Which kind of connection to go from PC to TV (50 ft cable distance)

[NBAJ2K]

I just bought a new TV and am trying to find the best connection type to connect my Computer to my TV. I have the ATI Radeon x1900 card with 2 DVI outputs on the back. The options on the TV are either Svideo, HDMI, or VGA.

At first I wanted to get a DVI to HDMI cable, but then I read that the quality drops after a certain amount of feet. I want to wrap it around the room to keep the wires out of the way, so I'm looking at about a 50 ft distance of cable needed to go from the computer to the TV.

I have already purchased a 15 ft DVI to HDMI cable that works, but then I have wires going across the floor and I'd rather go the long way to keep it looking neat.

Would another medium be any better or more logical without the quality loss in picture? I wasn't too sure about VGA or Svideo.

Any opinion would be great as I'm trying to get this all setup ASAP.

Thank you very much,

~J

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

S-video is going to be garbage, so VGA, Component, or DVI/HDMI are your good connection option types.

If you get a thich cable, then HDMI might still be a good option for you.

I'm running a 35 foot run without issues to my projector.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10231&style=

 

[NBAJ2K]

looks like I'd be looking at around $60. Is there a big quality difference between VGA and HDMI that I'd notice coming from the computer to the TV? I bought the 15ft dvi to HDMI cable from monoprice for around $8; I was hoping for a solution that would be around the $25 range.

~J

 

[Slammy1]

Move the PC closer to the TV, best input can vary with model (but not S-Video unless you have nothing else, and then maybe). An analog cable is harder to run longer distances (you need to purchase higher quality). If you're going to go through all the expense and trouble (plus lines running around walk areas) might as well try it for a bit, see if it suits your needs. A short run of cable is cheap and easy, and more importantly when you're trying to figure out display it's nice to remove the variable in troubleshooting.

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

If you already have a VGA cable that's long enough, by all means try that.

The different in quality between a VGA and DVI/HDMI connection is going to depend on your TV.

 

[NBAJ2K]

i tried hdmi running it across the floor and it looks great. If I do go hdmi, just trying to save the most money possible. I would just connect it when i need it, but i don't like the idea of plugging things in and out of my new TV. I know monoprice a lot of times is the cheapest. I just didn't know if I got a few 15 ft HDMI cables with connectors if there will be a great deal of difference. If so, its a no go and Ill just have to ante up and pay to get the longer cable.

I'm sure there is some dropoff with connectors connecting hdmi cables, but is it a lot?

~J

 

[pkrush]

HDMI is digital, so the picture doesn't degrade with cable lengths or quality like an analog signal. The picture will stay perfectly clear until the signal degrades enough that there are errors in the digital transmission, which tend to be very noticeable and often cause the picture to become unrecognizable. So if it works at all, you'll have perfect picture quality, but I'd try to get good quality cables anyway so you can run them for longer distances.

 

[Cattlegod]

I use a 25 foot VGA cable going to my TV, no issues at all, works great.

 

[jkresh]

50 feet is tricky but it might work (and monoprice probably has the best price/performance you can find on most cables), if you have issues with the 50 foot cable you can get a signal booster from monoprice (generally recommended for runs longer then 35 feet) which should fix everything (though it will add some cost). Could You use a 25-35 foot cable and run it across the ceiling or under the floor to save some wire instead of around the room?

 

[randym431]

I just got a 50' vga with audio from monoprice for around $25, from an ati dual out 9550 card to a plasma vga in. It works GREAT! I use vongo, movielink with the second dual out in theater mode. Works like a charm, looks great, and the 50' just long enough with only a few feet to spare. Now I'm hooked on vongo and movielink, with this setup.