No DVI - am I in trouble? (1 Viewer)

[Mike Boeckeler]

Hi,

Last fall I bought a Panny 47wx42 - I love it. Awesome picture, great price etc. I really cant complain about this set. However, I did buy this with the full knowledge that it didnt have a DVI input. I always kind of assumed that somebody would come out with an aftermarket converter or something that would let people without DVI connectors to watch programming without being down converted.

Anyway I havent been around the forums since last fall, and havent really read any of the magazines either. So my question is this - has anything happened in the past 6 months or so with regards to DVI/copy protection for HDTV? Have any laws changed that will make DVI required to watch programming at highest resolution? And does anyone know if Panasonic has changed its mind and will provide a solution for non DVI sets like mine? (I do know that the new Panasonic RPTVs have DVI now...)

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Richard Paul]

First off you don't have to worry about cable or satellite requiring DVI-HDCP if current legislation about High Definition cable is passed by the FCC. The only big thing that may require DVI-HDCP is HD-DVD which will be either Blu-ray or AOD. Though Hollywood would tick off many people by outputting HD-DVD only on DVI-HDCP it is both possible and legal. Whether even Hollywood would do it though is a big question to those who have HDTV's without a DVI-HDCP input.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Yes. Consider a DVI input as "insurance"—it probably won't be an issue (if the studios want to avoid a class-action suit and a lot of bad PR), but it's nice to know it's there (just in case). You're probably going to be fine. So enjoy that Panny.

 

[Mike Boeckeler]

Thanks for your replies.

Like I said, I knew all about DVI's when I bought it last fall, but the Panny had such a great price that I just couldnt pass it up. But like everything else - computers especially - you have to make a choice whether to buy something today or wait a few months for the newest and greatest models to be released...So yesterday when I saw the new Panasonic RPTV's with DVI for around what I paid, I kind of wondered if I should have waited a little longer, or even spent a little more for one with DVI. But then again, if you keep waiting for the latest and greatest, you miss out on all of the enjoyment you could have had today - and my RPTV has given me more pleasure by far than anything else I have ever bought.

Hopefully when the HD-DVD standard is ironed out the movie studios wont be stupid enough to alienate all of the early adopters with pre-DVI sets.

Does anyone know what the timeframe is for HD-DVD's?

 

[Josh_SR]

do you think there is a way that a video game system can be hooked up via the dvi?

 

[Richard Paul]

Yes, in fact I would expect all future consoles to have an HDMI output and for at least the next 10 years analog and digital audio outputs as well. Besides being 6 years late HDMI is the best connection for video game consoles. I say HDMI since it does have benefits over DVI and it is backward compatible with DVI, so there would be no reason not to use it. The main reason none of the consoles have a DVI output is the fact that 2 years ago it was virtually unknown outside the computer realm. Besides digital projectors the best connection sold on over 99% of HDTV's 3 years ago was analog RGB.

 

[Josh_SR]

so hdmi is the same thing as dvi? what is hdmi?

 

[Richard Paul]

HDMI has an official website which provides some reasonably good information on it. HDMI is basically DVI version 2.0 in that besides video it can also send both audio and control data. With a simple adapter HDMI and DVI can send or receive video meaning HDMI is backward compatible with DVI. HDMI can send compressed audio such as Dolby Digital and DTS, or up to 8 channels of 24-bit PCM. Finally HDMI can transport IR signals and send basic commands for volume, channel, and such. If HDMI can really work as well as it's supposed to it would be as simple as coaxial while providing a better picture than component. Of course the reason HDMI was developed was to provide the most secure digital interface since unlike Firewire it is never meant to be recordable.