One PC to LCD TV and Monitor w/Audio?

[Albert]

Thanks for the responses so far. If there is no one card to do this,
what is my best solution with two or three cards?

Goal is to connect a single PC to a LCD TV and a Computer Monitor,
with the following abilities....

1. Use just the Computer Monitor as a PC with audio.
2. Use just the LCD TV as the Monitor with audio.
3. Have mirroed image on the Computer Monitor and LCD TV with audio.

Would a dual DVI video card running to each work for video? Will dual
video cards allow you to display one or the other?

For the audio possibly use the motherboard audio connecting to one
monitor, and a 2nd sound card connecting to another work?

What is the best solution to date for what I want to do.

 

[Dave]

Thanks for the responses so far. If there is no one card to do this,
what is my best solution with two or three cards?

Goal is to connect a single PC to a LCD TV and a Computer Monitor,
with the following abilities....

1. Use just the Computer Monitor as a PC with audio.
Simple

2. Use just the LCD TV as the Monitor with audio.

Simple, depending on what video inputs you have on the LCD TV, and what
resolutions your video card can output.

3. Have mirrored image on the Computer Monitor and LCD TV with audio.

No problem. Any nvidia video card (or cards) can handle this. Would be
surprised if competing ATI cards can't do it, also. In nvidia software it's
called clone something or other. Just set up two monitors through the
control panel, make sure both are recognized, then tell the nvidia software
that you want to clone the displays.

Would a dual DVI video card running to each work for video?

Do you have DVI inputs on both monitor and TV?

Will dual
video cards allow you to display one or the other?

Why choose one or the other. You can clone them and have them running
simultaneously. The video card (any current video card) won't slow down
noticeably doing so. If it's electricity you are worried about, just power
off (with the hardware switch) whatever display is not being used.

For the audio possibly use the motherboard audio connecting to one
monitor, and a 2nd sound card connecting to another work?

That won't work. You can NOT have two sound cards on one system. They will
conflict with each other. Luckily, there is an easier solution:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103870
You don't have to buy it at Rat Shack, just used the link above to
illustrate what you need. It will work fine, but audio level will be
slightly attenuated. This just means you have to turn up the volume on the
monitor or TV a little, or just turn up the volume on the Windows taskbar
volume control a little.

What is the best solution to date for what I want to do.

Not an easy answer. If one video card will work, I'd suggest a Geforce
9600GT:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814145158
But this assumes that your TV (especially) has DVI input. It's not a good
idea to use a DVI and VGA (D-Sub) running off of the same video card.

If your TV doesn't have DVI input, then you are looking at Two Video cards,
and possibly a new motherboard. OR, a new motherboard and a new video card.
Not to confuse you too much, but there are motherboards out now that have
built-in HD resolution video cards (that actually perform pretty well) and
still offer PCI-Express slots. The neat thing is, you don't have to use one
or the other. Both nvidia and AMD/ATI have mainboard chipsets now that
allow you to use the motherboard to display video on one monitor, and an
add-in PCI-Express video card to display video on the other monitor. With
one monitor, you can even hybrid crossfire/sli the two GPUs (one on the
motherboard).

So depending on which way you want to go, you could either get a straight
SLI support motherboard with two 9600GT
Or, you could do something like this (for an AMD solution):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813186141 PLUS:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102792
Note that both the motherboard and video card support HDMI, but you won't
want to use it. The reason is, you can only have sound through one or the
other (not both). And if you patch the sound through one HDMI port somehow,
that will likely disable analog sound out to any other component. Or in
other words, your TV might have sound, but your monitor won't.

Another option is an HDMI "Y" adapter. But I have no idea how well this
will work, as it would depend on your monitor and TV running at the EXACT
same resolution. Do your TV and LCD monitor have the exact same native
resolution? Unlikely. -Dave

 

[Albert]

Dave,

Thanks for the nice reply.

Yes the PC Monitor and TV have the same resolution. I have a 24" PC
Monitor and 1080 LCD TV, so they both will support 1920 x 1200.

Confused as to how your 2 video card solution can clone the display on
both? Also with your split audio cable wouldn't the sound always come
out of the TV, even if watching a TV station, and if the computer was
on?

