Vaio RC310 Desktop with Blu-ray
Nvidia 7600GT graphics card with DVI-D and DVI-I output.
MCE 2005
23-inch Samsung LCD TV

Well I was hoping to use my Samsung with the new PC (I know it's not the greatest but I need Blu-ray).

Low and behold in the instructions, it states that the DVI/HDMI input does not support connections to PC's. If I want to connect a PC I need to connect to the standard VGA D-Sub connector. However, I cannot get HD playback from my Blu-ray drive if I connect this way, right?

Anyway, so I buy the spendy DVI to HDMI cable and I can get PC (text sucks) including full screen video. However, the PC's desktop seems to be slightly larger than the display area. I lose the top of all maximized windows, most of the menu bar across the bottom as well as the left and right. Maybe a half inch all the way around.

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Scho

PS when we tested the connection in the store, the sales rep used a Mac with DVI connection to test. Initially he had the same problems, but after changing some display settings it was OK albiet there was black area of the screen as the around the edges of the desktop.

What kind of DVI-to-HDMI adapters/converters are there? I thought that wasn't possible since there would be some issues with DRMs and that whatever got through would be downscaled.

I'd love an answer to this as well. I'm looking for something like this too, but for a 40-42" 1080p monitor to connect to my MBP.

I don't pretend to know the details, however if Pure AV (aka Belkin) is selling a cable it can be done.

Now... Would you believe the CompUSA guy here in San Rafael, CA was the ABSOLUTE best individual I'd run across in say the last 20 years of shopping electronics and mass-retail in general. "Bert" gave me his card. I called the number.
It was a direct dial and Bert called me back!!!!!
I was asking about which setting he changed on his MacBook Pro's display to make it proper. But we're not sure what. Part of it was that he had the display connected as a secondary where it's my primary.

Any ideas for a solution via Windows or my Samsung 23 inch LCD TV?

What you are not seeing is the overscan present in a PC's output, but not visible on the monitor, unless it has a "PC" setting.

You should be able to compensate for it in the nvidia control panel for your graphics card. I don't remember exactly where the control is, but there should be some setting for monitor output via that connector or some other way of compensating for it in the control panel. It may be as simple as finding an updated "driver" for your LCD panel. On the ATI system I'm on now, it looks like it's under the "Displays" pane in the control panel.

For more info on the nvidia control panel, you might want to browse through this:

http://www.tweakguides.com/NVFORCE_1.html

DVI and HDMI cables are compatible, except there's no possibility of audio signals on DVI cables. They are both capable of HDCP, and converting HDCP between DVI and HDMI connectors.

-David

Well done LIH Prem!

Right click on the desktop brings up and Nvidia Display option. Seems as if it is the control panel. Funny there was no Display Icon in the traditional control panel window.

In the nView Display settings->Device settings->HDTV Overscan Configuration-> I selected "Underscan" which says "Fits the entire desktop to the screen. Reduces the resolution by adjusting the underscan percentage."

So I lose a bit of resolution, who cares.

My desktop is properly sized now.

I suppose my remaining question is why does Samsung say that the HDMI/DVI combo port does not support PC?

Probably because they don't want to have to figure out all the various overscan/underscan checkboxes in various video card drivers.

I kid, but in reality, supporting features is expensive. They probably figured that the number of calls they'd get would be more expensive than the number of people that woudn't buy the set because they couldn't hook it up to their PC through DVI.

That, or they were confused about the interplay of HDMI, HDCP and DVI.

Glad you figured it out. Does your graphics card support HDCP? As far as I know, most don't. Some recent one's might. Are you able to see HD output from the PC over that connection? your graphics card doesn't support HDCP, and you have it working now, stay far away from Vista. (Which is probably a good suggestion for now, anyway.)

Other than what Mathew said, I have no idea why they would say that. Both ATI's and Nvidia's drivers support settings for 720p, 1080i, etc right in their control panel. If the monitor supports the proper protocols over the wire for telling the graphics card what resolutions it supports, then there's no need for the disclaimer. A monitor is just a monitor. So, I guess Mathew's response about not wanting to support it makes the most sense as an educated guess.

-David