[Dave88LX]

Got a great deal on a Philips 60" DLP rear-projection TV. I have it set up in my living room, now I want to get my computer hooked up to it for gaming, DVD, and web surfing (like anyone else here).


Link to TV: 60PL9200D/37
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/nav...=5&item=338607
http://www.consumer.philips.com/cons...CSHQFHKFSESI5P


Panel resolution : 1280x720 (720p)


Computer is an AMD Athlon XP, 1gig OCZ memory, and my video card is an ATI Radeon X1600 Pro. I am using the DVI output with a DVI-HDMI cable to input into the back of the TV.


It works, but it's not the quality I was expecting. All the text is semi-blurry, uneven, doesn't look great quality. The whole screen doesn't extend to the edges of the TV either.


My roommate hooked my cable up between his PC via DVI-HDMI to his 32" LCD, and it looked crystal clear, no blurriness or anything (His is 720p also). I understand mine is bigger, but it still should be better than it is.


I don't know if 720p just isn't enough to get the clarity I'm looking for? Or, if my settings are incorrect, and I need to change a few things around?


Or, is a projection TV just the wrong type of TV to use for this?


I've searched a bit on here and saw something about 1:1 pixel mapping, so I went to wiki and researched more on it. I vaguely understand what it means now, but not sure if I need it, or should have it already? Is it for a x768 display or for a x720 display? I assume I should have 1:1 PM, and I saw the example too of what it's supposed to look like, mine definitely doesn't look like that.


Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Radiophile]

Dave,


I have a 50" DLP rear projection set (Samsung) connected to my PC and my computer desktop and apps are razor sharp. Your 60" should give you similar results as long as you're far enough away from it (I'd say 10 feet minimum).


I think you've correctly diagnosed your problem as a lack of 1:1 pixel mapping between your video card and the display. Sounds like your TV is scaling the image - does it have another setting, maybe designed for PC input, that will not do any scaling? Maybe others can give better advice here.


Once you get the 1:1 pixel mapping going, you'll probably notice that there is overscan (video edges cut off). You'll have to fix this by setting a video card resolution slightly smaller than 1280x720, either in your card's driver if it can do it, or with Powerstrip. My video card output resolution is set to 1248x702 and it drives my Samsung in "PC" mode for 1:1 mapping and no overscan.

 

[skepticon]

Agreed...definitely sounds like your display is scaling the image. Are you certain that you have your video card set to output a 720p signal? I can't direct you through the ATI control panel, as I'm an nvidia man myself (for now anyway)...but there should be settings in there for specifying a 720p output signal.

 

[Dave88LX]

Radiophile, that sounds exactly like what it's doing. I didn't know if scaling was the right word to use so I didn't want to throw it around and make it look like I was just trying to use big words, being new to this.

But yeah, that describes it just right.


I don't know of any other settings on my TV for PC input. I have it plugged into the HDMI, and I don't see any other options, but I'll check during lunch. A guy at work told me to use RGB Component instead, but I think the DVI-HDMI SHOULD work perfectly.


I downloaded & installed PowerStrip, but I didn't want to start changing things around until I knew what I was doing, or, what I have to change within.


I don't know if my video card is set to a specific "720p" output, I just know it says 1280x720 in display properties. How can I check (not directed at you, but anyone)?


Like I said on my roommates, you can see each and every individual pixel, nothing bleeds over, it's extremely CRISP. I was hoping this would look the same, I wasn't sure if since it was projection, it didn't have individual pixels like that, and that I wouldn't get that same quality...but it sounds like I should be getting that quality, so I have some tweaking to do then.

 

[Dave88LX]

Update:


During lunch I started messing with it some more (I REALLY need a keyboard/mouse with better range, I was hoping this Microsoft Wireless Laser Desktop 6000 set would work good).


In the ATI Catalyist program, I found some HDTV settings. I started playing with them, it somehow stuck it into 480p mode, now I can't see a damn thing except 4 big icons on my screen. :lol: I gotta figure out how to revert it back.

 

[Dave88LX]

Got the resolution fixed last night. Found an HDTV setting in Catalyst, but it makes it like 1152 x 684. Looks a bit sharper, but it's about 2" from each side of the TV, and about an inch from the top and bottom. It should fit out to the edges of the TV should it not?

 

[crisscross]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave88LX /forum/post/0


Got the resolution fixed last night. Found an HDTV setting in Catalyst, but it makes it like 1152 x 684. Looks a bit sharper, but it's about 2" from each side of the TV, and about an inch from the top and bottom. It should fit out to the edges of the TV should it not?

Yes it should. Was it perfect when you used 1280*720? If you have some overscan at 1280*720 you should use whats called "a resolution within a resolution" to get the desktop perfect while still delivering a 720p signal to your TV. (That is probably what you are doing right now with 1152*684 but the "inner" resolution is to small).

