Help Needed - DVI to 57" TV Only Getting 640x480

[dukeofcrydee]

Ok, I've got a friend with an ATI AIW 9700 Pro and a big 57" rear projection Sony TV. We went to Best Buy and got a dual link DVI cable from Belkin and when we connected it to each DVI port, the computer booted to 640x480 and the desktop was spilling past the frames of the TV set.

When going into the display properties we are stuck with 640x480 as the only resolution option.

Before with Component, the desktop automatically fit the size of the TV and in display properties (in XP btw) we could choose a bunch of difference resolutions. (we stuck with 800-something by 600-something...anything more caused cropping and wouldn't fill the screen)

Now I tried to research this and did find people saying TV DVI is different from computer DVI, but I found no explanations. Then I found a bunch of people saying there's no difference, just slap a DVI cable on and that's it.

Well, we're definitely having problems, but I have no idea why!

Does he even need DVI since Component works? Text is a bit off, so I thought DVI would help with that. In addition to sharpening up the display more since it would be a pure digital run from source to target

Anyone have an answer or suggestion??

Thanks in advance.

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by dukeofcrydee on 03/01/04 07:09 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[jihiggs]

most tvs wont do more than 640x480 if you hook it up to the vga or dvi port. it can do more if you use rca/svideo/component. read the manual for the tv, im sure its in there.

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[dukeofcrydee]

If most TVs won't do more than 640x480, then what about 720p & 1080i which are higher in resolution?

Or do you mean most TVs won't do more than 640x480 coming from a PC instead of an HDTV decoder? Two different animals?

 

[jihiggs]

dude, read the manual, it tells you right there that it will only do 640x480. do you see 720x1080 in the display page? vga signals are not HD, sure the screen is capable of displaying higher res, but the tv wont do it.

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[dukeofcrydee]

First, I'm not at my friend's house so I can't read the manual.

Second, the TV has a DVI input built into the back of the damned thing. Last time I checked, DVI on a 57" TV meant it was designed to accept HD content.

Now explain to me why a PC pumping out hi-res graphics from DVI, to the DVI on the TV, would not work? Why only 640x480 selectable in the display properties? Why can I get higher resolutions via component?

I could get a HDTV decoder and antenna tomorrow and pump in 720p onto the damned thing via DVI.

So that means the DVI from the PC is not the same as the DVI that would come from an HDTV decoder. I'm just looking for an answer why.

Simply saying they are "different" doesn't help. Because it's all digital! What IS the difference??

And 720x1080 isn't what I said. I said 720p & 1080i. Totally different.

 

[jihiggs]

seems to me, you dont really know what your talking about, but neither do i. and seeing as you want to know the information, not me.... google.com
thanks for your time.

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[dukeofcrydee]

It seems to me that if I knew what I was talking about, I wouldn't have to ask any questions now would I?

It also seems to me that if you don't know what you're talking about, you probably would want to save your time by not posting useless comments.

But I do know one thing. And that is the fact that I have a DVI port on a PC and a TV and they don't play nice. All I'm trying to find out is why. So maybe you should ignore this post since you have no idea.

And I checked Google and found nothing concrete, but thanks for suggesting the most popular search engine on the planet. I would never have thought to look there first.

 

[Zoron]

HD TVs are designed so that only the component inputs are capable of higher resolutions. For example, to use higher resolution on my Nintendo GameCube, I would have to purchase the digital component cable... not a DVI cable.

Also, if you read the TV's manual, you'll find that they highly recommend that you do NOT connect a PC to your TV. I also noticed the DVI input on my Toshiba 57" and immediately got excited... until I read the manual and found they advise you not to connect a PC to the TV. Apparently, image burn-in is still a problem with projection TVs.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[jihiggs]

why dont you take the tampon out of your a$$ and rtfm and accept the fact that the tv wont do what you want you are obviously smarter than all hdtv manufacturers and you certanly know for a fact that a tv can accept larger resolutions, even though they cant.

