View Full Version : dvd- computer to tv
colonelcus
17-02-2002, 16:01
I need some help...
Is it possible to play a dvd on your computer but watch it on the telly..
i have a dvd rom drive and i want to watch dvd's on my telly.
I could buy a dvd player but if i can buy a better graphics card with a tvout can i connect it to my telly and play them through my computer,,:confused:
yes, just get a graphics card with TV Out - usually a s-video socket, then all you need is a s-video (or s-video to scart) lead to connect it up the the tv.
Or get a DVD decoder card with TV out. Like the one Creative do based on the Hollywood+ chipset.
Originally posted by colonelcus
I need some help...
Is it possible to play a dvd on your computer but watch it on the telly..
i have a dvd rom drive and i want to watch dvd's on my telly.
I could buy a dvd player but if i can buy a better graphics card with a tvout can i connect it to my telly and play them through my computer,,:confused:
Yes, although I don't know of any that do RGB. However S-video is almost as good so it's not a big deal IMO (just make sure that you get one that offers S-video, and not just composite video).
They can be bought for as little as £20 right up to hundreds.
Sound is another matter though. If you are happy with stereo, then it's simple enough - just cable up the line out on your soundcard. Multichannel will require a sound card that supports it (the cheaper ones decode it in software, but still need the six channel output, while things like the SB Audigy do DD in hardware on the card). Problem is though, that this hogs the line out on your soundcard so you can't use it for anything else.
Another option is to keep the video card you already have, and but something like the Hollywood Plus card, for about £40ish.
This does the video decoding on the card, and has composite/S-video outputs, as well as stereo sound output (but only for DVDs and files played through the accompanying software - DVD Station).
It also has a coax SPDIF digital audio output for feeding DD/DTS to a suitable AV amp if you have one are considering one in the future.
colonelcus
17-02-2002, 16:31
couldn't see the point in spending money on a dvd player when i already have one..i am looking to update my computer anyway so i thought the best way to start was the graphics card with tv out so i can link it to the telly, anyone got any recommendations as to which one i buy, been told geforce are good :confused:
yeah best bet is the mpeg cards, like the creative ones, u also get coax digital out with them and u can buy a remote control aswell
Ooops mistimed post, any dont buy a geforce based card for the tvout, ati have the best tvout setup and they are pretty good with games too, get a radeon 7500 they are damn good.
Sound is another matter though. If you are happy with stereo, then it's simple enough - just cable up the line out on your soundcard. Multichannel will require a sound card that supports it (the cheaper ones decode it in software, but still need the six channel output, while things like the SB Audigy do DD in hardware on the card). Problem is though, that this hogs the line out on your soundcard so you can't use it for anything else.
The audigy does not do hardware dd or dts btw.
cheers
Originally posted by wassap
Ooops mistimed post, any dont buy a geforce based card for the tvout, ati have the best tvout setup and they are pretty good with games too, get a radeon 7500 they are damn good.
The audigy does not do hardware dd or dts btw.
cheers
According to Creative Labs it does.
High Definition Audio Quality Beyond Home Theater
24-bit / 100dB SNR - Experience high definition audio quality surpassing high-end home theater receivers.
Dolby® Digital Decoding - Enjoy true 5.1 multi-channel playback in music, games and movies with on-board Dolby Digital decoding capabilities. No need for a separate decoder!
Still, whether that means it's done fully on the soundcard or not is a bit vague - it may use the main CPU as well.
Bapapapa
18-02-2002, 00:23
Sod doing all that. :rolleyes:
Just wander down to Tescos or Safeway and pick up a nice shiny multiregion player for £100. It's far less hassle, you get a remote control and you don't have to listen above a noisy PC either.
Cable Monkey
18-02-2002, 09:36
Assuming you don't want to do away with your monitor, the hollywood+ card is a very good solution for DVD playback. I just ressurected my card and downloaded the latest drivers and was impressed with the results. I had only previously watched it via a composite adaptor into a 10 year old 21inch tv. Into my widescreen via Svideo, the results matched my Sony player for quality. The noise a pc generates is a disadvantage, but it will comfortably outperform a budget player in terms of picture capability, and at least match sound capability.
colonelcus
18-02-2002, 16:15
Thanks to all for your help, think i will be at manchester computer fair this weekend buying an ati graphics card, radeon 7500 sounds good but i will ask a bit more when i get there, and weigh up a few prices...
Thanks again everyone...
Marcus..:nuts:
Originally posted by Bapapapa
Sod doing all that. :rolleyes:
Just wander down to Tescos or Safeway and pick up a nice shiny multiregion player for £100. It's far less hassle, you get a remote control and you don't have to listen above a noisy PC either.
You know it makes sense :)
If your outputting a DVD signal from PC to TV there is no other option but to get a Hollywood Plus card if you want the best. They cost about £40. The good thing about doing this is you get a progressive scan signal as PC's using progressive decoding by nature. :D
Er, but as soon as you output a s-video signal its interlaced again. To get the "progressive by definition" advantage of a computer you either have to be using a moniter or a projector with a vga in, which from the computers point of view is just a moniter as well :). As long as you have a utility to turn off the underscan and aliasing filtering which tv-outs do to combat the overscan and interlaced nature of tv's, and so you can set the "perfect" resolutions of 720x480 and 720x576, theres no advantage in using a hollywood card over a software decoder and standard tv-out for film based stuff, but a hollywood card does have a big advantage for any interlaced source (or shot on film but edited at the field level stuff, like several tv series), in that it can sync the fields to the interlacing properly, which a software player + tv-out can't do because the interlaced nature of the output is hidden from the player, while the inherently interlaced nature of the source is hidden from the tv-out.
Just get a stand alone player,I started with a dvd rom drive 10m s-video and stereo sound,you soon get cheesed off with it,the PC is noisy or in the wrong place,as soon as you build up a collection of dvds you'll soon get fed up with the hassle of a pc.
The other problem is multiregion it's not as easy to make a PC drive multiregion.
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