Connecting LCD TVs to PCs Via HDMI

[rattycathy]

This relates to another thread:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/lcd-led-lcd-tvs/1254963-lg-m2262d-hdmi-non-pc-support.html

I felt I should start a new thread to broaden the topic beyond one particular model of TV.

It would appear that I am not the only person who makes the assumption that if you have an HDMI output on your PCs graphics card and an HDMI input on your LCD TV that if you were to connect the two using an HDMI cable that you would get a perfectly good picture at the appropriate resolution and that if you also happened to have a blu-ray player in your PC that you would be able to play blu-ray discs through your HDMI ports to your LCD TV/monitor. When I asked in Currys and PCWorld I was told that it was indeed the case. When I telephoned LG and Samsung customer support representatives they also told me that I would be able to connect my PC to their LCD TVs via HDMI without any problems. This is all as it should be surely, HDMI is a standard and all HDMI products should work with each other. However, it seems as though things are rather more complicated than the idyllic scenario I had in my head.

I have been trying to decide between an LG M2262D and a Samsung SM2333HD. I did a little research and found in the LG manual that its HDMI input doesn't support a PC connection, googling found some threads on these forums indicating that LG LCD TVs had an issue with such connections. As I wanted to use the TV as a secondary display on a PC this caused some concern. Further research brought up this review:

PRAD | Review Samsung 2333HD

This says that the Samsung SM2333HD is also unable to use HDMI to connect to a PC stating that the picture is blurred. Although later the review mentions changing the frequencies via a PC using HDMI.

Needless to say confusion reigns. It would be very helpful to myself and the other people on these forums asking such questions, not to mention sales staff and customer support representatives of TV manufacturers if some technologically competent person lurking on these forums could give a definitive answer about this topic.

Can any LCD TV connect to a PC via HDMI to give a good picture at 1080p res?

Is this problem, of producing a blurry picture when connected to a PC via HDMI, limited to LG and Samsung TVs?

Is this problem only limited to certain models of LG and Samsung TVs?

Is it to do with native resolution, screen size, or price range?

Why is it a problem? Surely a graphics card pumping out a 1920 x 1080 resolution at 60Hz through its HDMI port through an HDMI cable into the HDMI input of a TV with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 60Hz should produce a perfectly good crisp picture?

What are the ramifications for playing blu-ray discs from an internal drive in a PC? If it cannot be done through HDMI, are all DVI ports HDCP compliant in all LCD TVs currently on sale?

Please can somebody give a full explanation of what is going on here?

Thank you.

 

[next010]

Can any LCD TV connect to a PC via HDMI to give a good picture at 1080p res?

No, HDMI is an AV standard not a PC standard (PC equivalent is displayport) not all TV's may support the proper EDID (extended display identification data) that is required by a PC so the PC cannot interpret properly the resolution leading to all sorts of crazy-ness.

It tends to be on a set by set basis rather than brand and most sets should be okay.

Also not all DVI enabled displays support HDCP though there is an easy workaround that its called AnyDVD-HD.

The LG M2262D is not a proper TV so to speak it is a standard TN panel computer monitor refitted as a TV, it comes with a DVI input for computer usage, if I were to guess LG didn't bother putting in a PC compatible EDID on the HDMI port assuming that someone will only be using AV devices with it as the PC is using the DVI.

The Samsung SM233H3D is the exact same thing another computer display.

You may want to look up into the 26" range of actual HDTV's there you should be fine with PC/HDMI input or just stick with the LG M2262D DVI input and AnyDVD-HD.

 

[rattycathy]

Thanks very much for the in-depth reply. This is the best explanation I have seen so far on the issue.

The problem is that when you get HDMI on graphics cards and dedicated PC monitors people like me make assumptions that it is a standard that works seamlessly with anything that has HDMI on it. The problem is that the information provided for these TVs does not make it clear that you cannot connect a PC via HDMI and worse still when you ask sales staff and even when you telephone the manufacturers they tell you that it does work!

So careful research needs to be carried out on any LCD TV/monitor that I want to purchase as a TV and secondary PC display.

Thanks again for your help.

 

[rattycathy]

I am actually finding that most LCD TVs in this price range don't specify that you can connect a PC via HDMI, so I suppose the next obvious question is do their DVI inputs support HDCP?

I have had to go up to £300 and the 32" LG 32LH5000 to find one that says you can connect via HDMI to a PC.

I should probably start a new thread.

 

[rattycathy]

Well I did start a new thread as I thought the issue of connecting an LCD TV to a PC via the DVI and whether such DVI inputs were HDCP compatible was a different question. Sadly that thread has been closed and I got a telling off. I appologise for any transgression.

So, as the moderator seems to think this should all be one thread I'll ask it here in the hope that someone who knows the answer and that any other confused consumers looking for the answer about DVI inputs will look at a thread about HDMI inputs ...

Does anyone happen to know (as heaven knows LG and Samsung won't) specifically if the SM2333HD or the M2622D have HDCP compliant DVI inputs?

And to broaden it out for other people, are most LCD TVs sold these days fitted with HDCP compliant DVI inputs so that people can play Blu-ray discs via an internal drive in their PC?

Thank you for any help, bear in mind any assistance will help others not just me, as there seems to be quite a few people getting disappointed with their products when they get blurry pictures through HDMI. I am sorry once again for any offence I have caused in the process of trying to understand a problem that I hadn't previously thought existed.

 

[next010]

I already answered that question ; )

Also not all DVI enabled displays support HDCP though there is an easy workaround that its called AnyDVD-HD.

Doesn't matter if the SM2333HD or the M2622D support HDCP or not.

 

[Twigman]

Worrying.......I have built a PC (at work) which I have yet to take home.
I am currentlty ripping my whole CD collection onto it before I take it home and plumb it into my AVR/TV combo.

It has a Asus EAH5670 [ATi] graphics card and I intend to connect via HDMI to my Denon AVR1910 HT amp which already uses the Samsung UE40B7020 as a display......am I going to suffer problems? If so how might I mitigate them before I take the PC home?

 

[rattycathy]

The trouble with AnyDVD-HD is that it costs about 80 euros for a 2 year licence, so the money might be better spent on a more expensive LCD TV/monitor that supports connection to a PC by HDMI or has HDCP enabled DVI input.

The biggest problem seems to be that this issue is not well documented. Most of us consumers make the assumption that you can connect to a PC via HDMI to HDMI, but on a significant number of LCD TV's you cannot. So then if you want to play Blu-ray and you are limited to a DVI connection, the DVI input needs to be HDCP compatible, but manufacturers don't seem to give out that information.

At the risk of labouring the point what I find so disgusting is that sales people and the customer services departments of the manufacturers cheerfully tell you it will work, but a bit of research suggests it won't. I think this breaches the Sales of Goods Act. It makes a buying decision very difficult.

I also wonder why on earth so many PC graphics cards come with HDMI (very few have Displayport at the moment), when even dedicated PC monitors such as the LG W2353V and the Samsung P2470H suggest in their manuals that you cannot connect a PC to their HDMI inputs. Yet the Dell ST2310 monitor does allow an HDMI connection. So is this just a problem with LG and Samsung?

Twigman, I hope someone can confirm the situation with your Samsung UE40B7020. I suggest you check the manual and see if it specifically says you can, if not then you probably can't.

 

[rattycathy]

Conversely, if the LG M2262D or the Samsung SM2333HD do have HDCP enabled DVI ports then I wouldn't need to spend money on a 2 year licence for some software. The question is how do I reliably find out whether they do or not before I buy one.