Help Me Choose A Video Card Please

[muskyx1]

Hello ALL:

Just bought the Samsung HLR6168W 61" DLP HDTV that accepts a 1080P VGA signal. I plan to use it to watch DVD's as well as surfing and possibly gaming. However, being somewhat ignorant when it comes to video cards, would some recommend a card that will take full advantage of the 1080P capabilty of this TV.

My current PC system is as follows:

Asus P4P800 SE M/B
Intel Pentium 4 3.2GHz / 1MB Cache / 800MHz FSB / Socket 478 /
HyperThreading / Processor
2 Gb dual channel DDR

Thanks

 

[Todd33]

The only thing that matters about the specs is the pixel resolution, which I assume is 1920x1080. So you need to drive slightly more than a 1600x1200. What card you need depends on what games and how much money you have. I'd suggest at least a 7800GT for the newer games. DVDs are 480P, so being 1080P is irrelevnt right now unless you decide to waste time upscaling it via your computer and ffdshow, but I'd just hook your DVD player into via component and be done with it.

 

[Art Vandaleigh]

NICE TV purchase. Those new samsung's are some of the best on the market right now.

 

[muskyx1]

Originally posted by: Todd33
DVDs are 480P, so being 1080P is irrelevnt right now unless you decide to waste time upscaling it via your computer and ffdshow, but I'd just hook your DVD player into via component and be done with it.

Funny that you mentioned the upscaling issue. I actually got one of those DVDO HD video SCALERs that upgrades any video signal to a 1080P VGA feed. Unfortunately, the product description for the SCALER failed to mention that this VGA signal was only accessible using a VGA to video component adapter. And my TV can't accept a 1080P video component feed. It can only accept VGA.

So since the hard part of upscaling the video signal to 1080P is already done. Is either of these 2 operations possible using my PC:

1/ Convert a 1080P DVI-D signal to 1080P VGA
2/ Convert a 1080P (3 rca) Component Video feed to 1080P VGA

 

[Matthias99]

Originally posted by: muskyx1

Originally posted by: Todd33
DVDs are 480P, so being 1080P is irrelevnt right now unless you decide to waste time upscaling it via your computer and ffdshow, but I'd just hook your DVD player into via component and be done with it.

Funny that you mentioned the upscaling issue. I actually got one of those DVDO HD video SCALERs that upgrades any video signal to a 1080P VGA feed. Unfortunately, the product description for the SCALER failed to mention that this VGA signal was only accessible using a VGA to video component adapter. And my TV can't accept a 1080P video component feed. It can only accept VGA.

So since the hard part of upscaling the video signal to 1080P is already done. Is there any way of using my PC to convert the component video (from the scaler) to VGA(to the TV)?

Is it outputting RGBHV or YPbPr? You can get RGBHV->VGA converters pretty easily, but something that can do YPbPr->VGA at 1080p might be tougher. On a PC you'd be looking at professional-quality HD capture boards (ie, not cheap), and those generally use other formats geared more towards production/editing (like HD-SDI).

 

[yakapo99]

If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for the tv? I'm guessing plasma's and lcd panels are way too expensive in this size. Do you have any idea what the bulb life / replacement cost is?

 

[muskyx1]

Originally posted by: yakapo99

If you don't mind me asking, what did you pay for the tv? I'm guessing plasma's and lcd panels are way too expensive in this size. Do you have any idea what the bulb life / replacement cost is?

I managed to get a pretty good deal. The regular price was $5299 (Cdn) and I got it for $4300 (Cdn). The lowest price 55" plasma was a Hitachi priced at $6000 (Cdn).