First post for a new guy! I've read plogs and posts till my eyes bled and I still haven't been able to come to conclusion on LCD selection. I'm looking for HD capability from my cable/satelite box (probably through DVI) and of course want to connect a DVD player.

I've thought about using a Sony MFM-HT17W TV...has all the connections that one could want, but it's big time expensive for a DIY project.

But what about some of the new HDCP compliant PC monitors? It seems like there are a lot of these making their way into the market for around 2.5 bills, and it seems that the resos are quite good. But none of them have component, only DVI-D and VGA. I'm worried about possible limitations I would run into using one of these? Would they work with cable? And what about DVD? They're lots less expensive than the Sony, that's for sure.

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

someone will correct if im wrong but i belive comonent rgb can be easily converted (cheap too) through your anolog vga connection.

Yes it can be converted easily but the monitor has to support sync on green and it has to be HDCP compliant to allow HD.

Cool... and thanks to both Jonjandran and Diresaint!

Since your posts I've looked around a bit for a good converter...but would really love to hear your suggestions if any. I really only need VGA to Component...I couldn't care less about composite or S-Video.

Thanks again.

I wouldn't worry too much about component connectivity. HDMI is the future, and you can convert DVI-D to HDMI, so a DVI-D HDCP compliant monitor should be all you need. All Blu-ray and HD-DVD's will connect through HDMI.

BTW, I am going to use the Samsung 940BW, 19" HDCP compliant, can display up to 1400*940 rez. Good enough for 720P and only about 250.

For a smaller, less expensive alternative there is the Philips 15" LCD HDTV Model# 15PF5120/28. It is HDCP Compliant via its DVI-I connection and also has component inputs and a built-in NTSC TV Tuner. Native resolution is 1024x768 so it will have to downscale the HD content but it will still look quite nice. No brave soul has tried stripping it as far as I know so I don't know if it will have FFC issues or not. I am seriously considering picking one up and giving it a whirl myself.

I believe vham ordered a refurbished one via the Philips Outlet website for $188.99 with free shipping (brand new retail is closer to $400). I spoke with him recently and he informed me that he cancelled the order and went with the magnavox since he knew for sure that it would not have FFC issues.

The 17" sony model you were looking piqued my interest as well, but in the end since I will want this projector for movies as well as gaming, the reviews on this TV indicate that there are ghosting issues with this display.

If it is any consolation to you, I have been researching the "right" monitor everyday for over a month now and have still not decided. I feel your pain... and eye strain.

I am investigating Kontron HDCP compliant controller boards for the 15.4" WUXGA LCDs
stay tunned!

on newegg.com the next in the generation of samsungs, the 941BW is on sale for 229.00 wit a 30.00 rebate, which makes it 189.00, 1400*940 so full 720P rez...great price, might have to bite the bullet and go ahead and get it...

I'm on my second lcdtv right now I've tried the Magnavox Magnavox 15FM605T 15" lcdtv and I'm currently using the Samsung LT-P1545. Both offered Component as the highest output source, the Maganvox did offer 720p and 1081 downscaled though but still it was offered and it has a 16:9 compressed function. The Samsung only does 480i/p. Both monitors to me were great but I'm liking the clarity of the Samsung more.

I've tried component boxes and it's just not worth it better to get an all in one device you'll end up saving money as well. I was never able to test the Magnavox to see if it would actualy scale down a higher video source than 480p but if it did it would be great. You could always just look into a dvi to vga converter which would be cheaper than a tv box.

I plan on testing maybe a Compoent to DVI adapter in the future like when I get a PS3 (2 years from now )

DM

I'm glad to see this topic come back to life. Thankfully our screen options are growing rather rapidly...it's nice to have choices. I had somewhat settled on using my Sony 17" widescreen TV/Monitor but I may have encountered a problem. In reading through the specs in the user documentation it says that the DVI port is for "computer only". I've never heard of this before and it makes me wonder if in fact my cable box will work with it. Haven't tested it yet, but I will. Can anyone shed light on this? Why would a DVI-D connector only support a computer?

Sounds like they knew what people would try and do with it all about making money by limiting capacity.

Just thought I'd let you know, that even though the monitor is HDCP compliant, I don't think that necesarily means you can hook up an HD cable box to it via DVI. I've tried and kept getting an error message on my Samsung 940BW, "Not Optimum Resolution..." Which to me means that it was getting a 1080 signal, and couldn't handle it. I tried numerous setups on the cable box, but could never get any output on the screen, This could be due to my cable company, but I would still be interested to know if anybody has actually gotten HD cable through a monitor with DVI/HDCP.

Trueluk

Are you able to switch the cable box to output 720p instead of 1080i ? This might work if you can switch it...

gs

Good point the LCD may not accept the interlaced signal

Yeah, that is what I was thinking.

But everytime i pluggd in the hdmi to the cable box it would automatically switch to 1080i, and the I wouldn't be able to see the screen to configure. It's the SA83000HD box, and I tried the 'INFO and GUIDE' buttons to get to the advanced setup wizard but could not get there, my roommate works for the cable company and i asked him how to get there he just gave me a blank stare, so i guess i'll try again, and yeah i would assume that either 480p or 720p should be accepted by teh monitor.

