PC to TV connection, D-sub or S-video? (1 Viewer)

[Al.Anderson]

Can anyone tell me whether D-sub or S-video would be the better connection for a 30 foot run? Thanks.

 

[verbster]

D-Sub would be best. It will allow the max resolution your TV can handle through you video card.

 

[Oren]

I assume you are referring specifically to the D-sub 15 connector, actually called the HD-15, and commonly known as a VGA connector. If so, then that would definitely be better than s-video. Of course, that assumes your TV has a VGA input. S-video will only carry standard definition; VGA, the connector, will go up to 2560x1600. Maybe even higher.

As for length, I have a component (Apple TV end) to VGA (projector end) cable that I think is about 30 ft long, and it works fine.

 

[Al.Anderson]

Thanks - and yes, I meant the HD-15 connection (my TV manual called it a D-sub, so I went with it). The S-video piture was pretty bad, so I'm trying very hard to make the HD-15 connection work.

A new problem though, I was testing it all out with a laptop, which has a "spare" HD-15 connector. But when I went to use my main PC, it does not have a 2nd HD-15 connector. The video card (an nVidia 7600 GS) has a 2nd connector, but since I can't find the dang manual, I don't know what it is. Googling hasn't helped. Does anyone know what the 2-row connector with square holes is called? And can I mate that to an HD-15 on the other end?

 

[Oren]

Are you sure the second connector with the square holes only has two rows? It's probably a DVI connector, but that has three rows.

Assuming it is DVI, there are three flavors: digital, analog, and both digital and analog together. In the Mac world, it's both digital and analog. In the PC world it's usually digital only, I think.
If it is DVI with analog, then you could use a DVI to VGA adapter, which just adapts the plug to a VGA plug (the signal is unchanged). If it's digital only, then you have a problem because converting from digital DVI to analog VGA is no easy task. But, in that scenario, you might be able to use the digital DVI for the monitor, and the analog VGA for the TV. (I assume you don't want to dedicate your PC to this task by exclusively connecting it to the TV via VGA.) Check your monitor to see if it has a DVI input.

 

[rulethe]

Originally Posted by Al.Anderson

Can anyone tell me whether D-sub or S-video would be the better connection for a 30 foot run? Thanks.

DVI>D-Sub>S-video DVI is best among this