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[dukeofcrydee]

I still haven't gone back to my friend's house so I haven't had a chance to read the manual yet. Reading that would've saved a lot of time last week, but to bad I was playing 2nd fiddle to another of his friends who was already helping him. I assumed he'd checked the manuals already before i got there.

I understand now that DVI from PC to TV doesn't jive. I assume they are different internally, and it seems I'm not likely to find a technical answer on this.

But what I'm wondering is why the DVI port is on the TV to begin with. HD decoders connect via DVI don't they?

 

[ytoledano]

This is stupid: Do only HDTVs have a component input? If not, will there be a difference in quality between component and composit when viewing something like an Xbox game?

<b>Buying Dell for tech-support is like buying Playboy for the articles.</b>

 

[dukeofcrydee]

Ahhh I knew the verbal poking would rile up the childish insults. Typical.

If you can get your blood pressure down a tad, maybe it'll sink in that I can't read the manual cause I'm not at his house. I think I mentioned this before.

And I accepted the fact that it won't work a loooong time ago. I merely stated that I didn't KNOW WHY!!! I said it looks like it SHOULD work...it obviously DOESN'T though...and I am wondering about the technical differences as to how come. Which a TV manual will NOT tell me. Holy crap man you're dense.

 

[dukeofcrydee]

There is a marked difference between component & composite. With video you have 3 levels of quality:

Composite - worst
S-Video - middle
Component - best

 

[jihiggs]

oh, your not at his house so you cant do anything, go to his house or get the manual from the website, take some responsibility damnit!!! there you go again! it should work!!! why? you think it should work, it doesnt, YOU ARE NOT SMARTER THAN WHOEVER DESIGNED THOSE PROTOCALS.

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[dukeofcrydee]

What the hell is wrong with you son? Ever think there's a good reason why I can't go over there and read the little manual.

And you're misunderstanding what I'm saying. When I say "it looks like it should work, but doesn't, so how come?" I don't mean I think there is a way to get it to work but I just can't figure it out.

What I mean is "the ports are the same so it seems it would work...but after testing, it doesn't....so knowing that it will never work I'm curious as to how the two ports are technically different."

Is that clearer for you? Initially I DID think there might be a workaround, but when hearing there wasn't, I just wanted to know the technical reasons why such similar ports can't communicate. I honestly think if I spoke that out loud you'd have gotten that, but reading the text can go both ways I guess. I moved on, while you kept reading that I was asking the same damned thing over and over.

F**k, I need a drink.

 

[jihiggs]

alcoholic..
you have anger issues. no daddy! dont beat me! sound familiar?

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[Zoron]

Actually, 640x480 could be considered HD... since regular TVs don't sport that kind of resolution. If you buy a component cable for your video game system... games that support the higher resolution will play at 640x480 (rather than normal TV resolution).

I believe your vid card MUST support HDTV output (720i or 1024i) in order to take advantage of it. I think most vid cards only support 640x480 when output is to the televsion.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[ytoledano]

Is there a component input on non-HDTV systems?

<b>Buying Dell for tech-support is like buying Playboy for the articles.</b>

 

[Zoron]

I've never seen component input on non-HDTV systems... but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Likely, it doesn't, since the component input is what makes the higher resolutions possible... it would be almost useless on a regular resolution screen. (Most regular TVs have S-Video input)

The salesman explained that the component input provides a signal to each of the seperate color guns in a projection TV... much like the BNC connectors on high-end VGA monitors. I'm not absolutely sure one way or the other... but I definately notice a difference from watching TV (satellite with S-Video connection) and DVD (connected with component input). I even notice a difference from my old TV with S-Video... the component signal is so much sharper.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

 

[phial]

surely a 57" tv would have more than 640x480, you should just call up the manufacturer of the tv and find out

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[phial]

DAMN that would be sweet, to have even 1024x768 on a huge TV like that roflmao

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[Zoron]

I just thought of something else. IIRC, you can get a DVI to component output cable. That should allow you to pump the resolution up on the TV, provided the vid card supports it.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>