need help with my HDTV setup (non-capture question)

[evilhomer]

Hello,
I want to make sure I understand everything before I begin purchasing. I recently purchased Dell's 2100 MP projector. (on sale, great deal.). It's HDTV ready including 1080i. However, it has no component input, only sub-d (http://www.dell.com/us/en/bsd/produc...roj_2100mp.htm). I am planning on buying a Radeon 9700. So here's my question. Does anyone know if I can run sub-d to sub-d cable and have HDTV, or do I have to get the Radeon HDTV d-sub to component cable and then a reverse cable for the projector?
I imagine I can do sub-d to sub-d, but I'm not sure it will actually be HDTV. I would think that if I can avoid the component altogether, it will result in higher quality, but I have no idea if this is true. Can anyone assist? Thanks!

[jrmann1999]

Just so you know, the dongle is 480p output ONLY so it'd ruin your true HDTV experience. According to the tech specs on that projector it's got RGB/HDTV inputs. Some HDTV output devices output dsub style and include a breakout cable. AFAIK you can also use a dsub->dsub to input into the DSUB port on that projector, but in all honesty you're going to simply have to find out. At the worst you can input RGB straight from the PC that I'll assume is going to feed this baby, just setup custom resolutions using powerstrip. You might also check avsforum to see if they have any advice.

[evilhomer]

Thanks! But are you sure about the dongle? The ATI page says it supports 1080i.

"At-a-glance

* Highest quality method to deliver component output with your RADEON™ 9700, RADEON™ 9500, RADEON™ 8500, or ALL-IN-WONDER® RADEON™ 8500/8500DV family of graphics cards
* Ideal for gaming, surfing the Internet, watching DVDs on your big screen TV
* Supports 480i (interlaced) 480p (progressive), 720p and 1080i formats
* Works with any analog component (YPrPb) input device such as projectors, HDTVs, etc"

source: http://mirror.ati.com/shopati/promot...nder-hdtv.html

also, the projector's HDTV input *is* the dsub; no cable included.

[Atamido]

Yes, the sub-d to sub-d works fine. In fact this is exactly what you would want. Ignore all of those fancy resolutions listed, its an 800x600 projector. If you are going to be using your computer as the only input, then you set the video card to 800x600 and call it good. Showing anything other than that just results in scaling of the image.

[jrmann1999]

Just because it "supports the resolution" doesn't mean it outputs.

[evilhomer]

jrmann1999: how sure are you of this? i hadn't heard anything like that. in that case i'd have to trust that sub-d to sub-d works on the projector i guess...

pamel: well, that's what i do now, but i'm trying to get HDTV for various reasons. i'm curious which method will result in better quality.

currently i'm running high-quality s-vidio out, but the projector hardware deinterlaces on that connector. i don't think there's a way to turn it off, but i haven't explored everything yet. so even at 800x600, the image is pretty low quality.

[jrmann1999]

Apparently I was mistaken...sort of. The Dongle only allows either 480p based resolutions, or 1080i based resolutions. HOWEVER, at 1080i dvds with macrovision will not play. So you either use 480p(which your dvd player will output) or you rip all movies to DVDR or you put them on your HD.

Avsforum is where I got this information.

Number of Pixels 800x600

Is what I was referencing. The tech specs for that projector are that it is a SVGA projector(I use an InFocus for the same task, the picture, while not perfect, is great when used on a 6ft wide screen. The projector will simply take a 1080i source, and most likely sample it into 540p and then scale it to fit in 800x600. It supports 16:9 and 4:3 so you shouldn't have annoying black bars at the same time.

[evilhomer]

i'll make it to avsforum some time. i have a couple questions.

why will it sample to 540p?
why won't 1080i w/macrovision dvds work?
is there any dvd player out there that will work? (one with macrovision turned off perhaps )

[jrmann1999]

Typo on 540p, it'll rescale back to 480p which will basically leave you at DVD resolution. You might be able to hack up an Apex style DVD player, or find some software hack for a DVD-ROM. Blame ATI for the 1080i issues. Hell NVidia won't even support interlaced resolutions, so count your blessings. I have my HDTV set at 1920x540p and it's georgeous. You won't have the same visual quality, but a DVD at 800x600 through the RGB cable will still look beautiful on your projector. My suggestion, stop second guessing and just get the thing and try it. You'll be pleased regardless.

[Atamido]

Okay, let me simplify. You have two options, you either output from a computer, or some other type of source.

With a computer, you connect with the 15DB connector on your video card to the 15DB connector on the projector. You will set your computer to 800x600@85Hz. You will have an 800x600 desktop running at 85HZ refresh rate. Any video that you play on your computer will be scaled by the computer to 800x600 and will be displayed at 800x600@85p. Thats not to shabby of an HDTV display.

Or, you can hook it up to another source using RGB, S-Video, or Composite. If you do this, the image will be scaled by the projector, and depending on the quality, resolution, and refreshrate of the video signal, you will get varying picture quality.

IMHO, use a PC if at all possible. PC's generally do a good job of resizing, and you are always going to have a progressive signal that the projector will not try and resize some funky way.

If you intend to, or have to, use some other source than a PC, then good luck. Read the AVS forum mentioned above to see what would work best in those situations.

[evilhomer]

so i guess my main question is 'will i have better quality with 800x600, or with HDTV?'

So based on what I've gathered it looks like HDTV, even at 1080i, will simply resize to 800x600, whereas outputting 800x600 avoids the resize and thus better quality. Correct?

So my next question needs to be for my DVD player and my HD DirecTV system that I'm working on. Let's say I have those output at 1080i, this will just resize to 800x600 also right? So then my question becomes, do I truly have HDTV? I'm gathering that the answer is sort-of?

[jrmann1999]

I'm gathering that the answer is sort-of?

You hit the money there. You technically have HDTV. Bear in mind that Dish and DirecTV only have like 4-5 HDTV channels on them. Your DVD player is nowhere near HDTV. I think you might be confusing digital TV with HDTV. Might want to google around about what truly HDTV receptions consist of.

Your particular setup sounds like you've got a DSS system, a DVD Player, and a projector. You also sounded like you might want to purchase an HDTV card to receive OTA(over the air) signals for the major networks. Pamel pretty much laid it out for you:

With a computer, you connect with the 15DB connector on your video card to the 15DB connector on the projector. You will set your computer to 800x600@85Hz. You will have an 800x600 desktop running at 85HZ refresh rate. Any video that you play on your computer will be scaled by the computer to 800x600 and will be displayed at 800x600@85p. Thats not to shabby of an HDTV display

If you directly connect your DSS dish(via the SVideo cable) or DVD player to the projector, it will choose a resolution that best fits what it is receiving. IN the case of DVD it might be 720x480 but more likely 640x480(unless you buy a transcoder to go from Component to RGB). The DSS will always be 640x480 unless it has an RGB connector, then at best it'll rescale some HDTV channels to 800x600.

I really hope this answers your question.

One last note. GOTO AVSFORUM. Everything we've answered here is well documented there. Anything and everything you'd ever want to know about HDTV setup and systems is there. Go..learn..goood.....