Since you have powerstrip you can use it to get a perfect desktop:
http://forums.entechtaiwan.net/viewtopic.php?t=27


Edit: While doing this, make sure that your tv is not doing any additional scaling. You could have some overscan/underscan settings in your tv-menu. These should be left alone or put to "native" or something similar.

 

[Dave88LX]

No, it actually looked like crap at 1280x720. I'll have to take some pics to show what I'm talking about, but text looked 'scaled', which is weird because isn't 1280x720 the native resolution of the TV?


I didn't see any scaling settings within the TV, but I will double-check that too to make sure.


I don't know what overscan or underscan is yet, I'll have to go figure that one out.

 

[olyar15]

I would look through your TV manual. The "problem" lies with the TV, IMO. I have a Samsung rear-projection DLP (56") and when I hook up my computer via DVI, it gives me a choice of two aspect ratios: one for "computer" which rescales the image to fit within the viewable area, and a normal mode where it doesn't rescale. My guess is that your TV has a similar option. There should be a button on your remote labelled something like "aspect ratio." Normally, it is used to stretch non-HDTV signals to varying degrees, but may also affect computer signals.


The reason the TV tries to rescale the image is because of overscan. ALL TVs OVERSCAN. Computer monitors don't. Broadcasters know about the overscan and create their shows so that no important information is displayed near the edges. Some even take advantage of the overscan and sometimes leave video noise along the edges of the signal, figuring nobody will see it. Of course, computers are different, and a lot of programs take full advantage of the screen real estate. (eg. the taskbar). Therefore, when you hook up a computer to the TV, it attempts to rescale the image so that it completely fits within the viewable area. It should have an option to revert to normal mode but you will then have to deal with overscan. How much overscan varies from Tv to TV. Most have about 5-10%.

 

[Dave88LX]

OK I've seen that menu watching TV or DVD's. Has options for Auto, Zoom, 4:3, 14:9, 16:9, 16:9 subtitle, and widescreen.


When in HDMI mode, I only have options for automatic and widescreen. I've tried both, but neither made a difference, they both looked the same. That may have been at the old resolution though, I will try again to double-check with the new res.


What would I see on the TV with overscan? "garbage" on the edges or what?

 

[grittree]

It seems strange that Catalyst set 1152x684. 1216x684 is 16:9 and what I use to get a sharp image that just fills the screen.


Overscan means you wouldn't see the start button.

 

[Dave88LX]

Sorry, 1152 x 648, not 684. I'm still playing with it.

 

[Dave88LX]

OK here are my settings/options in CCC. I'm going to try that one screeen where it say sto apply, then add, and see what happens. Right now on the "HDTV Support" screen, I picked "720p60 optimized" to get my current resolution which seems to look the best so far, but I'm not using all of the TV.


Under "Attributes", it says my max res is 1920 x 1080, but when I run it in that res, I can tell everything is smaller just like a regular monitor, but it doesn't like it, it flickers etc.


I don't know what "Alternat DVI Operational Mode" means, but the one above it about reduced frequency, that needs to be unchecked to look better.


If you see anything I need to change, any settings, please let me know!

 

[pavanchiru]

I am trying to buy Philips 60PL9200D and also thinking of connecting my PC (Which has just S Video & Standard VGA connection) to the DLP TV. I see that you are experiencing issues with DVI To HDMI.


So the only option is to use S Video and will that have issues to like the DVI to HDMI.


Also by any chance does anyone knows if there is a connector/cable so that I can connect my VGA (my pc) to DVI and then from DVI to HDMI to connect my PC to the TV.


Any suggestions are appreciated.


Thanks

 

[rockytt]



Quote:
o the only option is to use S Video and will that have issues to like the DVI to HDMI.

Don't waste your time with S-Video (if that's what it is - might be a component connection - how many pins?) as the picture quality will not be any good at all.

If those are your only two options, you might consider a new video card...

 

[pavanchiru]

I think S-Video is 4 pin. I will have Component connection on TV. Then do you get a cable from S Video to Component Video.


Does anyone know of VGA-DVI-HDMI Cable /Adapters.


Thanks

 

[mailinator]

Sorry... VGA=analog, DVI/HDMI=digital. You won't find a cable that can do that conversion. You'll need to get a new video card that can output a digital signal. Even if you did find something that could convert VGA to a digital signal, it wouldn't look nearly as good as a true DVI output, which is always digital.


You might be able to find a box that will convert analog S-video to component, but it's not going to help the fact that your Svideo piece of the chain will make the picture crappy. You can't get anything higher than 800x600 out of s-video. on an HD display, that's guaranteed to look like poo.

 

[pavanchiru]

I have never used a video card. What type of video card should I get and how will I connect from my PC (Which slot on pc) to my TV (again which slot on TV) and will this be equivalent to HDMI output etc.


Please explain and Thanks in advance