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Quick DVI --> HDMI / VGA question

TL DRTL DR Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
edited November 2008 in Help / Advice Forum
So my video card has two outputs, one VGA and one DVI. I currently have my TV hooked up as my primary monitor via VGA, and I am looking to add another monitor.

Question: Is there any difference between getting a DVI -> HDMI adapter vs. a DVI -> HDMI adapter? My TV has inputs for both, and I'm just curious. Would I also need some kind of audio -> HDMI adapter as well?

Thanks.

TL DR on

Posts

  • ElJeffeElJeffe Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited November 2008
    Do you mean DVI->HDMI vs VGA->HDMI? If so, yes - a VGA signal is analog while a DVI signal is digital. The latter will be better. If you mean to ask about DVI vs HDMI, no, the signals are basically the same. HDMI is basically DVI + digital audio.

    If your monitor is to be used for sound, you'd need some sort of output from the sound card to the TV, but it wouldn't be HDMI. Probably composite via some sort of adapter.

    ElJeffe on
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  • InfidelInfidel Heretic Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    You would want to go DVI -> HDMI, yes, assuming the question you intended is like ElJeffe says.

    For the audio, there are some modules out there that can convert DVI + audio to HDMI, but it's an external box and it's not really going to make things any cleaner than just running the video over a HDMI cable and audio over SPDIF straight from the computer imo. That's what I do, our TV and receiver both have inputs for TOSLink optical digital audio which will pair up with our HDMI input.

    Infidel on
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  • TL DRTL DR Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
    edited November 2008
    My computer has VGA and DVI output. I'm using the VGA for one monitor, and going to connect the DVI to my TV, which will require adapting from DVI to either HDMI or VGA. The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards VGA, since I want the TV to play my computer's sound as well, and the VGA input channel also has a 3.5mm stereo input. I was just making sure there wasn't a huge difference in picture quality first.

    TL DR on
  • DeShadowCDeShadowC Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    DVI won't output sound so DVI to VGA still wouldn't have sound. You're better off DVI to HDMI so as not to lose picture quality.

    DeShadowC on
  • InfidelInfidel Heretic Registered User regular
    edited November 2008
    Yeah, does your computer only have a single stereo 3.5mm jack for audio output? You're better off using SPDIF and HDMI if you have it by far.

    Infidel on
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  • TL DRTL DR Not at all confident in his reflexive opinions of thingsRegistered User regular
    edited November 2008
    That answers my question. I thought that the HDMI input didn't have a separate audio input on the same channel, since that was the case with S-video on my last TV.

    Thanks guys.

    TL DR on
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