Video card for plasma tv

[bigboxes]

I'm in the planning stages of building a new HTPC. Do you need a special card to display on a plasma tv? I've heard of 30" monitors needed dual-link cards, but was wondering if that applied to the big flatscreens as well. The native resolution is 1920 x 1080.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: bigboxes
I'm in the planning stages of building a new HTPC. Do you need a special card to display on a plasma tv? I've heard of 30" monitors needed dual-link cards, but was wondering if that applied to the big flatscreens as well. The native resolution is 1920 x 1080.

Nope, no special cards are required. However, you may need to look into getting a DVI to HDMI cable if the TV doesn't have a VGA port. Also, before you purchase your plasma make sure you check out the AVS Forums and and do some searches on that specific model. You will then be able to talk to other owners and get some crucial questions answered.

 

[Elcs]

I have hooked up my Panasonic Viera 720p/1080i HDTV to the following cards:

Nvidia 7600GT - via. VGA + Component. DVI (7600GT) to HDMI (TV) did not work, IMO an HDCP handshaking issue.

Nvidia 8800GT - via. VGA, Component and DVI to HDMI. All worked fine.

ATI HD4870 - via. DVI to HDMI. Works fine.

If its for movies only, find a nice card with HDMI or DVI and some hardware acceleration for HD content and you'll be golden.

For gaming, any card from the 8000 series from Nvidia and the ATI equivilent onwards should be fine as far as HDTV's go. You may wish to consult as to performance, heat and noise considering your PC's operation.

 

[djnsmith7]

I'm currently running 2 8800GTs to my 58" 1080P Plasma display with a VGA cable. The HDMI cable looked horrible & the VGA connection looks pretty darn good. For some reason, the GTs look a lot better on this display than my 3870s with the same VGA connection.

 

[betasub]

I've heard of 30" monitors needed dual-link cards, but was wondering if that applied to the big flatscreens as well.

It's not the physical size of the screen that is a factor, but the resolution. Those 30" monitors tend to be 2560x1600 resolution, and the sheer rate of data transfer required to control 4 million pixels (at 60+Hz) is too great for a single-link connection - hence the dual-link requirement. For comparison, your 1080p TV "only" has ~2.1 Mpixels, regradless of its physical size.

 

[bigboxes]

Originally posted by: betasub

I've heard of 30" monitors needed dual-link cards, but was wondering if that applied to the big flatscreens as well.

It's not the physical size of the screen that is a factor, but the resolution. Those 30" monitors tend to be 2560x1600 resolution, and the sheer rate of data transfer required to control 4 million pixels (at 60+Hz) is too great for a single-link connection - hence the dual-link requirement. For comparison, your 1080p TV "only" has ~2.1 Mpixels, regradless of its physical size.

That's what I was thinking, but just wanted to make sure. I do plan on gaming with this system and wanted a card that could handle the resolution and also be fitted with an aftermarket cooler to quiet it. I won't build it for another month, but I like to plan these things out. Thanks for all the input!

 

[IcePickFreak]

Originally posted by: djnsmith7
I'm currently running 2 8800GTs to my 58" 1080P Plasma display with a VGA cable. The HDMI cable looked horrible & the VGA connection looks pretty darn good. For some reason, the GTs look a lot better on this display than my 3870s with the same VGA connection.

I use a DVI > HDMI cable I picked up from monoprice to connect my 8800GTS to a 50" Sammy Plasma with no issues. I did use a DVI > VGA while I was waiting for the HDMI to arrive and while it wasn't horrible, the HDMI certainly looks better when displaying 1080p content.

 

[djnsmith7]

Originally posted by: IcePickFreak

Originally posted by: djnsmith7
I'm currently running 2 8800GTs to my 58" 1080P Plasma display with a VGA cable. The HDMI cable looked horrible & the VGA connection looks pretty darn good. For some reason, the GTs look a lot better on this display than my 3870s with the same VGA connection.

I use a DVI > HDMI cable I picked up from monoprice to connect my 8800GTS to a 50" Sammy Plasma with no issues. I did use a DVI > VGA while I was waiting for the HDMI to arrive and while it wasn't horrible, the HDMI certainly looks better when displaying 1080p content.

I totally expected an HDMI connection to look much better than VGA, especially on this size of a display, but that isn't what happened.