DVI to VGA or DVI to HDMI?

I've just purchased Sony Bravia HD tv and I have it connected it to my MBP (via DVI) to watch high def shows and movies. Right now I'm using a DVI to VGa cable, but I'd like to take advantage of the HDMI port on the tv to get a better picture. Anyone know if the difference will be noticable?

You might as well try the DVI/HDMI interface if you are unhappy with the VGA interface. You have nothing to lose by trying. It will be slightly better but I think Chris Y. is correct that the source of the pixelation you see is probably unrelated to the type of interface.
If you freeze the action, is the pixelation still present? That would for sure suggest the problem is with the source material rather than having much to do with other things that can cause pixelation.

Similar Messages

  • VGA vs Mini-DVI to HDMI adapter

    I'm about to buy an external monitor to use with my MacBook Pro late 2008. I do understand HDMI (digital) looks much better than VGA (analog), so I'm thinking about buying a Mini-DVI to HDMI adapter. My questions are:
    Does the Mini-DVI to HDMI adapter decrease video quality? Is it noticeable?
    Is it worth buying the adapter? If so, are there any known issues with third-party adapters?
    Thanks in advance for your time!
    João

    If your macbook has mini-DVI then HDMI or no HDMI you will not get any audio passed through the HDMI connection because DVI does not pass audio.  You would need to pass the audio separately via analog stereo line out. 
    But what difference does it make anyhow?  You intend to use this as a monitor as opposed to hooking it up to a HDTV.
    So long as you use a digitial interface HDMI, DVI, mini-displayport, etc. you are not going to loose any quality.  It's digital.  It either works or it doesn't.  VGA, being analog, will of course be less quality.
    I don't even know why you care about converting to HDMI when you could just convert mini-DVI to standard DVI and use a monitor that accepts standard DVI.  They're plenty of those around.
    Another consideration with a DVI interface is that if the monitor has a resolution greater than 1920 x 1200 you need a dual link DVI adapter as opposed to a single link DVI adapter.

  • I bought a mini DVI to HDMI convertor and  a HDMI to VGA cable to connect my mac book pro to a tv but it doesn't work any one can help.\\\\\

    i bought a mini DVI to HDMI convertor and  a HDMI to VGA cable to connect my mac book pro to a tv but it doesn't work any one can help.

    I would suggest looking into a Thunderbolt to HDMI connector. In this case, you may be able to use the TV as an external monitor. For this option, please confirm through additional research. I have not tested it personally.
    You can also use an Apple TV, which connects with HDMI. In this case, you can use Airplay Mirroring. Not all Macs support Airplay Mirroring, so you need to check first. I have a Mid-2011 27" iMac, and it supports Airplay Mirroring. I don't use it often because my TV is in another room, but I just tried it and it worked. It had to change the screen resolution to work well, so I don't know if I would want to use it as my day to day monitor. http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5404

  • "Mini DVI to HDMI" or "Mini DVI to VGA" to go to Samsung LN32B460 HDTV?

    I recently purchased a "DOA"/defective "Mini DVI to HDMI" converter off of ebay, and the company is making me spend the $10 to return it to China - which I'm not doing (I only paid $10 for it in the first place).
    I am wondering if I should buy another one, from a more reliable seller of course, or if I should buy the "Mini DVI to VGA" instead?
    I don't play games, so it would be mainly for playing movies and browsing the web. My display is a 32" Samsung 720p (Model LN32B460). It is has a native resolution of 1360x768, 60Hz refresh.
    Will I see a quality difference for the basic stuff that I am doing that I should get the "Mini DVI to HDMI" or will the "Mini DVI to VGA" be enough?
    Thanks!

    I'm attempting to connect my MB to a plasma 50 inch Panasonic TV, and am about to purchase the necessary cables from www.monoprice.com.
    I've discovered so far that the HDMI connection directly between the MB and the TV (using the appropriate mini DVI adapter of course - product # 4852 at monochrome.com and an Apple HDMI cable which I'll return to get a better price at monochrome) transmits only video/pictures but not audio.
    So far, an old, short RCA (red/white) 2-way audio test cable (again using the appropriate adapter to connect to the headphone jack on the MB) does not transmit audio directly to the TV.
    1) Could audio be transmitted from the MB to the TV using a "Coax (RCA) to Optical Toslink Digital Audio Converter" (product ID # 2947 at www.monochrome.com) to connect directly to the TV (in which case, what digital audio cable would I need to connect the converter to the TV)? And if so, would it be stereo or mono?
    OR...
    2) Should I wait until I get my Onkyo surround sound system (later this week) to see if the RCA cable will transmit directly from the MB to the sound system?
    Thanks.

