Posted: 3/4/2003 6:51:10 PM EDT
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Hey, I want to use my 55" rear projection TV as a monitor. Are there any video cards that will let me do that? Also, I want to pump my DVD-ROM through my surround system. Are there cards with Digital Audio Out that will let me plug in? Basically, I want to turn my computer into a component of my surround sound/tv system? Can it be done? How do? |
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No problem, just get a video card that has a TV-out jack. Those used to be horribly expensive but a nice up-to-date one can be had for a coupla hundred bucks. I went the other way 'round, though: Installed a TV tuner card in my computer, and connected a VCR to it as well. Thus the computer is not only the useful tool for work stuff, but also my entertainment center. Complete with VCR, CD and DVD player, TV, radio (web-based), two flat speakers, sub-woofer and 17" screen at 100Hz. MP3s and books live on the PocketPC, so I can also sit on the front porch listening to music and enjoying a good read. |
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a nice up-to-date one can be had for a coupla hundred bucks. Ouch! You need to shop at [url]www.newegg.com[/url]. They've got ATI Radeon cards with TV out for $74 and off-brand (brand name Sapphire, if I remember correctly) Radeon cards for $34. Often you'll see ATI cards with TV out for sale there for less than $40. The only problem we've had with those two is (like all of the other cards we've used, including Canopus and Leadtek), they default to PAL. I've never seen any documentation on how to change them to NTSC, and there are no jumpers on either card. Fortunately, we had a spare PAL TV and the projector we use them with supports PAL. If you happen to use Windows and their driver happens to be a version that works with the version of Windows you have, you might be able to switch them to NTSC.z |
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I highly recommend ATI cards. Yes you can get them cheap, but then you are just buying a cheap card. A cheap card will work bbut it will look like shit on such a large screen. Try to get at least 128Mb of DDR ram on the cards. More would be better since you want TV out. Also check the refresh rate and other attributes. I would expect to spend at least $200 Sgtar15 |
| My ATI All-In-Wonder has a Video Out jack, and Audio L and R out jacks. I run these to the VCR, then hook the VCR to the TV, turn on TV, turn on VCR, put TV on Channel 3, and turn VCR to AUX channel. At least, this worked when I was running Windows 98. XP won't let me do it. It shows everything up to the bootup screen, then the TV screen goes blank. |