Both my PC Monitor and the LCD TV have HDMI ports, no DVI. So ideally
I was hoping on being able to run HDMI cables that would include audio
to both the TV and the PC Monitor. But from my original email doesn't
seem like that type of card is available.

It does seem buying a dual port DVI video card, putting in a couple
HDMI adapters and running it to both the TV and the PC Monitor is easy
and would work. I guess the audio is my only concern. The built in
audio on the sound card I would think would play in both devices or
neither, but I could not control it in one or the other?

Last question what does it mean if the video card is HDCP Ready, is
that what I need for what I am doing?

Thanks again.

 

[SteveH]

Thanks for the responses so far. If there is no one card to do this,
what is my best solution with two or three cards?

Goal is to connect a single PC to a LCD TV and a Computer Monitor,
with the following abilities....

1. Use just the Computer Monitor as a PC with audio.
2. Use just the LCD TV as the Monitor with audio.
3. Have mirroed image on the Computer Monitor and LCD TV with audio.

Would a dual DVI video card running to each work for video? Will dual
video cards allow you to display one or the other?

For the audio possibly use the motherboard audio connecting to one
monitor, and a 2nd sound card connecting to another work?

What is the best solution to date for what I want to do.

I've got a Radeon 4850 that does just that.

 

[Dave]

I've got a Radeon 4850 that does just that.

Does it support TWO HDMI though? On one Radeon 4850??? -Dave

 

[Dave]

Dave,

Thanks for the nice reply.

Yes the PC Monitor and TV have the same resolution. I have a 24" PC
Monitor and 1080 LCD TV, so they both will support 1920 x 1200.
NICE!


Confused as to how your 2 video card solution can clone the display on
both?

Well the only time I've done this, it was handled by the nvidia software
(driver). Not really the driver, but the extra software that you can
install with the driver. IF you install the whole nvidia software package
(which includes the video card driver) then you should have some extra
nvidia controls attached to the control panel display applet. You might
have to go to advanced display properties to see it (from memory). Anyway,
you will have to go there anyway (likely) to specify that you have a "TV"
connected to one of your video cards. That is, unless your TV also has a
"driver" so it can be recognized as a PC display. Once you've got the TV
working as a monitor, then you just tell the nvidia software that you want
to clone the display. I've only tried this with a single video card, but it
should work just as easy with two video cards. I can't imagine why they'd
disable that function just because you've doubled the hardware.

Also with your split audio cable wouldn't the sound always come
out of the TV, even if watching a TV station, and if the computer was
on?

No, if you connect the "Y" adapter stereo 1/8" plug to the (front speakers)
output of your audio card or motherboard, you will have to SOMEHOW then run
the audio from one of the two outputs over to the TV. You will need to
connect the other end of the cable to an analog audio input *that
corresponds to whatever HDMI input you use on the TV*. On my HDTV, the
HDMI input is paired with ordinary "RCA" style stereo audio inputs. Anyway,
in order to see/hear the computer on the HDMI input of the TV you'd have to
select the HDMI input, or select something like "HDMI 2" or something like
that. Your TV will be using a different input when you watch "TV"
programming. You'll just have to figure out which button on the TV remote
to hit to switch back and forth from "Computer" to TV. If it's like many
remote controls, that button would be labelled "input".

Both my PC Monitor and the LCD TV have HDMI ports, no DVI. So ideally
I was hoping on being able to run HDMI cables that would include audio
to both the TV and the PC Monitor. But from my original email doesn't
seem like that type of card is available.

Someone else posted that their Radeon HD 4850 will do it. But I doubt that.
I think that they are confused. I haven't seen a video card with that chip
or any other chip that will output TWO HDMI. Most video cards have TWO DVI
outputs, where ONE of them can be used for HDMI with an adapter. Some video
cards actually have an HDMI output, but just one of them. Then there is the
sound issue, but I won't get into that.

It does seem buying a dual port DVI video card, putting in a couple
HDMI adapters and running it to both the TV and the PC Monitor is easy
and would work.

