A friend told me he hooked his mac mini to his 40" HDTV and it looked awesome. I just hooked my mini to my 27" HDTV and I agree with my friend. It looks very good. Now I have a large monitor for my mini.

I just use DVI to VGA to connect. HDMI cables cost $100!!!!! I might try DVI to HDMI if I win the lottery.

Still trying to talk the girlfriend into hooking up her comp to her 42" plasma screen.

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Might be good when using a computer to watch videos or play games.
Otherwise, would it be particularly necessary?

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Might be good when using a computer to watch videos or play games.
Otherwise, would it be particularly necessary?

Your thinking energy consumption right? Yeah I suppose smaller is more green but in my case at least my screen has replaced my television. Other than the occasional live broadcast, my TV has been OFF since I got this computer.

For me it's the sight and sound experience that I love! SO couple a great big TV with a cordless keyboard and mouse.........and a comfy chair or couch and I'm off for hours! Next up ...... Suround Sound!

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I sort of look at it like I'm saving resources in a way. I have a tv that doubles as a monitor. Saves me from comsuming the planets resources for an extra monitor.

I love kicking back with wireless and watching YouTube on the big screen.

I sort of look at it like I'm saving resources in a way. I have a tv that doubles as a monitor. Saves me from comsuming the planets resources for an extra monitor.

I love kicking back with wireless and watching YouTube on the big screen.

Check the wattage on your device before saying that it's green. LCD's are low wattage, but Plasma's use about 250 watts or better on average. That's more the most computers.

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all the extra gamin graphics would be good

simialrly you can hook your game consoles up to your PC, but that sucks

I sort of look at it like I'm saving resources in a way. I have a tv that doubles as a monitor. Saves me from comsuming the planets resources for an extra monitor.

I love kicking back with wireless and watching YouTube on the big screen.

Check the wattage on your device before saying that it's green. LCD's are low wattage, but Plasma's use about 250 watts or better on average. That's more the most computers.

I've heard the Plasma is going the way of the Dodo. LCD is making huge advances.

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A friend told me he hooked his mac mini to his 40" HDTV and it looked awesome. I just hooked my mini to my 27" HDTV and I agree with my friend. It looks very good. Now I have a large monitor for my mini.

I just use DVI to VGA to connect. HDMI cables cost $100!!!!! I might try DVI to HDMI if I win the lottery.

You have to shop for those cables.. otherwise you get ripped...
See this:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/2/19/7116
or Google Hdmi cables....

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A friend told me he hooked his mac mini to his 40" HDTV and it looked awesome. I just hooked my mini to my 27" HDTV and I agree with my friend. It looks very good. Now I have a large monitor for my mini.

I just use DVI to VGA to connect. HDMI cables cost $100!!!!! I might try DVI to HDMI if I win the lottery.

You have to shop for those cables.. otherwise you get ripped...
See this:
http://arstechnica.com/journals/thumbs.ars/2007/2/19/7116
or Google Hdmi cables....

...tell me about it.

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Does anyone know if there's a device to convert standard 480 signals to hi-def 720 signals? I mean for like from the sat receiver to the TV. Many native 720 LCD TVs have bad standard def quality.

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Does anyone know if there's a device to convert standard 480 signals to hi-def 720 signals? I mean for like from the sat receiver to the TV. Many native 720 LCD TVs have bad standard def quality.

HHHMMMM???? Not sure what you mean, A/C? If you are looking to play normal DVD's on HD tv's then there are tonnes of "upconverting" players out there. They will take 480i, 480p and 720p and convert them to "NEAR" 1080i resolution. If you mean taking a raw (right out of the wall) lower signal and converting to a higher signal to be played on an LCD I'm not sure.

Or maybe I don't have a clue what yer talkin' 'bout!!
lol

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Does anyone know if there's a device to convert standard 480 signals to hi-def 720 signals? I mean for like from the sat receiver to the TV. Many native 720 LCD TVs have bad standard def quality.

HHHMMMM???? Not sure what you mean, A/C? If you are looking to play normal DVD's on HD tv's then there are tonnes of "upconverting" players out there. They will take 480i, 480p and 720p and convert them to "NEAR" 1080i resolution. If you mean taking a raw (right out of the wall) lower signal and converting to a higher signal to be played on an LCD I'm not sure.

