HDMI Out Graphics Card


Recommended Posts

Hi,

I'm trying to hook up my desktop pc to my 32'' samsung hdtv.

My tv has a hdmi connector socket which is currently hooked up to my xbox via a hdmi cable.

What I want to do is hook both my pc and xbox up to the tv via the single hdmi socket.

So a couple of questions:

1) What is a good, cheap graphics card with an hd-out which I can plant in my desktop pc and connect to the tv to enjoy sweet sweet hd quality?

2) If I connect both xbox and pc to my tv via an hdmi splitter will this affect the quality (both will not be on at the same time obviously!)

I should point out i dont intend on playing many games on the tv from my pc (like, say MW2...)

All of this in the uk...cheers!

Calum.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/847686-hdmi-out-graphics-card/
Share on other sites

So a couple of questions:

2) If I connect both xbox and pc to my tv via an hdmi splitter will this affect the quality (both will not be on at the same time obviously!)

Not sure if a splitter would work but if you are really concerned about the quality get a A\V receiver with atlease 3 hdmi input and 1 out.

connect xbox and desktop to Hdmi in and the HDmi out connects to the TV

The AV receiver can boost the audio/video quality so, its really worth it...

The cheapest card that can do that would probably be an ATI 2400, which you should be able to get for about ?20. it doesn't actually come with a HDMI slot, but almost all ATI cards come as standard with a DVI > HDMI adaptor in the box If you want to use the PC also for gaming, obviously you will want a better card, every card in the 2xxx 3xxx 4xxx and 4xxx should have the same capability so the choice is really yours, obviously before you buy check out what is included with the card.

The cheapest that I can find from a manufacturer is This 4350 from Asus, which according to the spec has HDMI connectivity support at a price of ?24.96 including VAT

1. Get a HDMI cable that is long enough to reach your PC.

2. Get a Graphic Card that supports HDMI and has a HDMI port[Mine is a ASUS Geforce 9600GT | There is not a game on the market that i can not run on full blast, settings wise]

You're are good to good. Thats how mine is set up.

Great, these are all good suggestions - I dont want to spend alot on this since I have my xbox for gaming and my laptop is powerful enough for those games i want to play on pc (Trine, Machinarium etc). So this is really to use my desktop pc as a media centre running windows 7.

Oh yeah, I have Win7 Ultimate - will these cards you are suggesting run that ok?

I actually have an old Geforce 7900 GT but sadly no HDMI...

Cheers!

Liking the idea of the switcher box also.

I have an ATI HD3650 that I bought for about $30 or so on eBay and it has HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort connections. Works great with Windows 7, and I have it hooked up to my HDTV for watching videos from my computer. If you go the route of converting from DVI to HDMI, keep in mind that you will also have to run an audio cable from your computer to your TV if you want sound coming from it.

If you go the route of converting from DVI to HDMI, keep in mind that you will also have to run an audio cable from your computer to your TV if you want sound coming from it.

That's a yes and a no for that. Depending on the graphics card you get, the adapter that comes with it, and your motherboard...you can get cards that transfer the audio over the HDMI cable.

What you are looking for is a graphics card that comes with an SPDIF connector that plugs into a port on your motherboard and the other end connects to the graphics card. Or if you're really lucky, some of the higher end ATI cards come with a sound card built into it for just this purpose, you just have to select it as the output when you want to play the audio through the HDMI.

I have an ATI HD3650 that I bought for about $30 or so on eBay and it has HDMI, DVI, and DisplayPort connections. Works great with Windows 7, and I have it hooked up to my HDTV for watching videos from my computer. If you go the route of converting from DVI to HDMI, keep in mind that you will also have to run an audio cable from your computer to your TV if you want sound coming from it.

Actually, that is not correct, it applies to nVidia cards, but all ATI cards from the 2xxx 3xxx and 4xxx series have onboard high definition audio processors that can deliver audio over HDMI without the need for extra cables

Oh yeah, I have Win7 Ultimate - will these cards you are suggesting run that ok?

Yep, the card I suggested is more than good enough for your needs, not to mention that being DX 10.1 it will support all of the enhancements made to Aero in Windows 7, the same cannot be said for all the nVidia cards in that price range.

At the moment I have my dvi connector from my graphics card (nvidia 7900) hooked into the tv via a dvi/vga converter. The only resolution I can use on the tv is 1024 which obviously isnt that great.

To be fair, i can use the setup as I want it for the moment; but it would be nice to actually use the hdtv to its potential instead of suffering less.

