I am looking to purchase a new notebook and I want to make sure it is compatible with my InFocus SP 4805.

The SP4805 only has S-Video, M1-DA, or Component inputs.
Since S-Video isn't the best quality and Component-out on laptops is rare, I'm thinking I will have to use the M1-DA input on the SP4805.

Will the 4805 accept the DVI output from a laptop? I read one thread that said the 4805 could not accept DVI-I (only DVI-D).
How can I know if the DVI port on a notebook is DVI-D or DVI-I?
Do I need a special cable from InFocus to convert to M1-DA or can I pick it up anywhere?

Since laptops with DVI's tend to be more expensive, could I get away with having just a VGA-out port?
Is there a loss in quality vs a DVI port?
What type of cable converters would I need to go from VGA to M1-DA?

Thanks,
John

To get the best quality from the 4805 with a PC, you need to send it only 854x480 or 848x480. This is the native resolution of the 4805. Unfortunately, you can only do this via DVI/HDMI. The 4805 will not accept this resolution over VGA.

On my PC, I used a DVI->HDMI adapter. I then purchased an HDMI->M1-DA cable from Monoprice. The 4805 looks fantastic configured this way. It allows for 1:1 pixel mapping and allows the desktop to be clear and sharp. You will not get clear text using the VGA connection at any resolution greater than 640x480.

Thanks Troy,
Looks like a computer with a DVI port is essential.
I have one question about your setup, why did you go from DVI>HDMI>M1-DA? Couldn't you just have DVI>M1-DA?
I was thinking of using the InFocus SP-DVI-D Cable which states that it is a:
"M1 to DVI-D/USB cable
Projector side: M1-D (male)
Source side: DVI-D (male), USB-A"

Could I use this? Or is there some advantage to having your setup?

I used the DVI->HDMI adapter just for convenience. I wanted the cable to be HDMI->M1-DA so that I could use it for other HDMI sources when I wanted. Having the adpater and the cable allowed me to feed any format (HDMI or DVI) to my 4805.

You can use the DVI->M1-DA just fine.

Newbie question related to the above thread:

I'm connecting my MacBook Pro to an InFocus X2, which takes the M1-DA input. I don't have a DVI->M1-DA cable but I have the Mac's DVI->VGA adapter which connects to the X2's VGA->M1-DA cable. Am I losing anything with this connection? Does each side realize it's a digital source/target on the other end? I looked around for a pinout diagram but couldn't find one (and would probably have misread it anyway.) Thanks