Trueluk

I have a motoraola cable box and I have to unpower the box, turn it back on and immediately have to hit the menu button on the cable box itself(not the remote) to get to the menu where I can pick 720p or 1080i..I found that out by googling my cable box.... and by adding the word "hack" I found out how to program a 30second skip into the remote too as a bonus.....
edit: did you have the monitor hooked upo when you tried to change it? if so try unplugging the monitor and changing the cable box, it may be some sort of auto detection thing in the cable box...there were no settings in the digital OSD on the monitor? I only have analog input to the monitor right now so I can't see the digital menu

I've finally gotten around to testing my Sony with my cable box using the DVI connection. And, it didn't work. I get an error that says "Out Of Range - 33.7kHz / 30 Hz". The specs of my monitor are: Native Resolution - 1280x768, Signal Format - Digital RGB (DVI-D) (TMDS Single Link, Frequencey - 28 to 48 kHz Horiz, 60 Hz Vertical. So I have to presume that it's the vertical scan rate that is the problem. I am using the Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3250HD box provided by my cable company. But I can't find any specs on it, nor can I see a way to adjust the scan frequency it outputs. Does anyone have any advice on this?

Owners Manual!

That would have been a great suggestion...but I had already read it from stem to stern! Thank you though.

The section regarding how to choose the screen type doesn't work on my box. I bet the cable company has locked it down. So I tried to connect using the component connection and entering the settings menu from there. The method they describe in the manual still doesn't work, but I get a picture once I turn the box on. Then I enter a setup menu using the remote where I set the box to output 720p only, but it still doesn't take with DVI. So I'll probably have to invest the hour of time waiting on the phone to speak with a support person to see if they can help; at which point they'll try to sell me another service to get the box that will do what I want for the low monthly fee of a gazillion dollars.

Update:

I spent the hour on the phone...literally...and they didn't ask me for a gazillion dollars. But they also couldn't help me fix the problem. So I'm going to have to take my cable box in to swap it out for another one. If I can get the box to output 720p only (60Hz), I think the DVI should work though, shouldn't it?

Will update again after the swap.

AN UPDATE:

I live in Nebraska, and only have Time Warner for my cable company. I've tried two different HD boxes. The first was the SA3250HD box, which only has DVI out, no hdmi. But, when I try to change the settings it says DVI can only be output at 480i/p. And that didn't work on the monitor, a Samsung 940bw. Then I tried the SA8300HD, which only has the HDMI output. But plugging in an HDMI cord automatically changes the output to 1080i. So this obviously didn't work. The cable company turned off the "INFO+GUIDE" setup you should be able to get to to change the settings, so the monitor wouldn't accept that signal either.

I too believe that if the box outputs in 720p then the monitor will accept it and output it. However, according to my roommate, who works at Time Warner, they 'only output at 1080 through HDMI'. Since, you cant change the settings on the box, HDTV through DVI is not possible with my cable company, and I would assume others will run into this same problem.

There are two solutions:
1. Buy and LCD-TV with HDMI/DVI or component input.
2. Cable company changes their HD policy.(not likely)

Trueluk.

Well Trueluk, I'm sorry to confirm that you are 100% correct!

I too am a TWC customer and I went to their local service center and switched out the box. No go. Their suggestion "if it doesn't work" is to call in and schedule a service tech. I won't even bother. Why they would not allow the box to support 720p on the DVI, I'll never understand (beyond that it must be cheaper for them irrespective of the limits it puts on the customer).

All is not lost though. I can still get HD cable in any and all forms (except 1080p of course) via my component input. That leaves the DVI connection open for a tasty new upconverting DVD player!

Oh SamuraiJack, you still in lust with that Oppo you bought?

From OPPO's FAQ:
Q: Does OPDV971H support HDCP compliant digital video displays?
A: Yes, the OPPO OPDV971H does support HDCP compliant displays.

Yes, I love it. But Jonjondran posted a link to a Helios not too long ago that looks nice too.

Welcome to the exciting world of HDCP, a lovely subcomponent of HDMI where all players and monitors have to shake hands and agree that they can display HD content. Its built right into the hardware and its from your friends at Intel, the MPAA, and the RIAA...Makes DRM more fun too...

Yep! And each of these organizations are of course charter members of PITAA. Pain In The Ass Association.

One more update so as to . I have a 26" Polaroid LCD TV with DVI. So just for fun, before taking the box back down to the "theater room", I plugged it in to see what would happen. The Polaroid in fact does support 1080i through the DVI so the picture popped right up. Tis a great picture too. So I pulled up the configuration menu and tried to change the output mode to 720p only and sure enough, the box just ignored the change and reverted to 1080i. Thanks TWC...for nothin'.

I know Polaroid has a 15" HD LCD TV...wonder if it has DVI/HDMI? Hmmmm...