Also I have no intention of playing games on the samsung tv via the pc - like I said, I have my 360 hooked into it with an hdmi cable for that.

I've been reading about connectors and switches and it seems if I grab a dvi-hd cable then that will work; plug both into a hdmi switching box and all one cable into the tv hd port and away I go - would that work?

1. Get a HDMI cable that is long enough to reach your PC.

2. Get a Graphic Card that supports HDMI and has a HDMI port[Mine is a ASUS Geforce 9600GT | There is not a game on the market that i can not run on full blast, settings wise]

You're are good to good. Thats how mine is set up.

that's one fast 9600gt.

At the moment I have my dvi connector from my graphics card (nvidia 7900) hooked into the tv via a dvi/vga converter. The only resolution I can use on the tv is 1024 which obviously isnt that great.

To be fair, i can use the setup as I want it for the moment; but it would be nice to actually use the hdtv to its potential instead of suffering less.

Also I have no intention of playing games on the samsung tv via the pc - like I said, I have my 360 hooked into it with an hdmi cable for that.

I've been reading about connectors and switches and it seems if I grab a dvi-hd cable then that will work; plug both into a hdmi switching box and all one cable into the tv hd port and away I go - would that work?

Considering how cheap it will be, I would personally just recommend a new graphics card, then you won't have to mess about, you can just plug the HDMI adaptor into the graphics card, plug the cable in, and you will be good to go.

Shouldn't have to, it is possible to just unplug the Xbox and swap with the TV out, and vice versa.

Doesn't really help him with his main query.

"What I want to do is hook both my pc and xbox up to the tv via the single hdmi socket."

If manually switching cables was an option, I'd have told him to use his hands. (Which I assume he already has a pair of.)

Haha, indeed - i'm just being a lazy arse with the switcher.

Ok so its looking like a new graphics card is an answer here - however will plugging in a hdmi cable increase the resolution on my tv screen?

Like I said; works perfect on my xbox; but at the moment through the vga cable i can only get 1024 res - as soon as i increase it any higher, the tv goes black and then i get a "mode not supported" message. So I assume that means the screen cannot handle anything above 1024??? i find that VERY hard to believe!

Since I know my 7900 card can play games no problem if plugged into my old dell 22inch lcd; what is stopping me doing the same on the bigger 32 inch samsung at equal resolution?

What TV model is it? (Exact model)

What are you trying to play over the VGA?

PC > VGA cable > TV = 1024 pixels * 800 pixels?

Be more specific. Increase "It"... Is that the PC resolution when displayed on your TV via the VGA?

It is possible the VGA is clamped down to a crappy resolution, but not very likely.

I was thinking that about the vga.

Yes: the current connection is: pc (dvi on gfx card) > vga/dvi converter > Vga socket on tv = 1024 resolution

I would much rather have pc > hdmi on tv

Or, if it works out cheaper: pc > dvi > hdmi on tv

Ignore for the moment i have an xbox since a switcher will solve the problem of only one hdmi socket on the tv...

The plan is to use the setup as a media centre for music/movies/tv etc (ie: avi's etc etc...)

The tv model is:

Samsung 32inch hdtv

Model = LE32R74BD

Thanks for the help guys, enjoying this discussion :)

Ooooh, ok that would work and thats the resolution issue sorted then. Thanks mate.

So next question - is it worthwhile getting either a new graphics card or spending a fiver on a dvi>hdmi cable like:

THIS ONE

And picking up a hdmi switch?

All in that could cost me ?30 tops....to see an increase in quality and let me play the odd game if I want on my pc/tv?