Or maybe I don't have a clue what yer talkin' 'bout!!
lol

I have a DVD player that will upconvert standard 480 signals to my LCD TV's native 720 resolution. The results are nice. The problem is watching 480 TV signals, or other input sources that aren't upconverted. And the 480 signals on the 720 screen look terrible. There are some hi-def channels, but most of the channels on satellite TV are still standard 480. So basically I'm looking for something I can connect between source and TV that will upconvert to 720p signal.

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A friend told me he hooked his mac mini to his 40" HDTV and it looked awesome. I just hooked my mini to my 27" HDTV and I agree with my friend. It looks very good. Now I have a large monitor for my mini.

I just use DVI to VGA to connect. HDMI cables cost $100!!!!! I might try DVI to HDMI if I win the lottery.

There is no need to win the lottery to buy DVI/HDMI cables. Those $100 cables are snake-oil.

I have a bunch of them, none of which I paid more than $8 for.

http://www.monoprice.com

Seriously, Monoprice is the "Newegg" for small stuff like cables. Their ratings speak for itself.

As a very early HDTV adopter, I say that DVI/HDMI, as far as general video goes, is a gimmick, anyway. If consumers came first, everything would simply just use component. Yes, I know that component is analog and that is the whole point. The powers that be want to keep the signal digital all the way until the light leaves your TV not because they want you to have a pretty picture but because they want complete control.

I have a DVD player that will upconvert standard 480 signals to my LCD TV's native 720 resolution. The results are nice. The problem is watching 480 TV signals, or other input sources that aren't upconverted. And the 480 signals on the 720 screen look terrible. There are some hi-def channels, but most of the channels on satellite TV are still standard 480. So basically I'm looking for something I can connect between source and TV that will upconvert to 720p signal.

Yep, as you have discovered, your HDTV is physically "too good" for SD 480i/p signals. SD simply doesn't carry enough information to make full use out of all the physical lines on your HDTV. This is a common "complaint" about HDTV's.

Upconverting, line-doubling, combing, etc all ways to help around the limitation of SD on HDTV's. I consider them all "voodoo" though. Necessary "voodoo" before HD is the common standard (15 to 20 years from now, SD isn't going away completely anytime soon).

There isn't much you can do with 480 on an HD screen except turn the sharpness down and get used to it.

I bought my first HDTV (CRT) many years ago, but later got an EDTV (plasma). EDTV's are a better physical match for 480p, but whether that translates into "better picture" for your eyeballs is subjective. I find that it does for me, while others don't care for the larger pixels...

I have a DVD player that will upconvert standard 480 signals to my LCD TV's native 720 resolution. The results are nice. The problem is watching 480 TV signals, or other input sources that aren't upconverted. And the 480 signals on the 720 screen look terrible. There are some hi-def channels, but most of the channels on satellite TV are still standard 480. So basically I'm looking for something I can connect between source and TV that will upconvert to 720p signal.

Yep, as you have discovered, your HDTV is physically "too good" for SD 480i/p signals. SD simply doesn't carry enough information to make full use out of all the physical lines on your HDTV. This is a common "complaint" about HDTV's.

Upconverting, line-doubling, combing, etc all ways to help around the limitation of SD on HDTV's. I consider them all "voodoo" though. Necessary "voodoo" before HD is the common standard (15 to 20 years from now, SD isn't going away completely anytime soon).

There isn't much you can do with 480 on an HD screen except turn the sharpness down and get used to it.

I bought my first HDTV (CRT) many years ago, but later got an EDTV (plasma). EDTV's are a better physical match for 480p, but whether that translates into "better picture" for your eyeballs is subjective. I find that it does for me, while others don't care for the larger pixels...

Damn, I thought that there might be a way to upscale the signal somehow, like with some sort little external box or something. I've tried everything to try to get rid of the artifacts when watching standard signals but they're still there.

The thing that bothers me is that satellite providers want you to pay them to provide you the HD stuff. It doesn't make sense to me. I mean many of the new widescreen TVs have a native 720p or higher resolution. They charge extra money to provide you with the natural resolution of your TV :O.

I could try using a HTPC. Maybe I can find some way to get the broadcast signal to 720p via computer input/output to TV. :)

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I have a DVD player that will upconvert standard 480 signals to my LCD TV's native 720 resolution. The results are nice. The problem is watching 480 TV signals, or other input sources that aren't upconverted. And the 480 signals on the 720 screen look terrible. There are some hi-def channels, but most of the channels on satellite TV are still standard 480. So basically I'm looking for something I can connect between source and TV that will upconvert to 720p signal.

