[des1o]

I'm getting a new tv, and it has an HDMI port. I don't know if this is the right place to post this. I hope it is.

I want to go from my dell Inspiron 1000 laptop (with xp home) to my new tv which has a HDMI port. The tv is a sony bravia 32". I wish it had DVI, because I can easily find a VGA to dvi adapter. But do they make a VGA to HDMI adapters?

My instructor told me that a VGA port probably couldn't produce a signal strong enough to go into HDMI quality, but I don't know.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

[kiwiguy]

The converters are available as below, but as to the ability of your Dell to meet the HDMI resolution I have no idea.
http://www.startech.com/item/VGAHD2H...Converter.aspx

[Wino]

Not sure what model Sony bravia 32 you are getting, but all that I looked at had VGA (PC interface) along with the HDMI, S-video, etc., so picture to TV shouldn't be a problem. Sound on the other hand will be since your laptop doesn't have the proper sound ports. Although your laptop does have a mini earphone port, you may be able to get a 'Wye' adapter with mini male plug to standard RCA left(white)/right(red) for sound to TV......not sure how good though.

If all you want to do is use the 32" for a monitor and/or display and sound no biggie, you should be home free and would still get sound directly from laptop speakers.

[ChuckE]

All of the DVI to HDMI adapters I have seen are essentially just re-wiring to the equivalent pins. There are a few DVI pins, like the RGB-component analog ones, that there are no equivalent HDMI ones - those do not get used.

RGB-component, in some DVI connectors, is nothing like what is used with the VGA signals from a computer.

None of the VGA signals (all being analog) can get directly used with either DVI or HDMI signals, where all the signals are digital. If you find a converter to go from VGA (analog) to either DVI or HDMI, then there should a VGA-DVI or a VGA-HDMI converter. Especially since more and more video components are foregoing the DVI connectors in favor of the more capable and convenient HDMI connector.

So, my point is, if you believe that a VGA-DVI adapter has the "signal strong enough" (whatever that infers) for the DVI end, then it would work for a similar VGA-HDMI adapter. The signals used on DVI and HDMI are the same, they're just on different pins.

Like Wino said, the Sony Bravia should have a VGA connector. I had a 52" Bravia LCD , and it did. I now have a couple other LCD HDTVs and they all have VGA connectors, as well. Using the VGA input would be a lot less complicated, and with less complication the image clarity would be as good as it is going to get.

[JohnWill]

Actually, VGA being analog and DVI being digital, that conversion isn't as easy as swapping a few pins.

[ChuckE]

I said that. I never said that there was a pin to pin method to connect VGA to DVI or HDMI (both being digital, which I also said).

There may be converters to go from VGA to either of those two digital ends (and I do not know if they exist, but I will accept the possibility), but I said that if a VGAtoDVI converter exists, then there surely will be a VGAtoHDMI converter as well, since it is a basically just a connector and pin difference between those two digital ends (for most of the signals).

I am not saying that DVI=HDMI, since DVI has a possibility of RGB-component video with some configurations. And digital audio can also be on HDMI, where DVI has no audio component at all.

[JohnWill]

Just wanted to make sure the original poster understood this distinction.

[des1o]

Thanks for the help you guys.

I found a vga to vga cable to plug into the vga port on my new tv. for $15. There are two hdmi ports that are on the tv, and I hope I find a way to utilize them.

Does anybody know if anybody sells a converter box that will convert my analog channels to hd channels? A port for the cable and audio?

Thanks alot!

[ChuckE]

There are converters for all kinds of things, but you have to know just what it is you realistically want, and be able to describe it.

It is not realistic to think that just converting an analog signal to some digital format is going to make any improvement. At best, all you get is no better. Usually you get worse, since when converting anything to another thing, you will lose something.