  • Mini DVI to DVI to HDMI Vs Mini DVI to VGA

    When I connect my MacBook to my LG 32" HD Ready LCD TV via Mini DVI to DVI connector and DVI to HDMI cable, image is sharp but color seems very pale and washed out. However, when using Mini DVI to VGA connection, colors are brilliant, though images via DVI are sharper.
    I tried calibrating the display but couldn't achieve the brilliant colors of the VGA connection.
    Is this normal? Any solution for this?
    I'm also connecting my PS3 to my TV via HDMI and don't have this problem.

    Hey Guys,
    I am having a very similar problem.
    I have a 35" Westinghouse LCD TV (not the best I know but I'm a college student). I had been using a VGA adapter/cable in order to use my TV as a monitor, but I decided to upgrade (or so I thought) to a digital signal so I purchased a Mini-Dvi to HDMI adapter, etc.
    Here's the problem:
    My display settings on my MacBook for my LCD TV only allow me to choose either '1280 x 720' or '1920 x 1080'. My TV cannot support the higher resolution so when I chose the '1920 x 1080' setting, the picture comes up with good color quality, but the actual image looks over compressed and does not fill up the screen. When I choose the '1280 x 720' setting, the image resolution looks great, EXCEPT the colors are way off, faded, washed out, etc.
    This is problem is so frustrating because I can get the resolution to look good OR the color to look good, bot never both. I have read several forums that touch on a similar issue and have tried all types of monitor calibration but I can't get the color to look normal when the resolution is right.
    I just don't understand why the only resolution that fits that of my TV has terrible color??
    Help would be greatly appreciated.
    -Dave

  • DVI to HDMI or VGA to connect to HDTV

    Hi I am researching buying a 40-42" LCD or plasma TV and I would like to be able to connect my IMac to the tv. I will mostly be using the TV to watch sports and to watch videos from my IMac.
    1. Will 1080p videos played from the IMac produce good 1080p picture on the tv? I have ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB memory.
    2. Or would I be better off just going with a 720p tv and playing 720p videos from the IMac?
    3. Go with a DVI to HDMI or DVI to VGA cable? I understand I'll need to get a Mini DVI to DVI adapter also.
    Thank you!

    1 and 2. It should work with either a 720p or 1080p HDTV.
    3. Mini DVI to (regular) DVI to HDMI. That will keep the signal digital all the way. VGA is analog. There are cables that have DVI on one end and HDMI on the other end. There are several types of DVI connectors, so be sure to get the right one.
    NOTE: HDMI carries audio but DVI does not, so you will still have to run audio from the iMac headphones jack to the HDTV audio input separately.

  • VGA to DVI to hdmi?  For the new Mac Mini.

    I'm dying to buy a new Mac Mini but I'm not ready to replace my monitor yet.  Sadly, it's a VGA flat panel.  It's connected to my current 2009 Mini by a VGA to DVI adapter.  The new Mini comes with a DVI to HDMI adapter.
    Can I plug my VGA to DVI adapter into the DVI to HDMI adapter and get video for my monitor?  My monitor has no speakers, so audio is irrelevant.  I just need video.

    Unfortunately, my monitor is a VGA only flatpanel.  I had to buy a $30 Thunderbolt to VGA adapter to be able to use it with my new Mini.  Ah well, problem solved.  I'll make sure my next monitor has either DVI or HDMI.
    One thing I think Apple should seriously consider doing is STOPPING their practice of including an adapter in the box and, instead, giving a free adapter with purchase.  That way, they won't be wasting resources (this is the second time I've bought a Mac with an adapter I don't need, and I guarantee there are people who will already have a compatile monitor and won't need the adapter either) and instead will better serve their customers by sending them home with a new Mac that works with the monitor they have.
    The Mini is all about bring your own peripherals, right?  Well, there are a lot of VGA monitors out there.