Yep, as you have discovered, your HDTV is physically "too good" for SD 480i/p signals. SD simply doesn't carry enough information to make full use out of all the physical lines on your HDTV. This is a common "complaint" about HDTV's.

Upconverting, line-doubling, combing, etc all ways to help around the limitation of SD on HDTV's. I consider them all "voodoo" though. Necessary "voodoo" before HD is the common standard (15 to 20 years from now, SD isn't going away completely anytime soon).

There isn't much you can do with 480 on an HD screen except turn the sharpness down and get used to it.

I bought my first HDTV (CRT) many years ago, but later got an EDTV (plasma). EDTV's are a better physical match for 480p, but whether that translates into "better picture" for your eyeballs is subjective. I find that it does for me, while others don't care for the larger pixels...

Damn, I thought that there might be a way to upscale the signal somehow, like with some sort little external box or something. I've tried everything to try to get rid of the artifacts when watching standard signals but they're still there.

The thing that bothers me is that satellite providers want you to pay them to provide you the HD stuff. It doesn't make sense to me. I mean many of the new widescreen TVs have a native 720p or higher resolution. They charge extra money to provide you with the natural resolution of your TV :O.

I could try using a HTPC. Maybe I can find some way to get the broadcast signal to 720p via computer input/output to TV. :)

Hi,

There are standalone boxes out there that will upconvert, er "upscale" is probably the better word, 480i/p to 720p or 1080i. How well they actually work varies, of course. A 480 signal, no matter what, doesn't carry enough information for a physical 720/1080 screen, so some sort of compensation "voodoo" has to come into play.

Most devices (HDTV's, STB's, etc) have the ability to upscale, anyway, these days. Both my HDTV and (cable) STB are capable of upscaling 480i/p to 720p or 1080i. My eyes find it better to just use 480p on the HDTV than upscale using either though.

I've read a few reviews of (SD) DVD players that have the ability to upscale and do it fairly well, but don't have one. 480p from my (SD) DVD players is fine enough for me for now. I'll just save my cash for a HD-DVD player after more titles are available. My thinking is that HD-DVD will probably settle as the "living room" DVD player, while BluRay will become more of a computer medium. Either way, I hope both get rewritable sooner than later (HD-DVDRW, BluRayRW). The powers that be won't make that easy though. DVI-HDCP and HDMI weren't necessarily geared just to ensure that you get the "best picture possible", but so content can be controlled up until it leaves as light off your TV screen. If consumers came first, we'd be able to just use component for everything -- and be able to control it as we wish. I would have bought a D-VHS (HD) player years ago if they had component in for recording. The powers that be have successfully gotten their flocks to chant the mantra "Digital is better!" (for a freaking three foot run) to the point that they are willing to run out to their local Worst Buy to buy $100 Mobster Cables.

Yep, I'm not surprised at your satellite co nickel and diming there. Cable co's are no better. I have TW, which doesn't charge extra for their HD box and a small amount of extra (HD) channels, but then tiers on worthless HD channels. The small few that I get are the only ones that I care about though (i.e., Discovery HD Theater). I don't watch much TV, anyway, as it's not the quantity that rubs me but the quality. Most of it just plain sucks. Endless stupid talk shows, court shows, infomercials!

TW is worthless for the local HD channels as well. They compress the hell out of them. I just use an ATSC tuner, along with an outside HD antenna, for the local HD's. They are uncompressed coming OTA.

Cheers...

I'm going to get a all projector. We have one at work and it uses both a computer or a TV signal, it can use HD from a cable. Plus it's fun to use a gyro mouse with a first person shooter and dive around tables and desks! Way cheaper than buying a HD tv right now plus if the color starts to fade you probably just need to re-paint your white wall, not get a whole new ( and expensive ) tv/projector

I'm going to get a all projector. We have one at work and it uses both a computer or a TV signal, it can use HD from a cable. Plus it's fun to use a gyro mouse with a first person shooter and dive around tables and desks! Way cheaper than buying a HD tv right now plus if the color starts to fade you probably just need to re-paint your white wall, not get a whole new ( and expensive ) tv/projector

Or a $300 - $800 bulb!