If you are talking about converting your analog TV channels ... how do you propose to do that? First off, your don't. Since the analog TV signals will no longer be transmitted after February of 2009. If you subscribe to a cable TV signal, there is no end date, and you are only at the whims of the company you subscribe to. It will be up to them to give you whatever required converter box needed for the signal they are supplying down the wire. In the second place, there are already converter boxes available to convert the OTA (Over The Air) digital signal to be used with the older analog TVs. The government is already about to start sending out $40 discount coupons for the general public, to help offset the switch over. The coupons will be for fairly basic converter boxes, since the government is not trying to upgrade you, just keep you current in an ever-changing world. The $40 coupon is generally for the people who can't afford much. If you want better, and can afford better, there will be quite a few high-priced converter boxes available. Check out https://www.dtv2009.gov/.

If you are talking about whatever analog equipment, you now have, to used in the future, well, whatever you have now, since it already works (I assume) will continue to work. In time, you will phase out that equipment. I would not consider converting the analog signals because of the probable loss I already talked about.

Whatever audio connects you currently have will also continue to work, again, no real reason to convert. Eventually you, and the rest of us, will be utilizing the fiber-optic digital audio connections that all new equipment seems to have (until something better comes along ).

As for your first wishful statement: "I hope I find a way to utilize [the two HDMI ports on your TV]". Currently, that is the best connection we have on our new equipment. Because of that, and since it is the direction that everyone seems to be heading (for now), then you will find that two HDMI connects soon may not be enough.

It is my guess, that just as the DVI connector fell out of favor, for the smaller, better, and more capable HDMI connector (and DVI sure became passé rapidly too, didn't it?); I would guess that HDMI will be replaced by something else. What is that something else? I would venture a guess that fiber-optics will probably be the way that all physically connected signals will go. Since fiber-optic handles digital data, and all video and even audio signals are converted to digital form now, I think firer-optic will be great. Plus, fiber-optic has data rates and bandwidth capability far superior to copper wire. Even the connectors for fiber-optic can be smaller than the fairly small HDMI, which is much smaller than the DVI it replaced.

Notice, I even qualified that prior statement with "all physically connected signals" because, I think that short range WiFi may be the way all communicable devices will connect in the future. It may not be todays definition of WiFi either, but some form of wireless. There are new standards of Bluetooth that are being talked about that will be very capable and much lower power consuming than currently available.

It is getting better, all the time. I can't wait for the next century!

[geordacious]

Hi all, just thought id add my 2 cents.
im in similar situation. i have a 42" samsung 1080i and have been lookin to link to my pc because the ps3 lacks codec support for many files. HDMI from what ive heard would be a waste of time and money because of the inbuilt copy protection which may stop some files from playing on top of the fact that HDMI is very lossy over 2m length. im waiting for the 10m vga cable i ordered to arrive so i cant tell u yet how it goes but as vga goes to very high res (my monitor is running at 1600x1200, less than 1080i but ive seen higher running on vga) and has very low loss over distance, i think vga is the way to go. HDMI is only good for High Def TV to HD PVR or HD console (PS3) etc.
please correct me if im wrong but from what ive read and seen straight VGA is the best option.

[ChuckE]

HDMI cables are not "lossy." The signal carried on HDMI is all digital. If you can get a signal of any reasonable strength down the end of it, it will work fine. Yes, there is a length where the signal does get too low because of the length, but lengths of 10 meters (over 30 feet) is handled often, if the need were there. Just get good cables that have larger gage wire and are properly shielded and the signal attenuation will be unimportant. There are cables with amplifiers that can be bought that can send a good signal to over 150 meters.

The VGA signal is lossy, and as the length of the cable grows then cross transference of signal (between wires) and the capacitance of the extended lengths will "round off" the preferred sharp edges of a clean VGA signal starts blurring the image on the screen using that VGA signal.

I don't know where the reasonable length of the VGA cable might be, but that again will be determined by the quality (especially shielding) of the cable you buy. When you get your 10 meter VGA cable, report to us how well it works.

[geordacious]

sorry forgot to add, that is unless you are willing to spend BIG $$$$$ on a high quality HDMI cable. And of course because its the new technology all the extras are pricey too ( switches etc).

[JohnWill]

HDMI technology has been designed to accommodate long copper cables at lengths up to 15 meters (50 feet) without the use of HDMI amplifiers or repeaters.