Nope. Unless I'm really confused (anything is possible) I haven't seen a
video card that will output more than ONE HDMI. You could always get a
second DVI to HDMI adapter to put on the 2nd DVI output that many video
cards have. But the way that the video cards are marketed, it seems (to me
at least) like this will not work. That is, unless I'm reading the
marketing information wrong, you can use an HDMI adapter with one specific
physical DVI connector only (but not the other one).

I guess the audio is my only concern.

The audio is the easy part. Ha Ha.

The built in
audio on the sound card I would think would play in both devices or
neither, but I could not control it in one or the other?

You don't need to control it. Set an initial volume out using the volume
control on the taskbar. From there, the volume control of your monitor and
TV is all you'll need to control it. Again, if you are watching TV, you
will be using a different programming source, so you won't hear audio from
the computer. Not through the TV, anyway.

Last question what does it mean if the video card is HDCP Ready, is
that what I need for what I am doing?

HDCP is a copy protection scheme. Having your video card HDCP ready means
that you could display high-def video over it, if the source is HDCP copy
protected AND the monitor/TV is HDCP ready. I don't think you'll need to
worry about this unless you add a blu-ray player to your PC. And in any
case, you won't need an HDCP ready video card unless your TV is also HDCP
ready. But I don't think (I could be wrong) that you will be able to buy a
new video card that is NOT HDCP ready.

Or that's a long-winded explanation for: HDCP ready is not a feature you
"need" for what you are planning to do, currently. But it's a nice feature
to have for future upgrade capability. -Dave

 

[SteveH]

Does it support TWO HDMI though? On one Radeon 4850??? -Dave

The o/p doesn't say he want dual HDMI though, does he?
But with what I've got (one 4850 with dual outputs), I can do what he
mentions above:

Conventional use of PC with 19" monitor using DVI, using X-Fi & speakers for
audio.
Use of PC with Sony Bravia via HDMI with audio coming from TV (we watch most
of our movies like this!)
Simulataneous use of TV and 19" monitor either cloned or stretched.

 

[Dave]

The o/p doesn't say he want dual HDMI though, does he?
Yup.

But with what I've got (one 4850 with dual outputs), I can do what he
mentions above:

Conventional use of PC with 19" monitor using DVI, using X-Fi & speakers
for audio.

OP says his 24" LCD monitor that he uses with his PC doesn't have DVI, just
HDMI. Same with the TV...no DVI, just HDMI.

Unless I read his posts wrong. -Dave

 

[SteveH]

OP says his 24" LCD monitor that he uses with his PC doesn't have
DVI, just HDMI. Same with the TV...no DVI, just HDMI.

Unless I read his posts wrong. -Dave

Oops, I didn't see his other post.
Can you actually get a monitor that only has HDMI then (well I suppose you
can if he has one)?

 

[Dave]

Oops, I didn't see his other post.
Can you actually get a monitor that only has HDMI then (well I suppose you
can if he has one)?

Good question. In a quick search of newegg, I did find one 24" LCD computer
monitor that had (TWO) HDMI inputs and no DVI inputs at all. But oddly, had
a D-Sub input.

It would make more sense to ditch the D-Sub and include at least one DVI
connector. But I confirmed that there are monitors in retail distribution
right now with no DVI connector. Bizarre, but there ya are... -Dave

 

[Albert]

Most video cards have TWO DVI outputs, where ONE of them
This surprised me. You can not put an HDMI adapter on both DVI ports
and run them to HDMI monitors or TVs? I realize the combined audio
would
not work since DVI does not support that capability. Don't understand
what a
DVI port that supports HDMI actually is, and how it differs from a DVI
port that
does not support HDMI?

 

[Dave]

This surprised me. You can not put an HDMI adapter on both DVI ports
and run them to HDMI monitors or TVs? I realize the combined audio
would
not work since DVI does not support that capability. Don't understand
what a
DVI port that supports HDMI actually is, and how it differs from a DVI
port that
does not support HDMI?

My guess...whatever is added for HDCP capability is probably expensive
enough that it's only connected to one DVI port to keep costs low? Just a
wild guess. -Dave