, which can certainly output at the resolution I need... and the best it gave me is 800*600. I have no idea what to do, because I know you can get at least 1024 via the PC input - it says so in the Samsung manual. The cable says 'VGA/SVGA cable for high resolution monitors' and there was certainly one at the store that was worse - none better. Is it the cable's fault? This is getting annoying! |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | That's what SVGA is spec'd for but you will be just fine if you get your laptop to display 1280X720 when feeding your TV's PC input. Your TV may not switch to 1280 when using that input though. I had a Samsung DLP for just a few weeks last year and I wasn't all that impressed with the display of my laptop. I can't remember what resolution I was using though. I just used the monitor cable off my desktop computer. |
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Milwaukee Mike Unregistered guest | I can't get my laptop or desktop to display better than 800*600. I can't use the cable that came with my desktop because it connects directly into the monitor. I'm positive the TV can do at least 1024 but I don't know what I'm doing wrong. |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | You can get a SVGA cable at Radio Shack, Walmart, Best Buy or a computer store. They all have shielding and will be just fine. The main thing is you might want to look in the TV manual to see if it gives specs for that PC input. I had a PC monitor that had RGB and Sync input so I'm not sure about being able to use just the RGB input on that monitor unless the PC puts sync on the G signal. |
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Milwaukee Mike Unregistered guest | I bought an SVGA cable from Radio Shack, and that's the one I'm using now. The manual says the connect using a 15-pin cable and set the resolution to 1024. So far though, the best I can get is 800*600 |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | Is it your laptop that is not letting you select 1024? How old is your computer? You can go into your display properties and then to settings and then to Advanced and then to Displays and see what those settings are set for. That's if you haven't tried that already. |
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Milwaukee Mike Unregistered guest | Grfunk - yes I've tried that. My laptop and desktop are both new. When connected to my monitor, my deskop lets me do very very high resolutions 1600*X or something (I'm not near it now), but when I connect to my DLP with the other cable, the max I can select is 800*600!! I have NO IDEA what to do! |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | Does your computer see the TV as a TV or a monitor in the setting on the computer? If it sees it as a TV then 800X600 is going to be it. If it sees it as a monitor, then go into the monitor properties and see if you can change it. |
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Milwaukee Mike Unregistered guest | Thanks for your help so far... I'm not at home now but my choices for while using the laptop are default monitor, generic television, or the thinkpad monitor. It doesn't let me 'select' one, they're all just listed. When I had it hooked up to the TV, I was in here but it looked exactly the same... the 3 of them were just listed but I couldn't select them. Also, for 'display', it always says 'Multiple Monitors on MOBILITY RADEON 7500'... no matter what I do. I'm clueless at this point. |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | I have a Toshiba with ATI Graphics. When you are in the settings menu of the display properites, do you have an Advanved option in the lower right part of that display? If you do, select that and then select the display tab at the top. You could see 3 choices, Monitor, Panel, and TV. I had to actually connect a monitor to my laptop before I could select it. |
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Bronze Member Username: FyiDallas, Texas Post Number: 40 Registered: May-05 | Hey guys, you need a driver for your video card. Cables are not the restriction. You can Google for the "Powerstrip" driver, which has a free version and supports most video cards. It will give you the flexibility to fill the screen appropriatly. I would just use the monitor out on the pc to the monitor in on the set. |
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ogbuehi Unregistered guest | FYI beat me to the punch. You need drivers for your video card, not new cables. |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | I know the cable is not the restriction. You guys need to read the whole post. We've been trying to get the computer to spit out the right resolution. If the computer is new and running XP, it will probably have the correct drivers unless there is something special about the Samsung and that PC input. |
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Bronze Member Username: FyiDallas, Texas Post Number: 42 Registered: May-05 | We read the "whole post". Now, you need to read our whole posts again. Ain't gonna happen for you otherwise. |
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ogbuehi Unregistered guest | I've read about 10 threads about people with similar problems. The "Powerstrip" driver that FYI mentioned usually seemed to be the cure. The cables he's using are passive ,not active, therefore there can't be anything wrong with the cables unless he bought were bad. |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | Like I said, I know the cables are not the problem. Hopefully, Mike will let us know how things came out. |
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New member Username: TenaciousmvPost Number: 2 Registered: Jul-05 | Hey guys (it's Milwaukee Mike), thanks for all the help. I got a new ATI driver and it helped a bit. By that I mean now I can get a high resolution on my DLP ... IF I first boot up the computer, then plug the cable in, then start to output to the DLP. This gives me 1024*768 on the DLP until I run certain programs. Once I run something that forces 800*600, 1024*768 is no longer a selection on my laptop for the output. Very strange but at this point I've had enough! |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | Hey Mike. Sorry that didn't do the trick. I didn't think it would. Sounds like there is something with that Samsung since your computer was able to switch without the tv being connected but changed it's mind once it saw what you connected to it. I don't know how Windows knows what you have connected to your computer but it sees what it is and decides what it wants to do with it. It does get a bit frustrating. I usually have better luck trouble shooting stuff when I'm in front of the equipment and can poke buttons myself. But, I know how you feel when you just get to the point where there is no long a point. |
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Anonymous | Excellent advice about aquiring the Powerstrip driver was ignored. You just can't help some people who refuse to help themselves. |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | Hey Mike, Why didn't you try that Powerstrip driver? |
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New member Username: TenaciousmvPost Number: 3 Registered: Jul-05 | I checked out Powerstrip and it seemed that (what I saw) said it will help you develop custom resolutions up to and including your maximum resolution. I guess it all confused me... Might anyone have a direct link to a good source to download it? I'll give it a shot! Thanks. |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | http://www.entechtaiwan.net/ps.htm That should do it. |
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New member Username: DhuntSan juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Post Number: 1 Registered: Jul-05 | Hello. Excuse me if I am in the wrong forum. I am trying to transfer hi8 tapes to mini dv. I have access to both cameras but I don't know what cable to use. Thank you for your patience. deborah |
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grfunk Unregistered guest | Do you have the cables that came with the hi8 camera? Do you have the cables that came with the mini dv camera? Does your mini dv camera support external audio/video record? If you say yes to those questions, you can connect those cables together using RCA barrels and a S-video barrel. Find the setting on the mini dv cam to select video input and away you go. If the hi8 camera has the RCA and S-video connections on the side instead of a multi pin connector for a break out cable, then you can plug directly into the hi8. |
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