  • Why does a DVI or VGA look better than HDMI for 2nd Monitor

    Why does a DVI or VGA connection for a program monitor look better than HDMI. I've tested this on several systems with CS5x and CS6. The full screen output from premiere definitely looks worse with HDMI.
    I can often see visual differences with the Windows GUI as well, over sharpening of text and lines, harsh rendering of gradients. It looks like a VGA signal displayed on a television.
    I've looked at the NVidia stetting and it appears to be set to 1920x1080 at 60hz either way, DVI or HDMI. On one Acer 20 inch monitor the was VGA, HDMI, Composite, Component, and Digital Tuner, but no DVI. The program monitor has always looked blah from the HDMI. So I recently switched the connection to a DVI to VGA adaptor, and now the video looks so much better.
    Any thoughts or explanations?

    Just because the monitors accept a 1080P signal doesn't mean their native resolution is 1920x1080. At 20 inch they very likely can scale that signal down to the native resolution of the panel which may be 1600 x 900 or another resolution that is 16 x 9 resolution. That scaling can be done by the GPU or firmware on the Monitor depending on the video driver options and the firmware options. That scaling is also the most common cause to text and icon blurriness you are talking about. As an example there are Pro monitors that accept a 4K signal but scale it down to 2.5K or 2K on the actual panel. You might try going into your video card settings such as Nvidia control panel and look for the scaling options. Select GPU scaling and see if the preview is better. If that doesn't work select no scaling and see if it's better if the monitor firmware handles the scaling.
    Eric
    ADK

  • 1.66GHZ Mac Mini DVI to HDMI worse than VGA??

    I recently hooked up my Mac Mini to my new Samsung Series 7 55" LED TV and was disappointed to find that I can't get a better picture from my DVI to HDMI than the regular DVI to VGA what am I missing?
    When I plugged in the HDMI I put the display setting to 1080p and the display comes up grainy and colors are almost fluorescent. I tried several other settings, but I still get a better picture through VGA. The DVI output on this model is single link. I am using a dual link DVI to HDMI cable, but this should not matter. Is it possible that this model is not capable of 1080p on this large a screen? Does anyone have any suggestions?
    Thanks

    Sounds like different settings are being applied on the TV on a per port basis. Many TVs can store settings unique to a particular input. But there are so many settings on that TV, it would be hard to say for sure which ones are causing what you see.
    But for sure the issue is not with video coming out from the mini. The mini doesn't "flavorize" video in any way. It just sends out honest bits of video data. It's the TVs you have to watch out for. They have all kinds of unfettered processing possibilities, many under goofy, trademarked names.

  • DVI to VGA or DVI to HDMI for Sony Bravia

    I have a 52" Bravia HDTV that i have hooked up to my Mac Pro (with NVIDIA GeForce 7300 GT video card) . I bought a DVI to VGA adapter since teh Bravia doesnt have a DVI port, but has a "PC" port. All my friends tell me to use "DVI to HDMI" better. What are the advantages? i am asking because the screen looks great with the VGA connection .I just watched several HD trailers for different movies on the Bravia and they look REALLY HD and clean. So is it really going to look even better ? or is there another advantage to using HDMI ? Thanks
    a side question, when i restarted my Mac Pro that had the Bravia and the mac display hooked up , the display was blinking on startup (where it keeps flashing a light blue screen) until i restarted it again . What happened ?

    The HDMI port can give sharper vertical edges, but some TVs don't work well with computers via HDMI. The only way to tell is to try it.

  • Can I use a mini-DVI to HDMI adapter to use my HDTV as a monitor?

    I've been looking into this and haven't found a direct and complete answer yet. I read this article that states its possible when using mini-DVI to VGA/DVI adapters, but didn't mention mini-DVI to HDMI adapters.
    http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3413
    Apple also doesn't offer mini-DVI to HDMI adapters, so where would be a good place to look for one and what do you think I should pay for it?