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I have a DVD player that will upconvert standard 480 signals to my LCD TV's native 720 resolution. The results are nice. The problem is watching 480 TV signals, or other input sources that aren't upconverted. And the 480 signals on the 720 screen look terrible. There are some hi-def channels, but most of the channels on satellite TV are still standard 480. So basically I'm looking for something I can connect between source and TV that will upconvert to 720p signal.

Yep, as you have discovered, your HDTV is physically "too good" for SD 480i/p signals. SD simply doesn't carry enough information to make full use out of all the physical lines on your HDTV. This is a common "complaint" about HDTV's.

Upconverting, line-doubling, combing, etc all ways to help around the limitation of SD on HDTV's. I consider them all "voodoo" though. Necessary "voodoo" before HD is the common standard (15 to 20 years from now, SD isn't going away completely anytime soon).

There isn't much you can do with 480 on an HD screen except turn the sharpness down and get used to it.

I bought my first HDTV (CRT) many years ago, but later got an EDTV (plasma). EDTV's are a better physical match for 480p, but whether that translates into "better picture" for your eyeballs is subjective. I find that it does for me, while others don't care for the larger pixels...

Damn, I thought that there might be a way to upscale the signal somehow, like with some sort little external box or something. I've tried everything to try to get rid of the artifacts when watching standard signals but they're still there.

The thing that bothers me is that satellite providers want you to pay them to provide you the HD stuff. It doesn't make sense to me. I mean many of the new widescreen TVs have a native 720p or higher resolution. They charge extra money to provide you with the natural resolution of your TV :O.

I could try using a HTPC. Maybe I can find some way to get the broadcast signal to 720p via computer input/output to TV. :)

Hi,

There are standalone boxes out there that will upconvert, er "upscale" is probably the better word, 480i/p to 720p or 1080i. How well they actually work varies, of course. A 480 signal, no matter what, doesn't carry enough information for a physical 720/1080 screen, so some sort of compensation "voodoo" has to come into play.

Most devices (HDTV's, STB's, etc) have the ability to upscale, anyway, these days. Both my HDTV and (cable) STB are capable of upscaling 480i/p to 720p or 1080i. My eyes find it better to just use 480p on the HDTV than upscale using either though.

I've read a few reviews of (SD) DVD players that have the ability to upscale and do it fairly well, but don't have one. 480p from my (SD) DVD players is fine enough for me for now. I'll just save my cash for a HD-DVD player after more titles are available. My thinking is that HD-DVD will probably settle as the "living room" DVD player, while BluRay will become more of a computer medium. Either way, I hope both get rewritable sooner than later (HD-DVDRW, BluRayRW). The powers that be won't make that easy though. DVI-HDCP and HDMI weren't necessarily geared just to ensure that you get the "best picture possible", but so content can be controlled up until it leaves as light off your TV screen. If consumers came first, we'd be able to just use component for everything -- and be able to control it as we wish. I would have bought a D-VHS (HD) player years ago if they had component in for recording. The powers that be have successfully gotten their flocks to chant the mantra "Digital is better!" (for a freaking three foot run) to the point that they are willing to run out to their local Worst Buy to buy $100 Mobster Cables.

Yep, I'm not surprised at your satellite co nickel and diming there. Cable co's are no better. I have TW, which doesn't charge extra for their HD box and a small amount of extra (HD) channels, but then tiers on worthless HD channels. The small few that I get are the only ones that I care about though (i.e., Discovery HD Theater). I don't watch much TV, anyway, as it's not the quantity that rubs me but the quality. Most of it just plain sucks. Endless stupid talk shows, court shows, infomercials!

TW is worthless for the local HD channels as well. They compress the hell out of them. I just use an ATSC tuner, along with an outside HD antenna, for the local HD's. They are uncompressed coming OTA.

Cheers...

I haven't been able to find a standalone box that upscales. I found a Denon receiver that does upscaling with different sources though. Pretty pricey. There's also two satellite receivers, one for DirecTV, and one for Dish that will upscale (?). That's what they say.

The Sony DVD player I have upscales real nice to 720p. If they allowed people to use their own receivers with integrated upscaling instead of their junk it would get rid of problem of bad looking 480 signals on higher resolution TVs.

Oh on the thread subject. I just checked the manual for my Panasonic LCD TV and it says the HDMI input isn't meant for computers. I'm thinking about trying it anyways.

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