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Nice, hope they *finally* fixed the issue with the NTFS driver where the system would completely brick during large file copies using the built in driver. It's been broken for years requiring me to use the older, slower, NTFS-3G FUSE driver.
    • Windows 11 KB5094126 BSODing, freezing, forcing BitLocker lockout, breaks OneDrive, and more by Sayan Sen Microsoft released Windows 11 KB5094126 and KB5093998 last week as the latest Patch Tuesday updates. Following that the company also published the accompanying dynamic updates under KB5094149, KB5095971, and KB5094156. While Microsoft has so far not acknowledged any major problems with the release, some users online are running into problems. These range from OneDrive and Dropbox access issues, BitLocker recovery lockouts, to blue screens and BSODs. The most common one seems to be happening with HP systems wherein affected users say they hit 0xc0430001 BSOD (blue screen of death) error code after the KB5094126 update. We wonder if this could be related to the recent bug we covered on HP devices wherein the ongoing Secure Boot certificate updates are leading to similar issues. While we are not certain, users affected by this issue likely need to ensure that the boot.stl file is included on the installation media (such as a USB installer or ISO), if the above-mentioned dynamic updates are deployed. If this file is missing, computers may fail to boot from the installation media and could display the error 0xc0430001. This STL file is used by Secure Boot to verify that the boot files are trusted, so it must match the same Windows version and system architecture. To ensure the file is included, Microsoft recommends using the Update WinPE script, which automatically updates the image and handles the required files. Alternatively, you can manually copy the boot.stl file from the Windows\Boot\EFI folder on a Windows device and place it in the matching folder on your installation media before deploying the updated image. Aside from blue screening some users also note their systems have been freezing following the update. This could be happening to Lenovo PCs specifically. In the case of the OneDrive and Dropbox access issues, a user figured out that there could be a conflict with UAC. He explained: "Okay, so I did some digging, and in our environment KB5094126 breaks OneDrive and Dropbox in Explorer. I went through all our GPOs and found out that the combination of disabling UAC and having my user being a local admin breaks OneDrive in Explorer. ... If I enable UAC again, then it works, even with KB5094126 still installed." Hopefully, Microsoft will look into these issues. Source: Microsoft forum (link1, link2, link3, link4), Reddit (link1, link2, link3, link4)
    • It is when it's a desktop in my house though for a PC that's lightly used and not really important when it is. If it was a laptop, it would be a different story. The real solution is varied and begins starting at post #22 in that thread.
    • Win11Debloat 2026.06.14 by Razvan Serea Win11Debloat is a lightweight, easy to use PowerShell script that allows you to quickly declutter and customize your Windows experience. It can remove pre-installed bloatware apps, disable telemetry, remove intrusive interface elements and much more. The script also includes many features that system administrators and power users will enjoy. Such as a powerful command-line interface, support for Windows Audit mode and the option to make changes to other Windows users. All changes made by Win11Debloat can be easily reversed, and most removed apps can be restored via the Microsoft Store. A full guide on how to undo the changes is available here. Win11Debloat features: Below is an overview of the key features and functionality offered by Win11Debloat. Please refer to the wiki for more information about the default settings preset. Remove a wide variety of preinstalled apps. Click here for more info. Disable telemetry, diagnostic data, activity history, app-launch tracking & targeted ads. Disable tips, tricks, suggestions & ads across Windows. Disable Windows location services & app location access. Disable Find My Device location tracking. Disable 'Windows Spotlight' and tips & tricks on the lock screen. Disable 'Windows Spotlight' desktop background option. Disable ads, suggestions and the MSN news feed in Microsoft Edge. Hide Microsoft 365 ads on the Settings 'Home' page, or hide the 'Home' page entirely. Disable & remove Microsoft Copilot. Disable Windows Recall. Disable Click to Do, AI text & image analysis tool. Prevent AI service (WSAIFabricSvc) from starting automatically. Disable AI Features in Edge. Disable AI Features in Paint. Disable AI Features in Notepad. Disable the Drag Tray for sharing & moving files. Restore the old Windows 10 style context menu. Turn off Enhance Pointer Precision, also known as mouse acceleration. Disable the Sticky Keys keyboard shortcut. Disable Storage Sense automatic disk cleanup. Disable fast start-up to ensure a full shutdown. ...and more. Once you’ve downloaded the Win11Debloat file (Get.ps1), just follow these quick steps: Locate the Get.ps1 script file. Right-click the file and select Run with PowerShell from the context menu. If prompted by User Account Control (UAC), select Yes to grant the script the necessary administrative permissions. Win11Debloat 2026.06.14 changes: This is a minor release that hopefully addresses the false positives in Windows Defender and Bitdefender that prevented users from downloading and/or running Win11Debloat. Refactor Get-RegFileOperations.ps1 to address false positives by @Raphire in #626 Add logging around WinGet app retrieval and increase timeout to 20s by @Raphire Download: Win11Debloat 2026.06.14 | Open Source View: Win11Debloat Home Page | Screenshots 1| 2 Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Jeroen Wilms earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      rolfus earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Leroy Jethro Gibbs earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Conversation Starter
      flexorcist earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • One Month Later
      AndreaB earned a badge
      One Month Later
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      508
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      198
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      138
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      90
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      81
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!