    If you have a unibody MBP, you need a mini-Displayport adapter, not a mini-DVI adapter.
    If you don't mind running a separate audio cable in addition to the HDMI cable from your MBP to your TV set, buy this adapter:
    http://www.monoprice.com/products/search.asp?keyword=5311&x=0&y=0
    If you want to combine video and audio into a single HDMI cable, buy one of these two adapters:
    http://kanexlive.com/products/item.aspx?id=3323 (for two-channel stereo audio)
    http://kanexlive.com/products/item.aspx?id=3495 (for 5.1-channel digital surround audio from sources that include it)

  • Mini-DVI to HDMI adapter or Mini-DVI to DVI cable?

    I know Apple has a couple different Mini-DVI adapters for their Powerbook and MacBook computers. I don't especially like adapters and was wondering if anyone knows of a Mini-DVI to DVI cable.
    Also, with the gaining popularity of HDMI, do you think we will ever see a Mini-DVI to HDMI adapter or cable?

    Hi,
    I know it is changing the subject, but I've been long frustrated by Apple's penchant for odd connectors, especially video connectors. Remember old quadras with 13 pin D connectors, powerbooks with square connectors, 7100s with I-don't-know-what connectors? All the while, ye olde VGA 15-pin D-sub connector was on just about everything else - even gas chromatographs.
    We also got that funny mini-dix (Digital-Intel-Xerox) Ethernet connector on powerbooks when PCs were outfitted with familiar RJ-45 jacks. I did see one other machine that had the mini-dix: a government spec Zenith notebook.
    I'm surprised Apple didn't use a VGA connector on the Macbook, given its above average exposure in the educational environment and greater than average odds of being hooked up to a lectern in a distance learning room. Pretty much to a tee, every distance learning setup I've seen has a VGA cable at the presenter's lectern. I worked in a university IT department, and it was pretty common for our loaner laptops to come back missing just about any ancillary goodie that could be misplaced. It isn't so bad to have to routinely stuff a new $2.00 cat-5 cable in the bag, but a $20.00 video dongle - not so good!
    If Apple just couldn't countenance the idea of a VGA connector, I wonder how hard it would have been to have a normal size DVI connector? At least DVI-to-VGA connectors are easier to find, and better, aren't so expensive.
    Bill
    Message was edited by: impulse_telecom

  • I have a late 2008 white macbook.  I have a mini dvi to hdmi adapter, and a hdmi cord.  My cannot get my MB to detect an external monitor.  Nothing happens when plugged in.  Also, my display settings does not have an option for mirroring or arrangment tab

    I have a late 2008 white macbook.  I have a mini dvi to hdmi adapter, and a hdmi cord.  My cannot get my MB to detect an external monitor.  Nothing happens when plugged in.  Also, my display settings does not have an option for mirroring or arrangment tab

    Yeah, I'm having the same exact problem - It seems that the thunderbolt minidisplay port is only able to output the analog VGA signal, not the digital signal to support DVI and HDMI. This is a bug that came up after installing 10.7.1. I bought my macbook air with 10.7 on it, upgraded it to 10.7.1 as soon as I got it, so I have never been able to use hdmi or dvi with my macbook air. This is an extremely frustrating problem for me, I used HDMI on a daily basis with my PC. I have spent many hours at the genius bar running diagnostic tests so Apple can get as much information as possible to create a fix for this problem. I have been emailing tech support for 3 or so weeks now, they keep saying that they are working on a fix and it should be out soon, but 10.7.2 has come and gone and I still have no HDMI functionality with my MacBook Air!

  • Mini DVI to HDMI problems...

    Hey guys, I hope you can solve my problem. My late 2008 MacBook...
    Model Name: MacBook
    Model Identifier: MacBook4,1
    Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
    Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
    Number Of Processors: 1
    Total Number Of Cores: 2
    L2 Cache: 3 MB
    Memory: 2 GB
    Bus Speed: 800 MHz
    Boot ROM Version: MB41.00C1.B00
    SMC Version (system): 1.31f1
    ...I am having trouble connecting it to my 42" Panasonic Plasma 720p. I purchased a mini dvi - hdmi adapter and plugged everything in and just got a blue screen on the macbook and nothing on the tv. I am sure that the right input was used on the TV. I also tried using the same setup on my other 32" lcd, but had the same problem with the macbook. What am i doing wrong. Should I try a mini dvi to s-video and use that or would the picture suffer. Since my tv has the hdmi, I would really like to use it...I called apple, but the referred me to the forum or pay them $50 to try and figure out the problem. The tv has 2 hdmi inputs and I tried both of them. It also has s-video and component inputs, but no vga...Please Help...

    I am having an identical problem. Unfortunately, I cannot quite follow the syntax of the response to the original post. I have a Macbook 2.1 and I am trying to hook up to an LG 32LH20 TV. I got the Mini DVI to HDMI adapter and an HDMI cable at eh Apple store. Connected the HDMI cable to the HDMI IN jack on the back of the TV. They also sold me an audio cable with the 3.5mm jack on one end and the red/white AV plugs on the other end.
    Once all of the cables are hooked up, it doesn't work...exactly. If I switch the TV input to 'Component', I can get the audio of whatever is running on the Macbook, like from a Netflix movie. As for video, the only thing I get is when I switch the TV input to 'HDMI'. Then, all I get is the generic Apple purple sky. The only things that I can get in the screen of the TV that also shows up on the Macbook are when I open up things like the System Preferences menu. No browsers or other apps.
    Can somebody please help me further?
    Thanks
    PS - yes - I am a newbie to Macs, being a PC person since '96.
    Message was edited by: ratrodrick

  • Mini dvi to hdmi, tv not displaying imac screen it remains black

    just brought brand new mini dvi to hdmi adapter.... when i plug in the accessories the imac recognises the hdtv but the tv screen remains black?
    HELP
      Chipset Model:          ATI Radeon HD 2600 Pro
      Type:          GPU
      Bus:          PCIe
      PCIe Lane Width:          x16
      VRAM (Total):          256 MB
      Vendor:          ATI (0x1002)
      Device ID:          0x9583
      Revision ID:          0x0000
      ROM Revision:          113-B2250L-259
      EFI Driver Version:          01.00.259
      Displays:
    iMac:
      Display Type:          LCD
      Resolution:          1680 x 1050
      Pixel Depth:          32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
      Mirror:          On
      Mirror Status:          Hardware Mirror
      Online:          Yes
      Built-In:          Yes
    PANASONIC-TV :
      Resolution:          1920 x 1080 @ 60Hz (1080i)
      Pixel Depth:          32-Bit Color (ARGB8888)
      Main Display:          Yes
      Mirror:          On
      Mirror Status:          Master Mirror
      Online:          Yes
      Rotation:          Supported
      Interlaced:          Yes
      Television:          Yes

    Difficut to say why it won't work, but my guess is your vintage iMac (about 2007) was never designed to output via HDMI. Your adapter appears correct (thanks for the Amazon link) so if you want to persist, you can contact Amazon and request and exchange to check it. But I suspect you will need to use VGA or if your TV has it DVI which would mean using a mini-DVI to DVI adapter.
    One last thought is you could invest in an Apple TV and then do it wirlessly. That would work too but requires and AppleTV to accomplish it, of course you can use the AppleTV for streaming other data too including video, photos, music etc....

  • MacBook Mini-DVI to HDMI not working on Vizio VO22LF 1080p

    I recently purchased a mini-DVI to HDMI adapter so I can hook my macbook to my Vizio 1080p LCD TV. The macbook detects the TV correctly but no matter what I do the TV never detects the macbook on the hdmi input.
    Doing some searches I saw discussion of a bug with 1080p that and a trick to get two 1920x1080 resolutions to show up in the display options but it never works for me.
    When I connect to my 42" Panasonic 720p everything works great.
    Any thoughts??

    This sounds a lot like the problem relating to an Apple disclaimer about the mini driving non-coherent displays which seems to especially affect the original G4 mini. See here under the "Video" sub-section:
    http://support.apple.com/kb/SP65
    The problem is the timing for 1680 x 1050 will often have a dot clock above 135 MHz. There are really only a couple things you can do; one is to use the VGA interface as you have been and the second is to use a program like SwitchRes X to lower the pixel clock and stay with the DVI interface. If you want to go the SwitchRes X route, download and install it (get the SwitchRes X Control Panel version and not the full version of SwitchRes X) and then write back to this thread and I can take you through the steps you need to perform. You can also get more info from this thread:
    http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=3545154&#3545154

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