Hooking HDTV To PC?

[Pirate]

My friend just got a Dell PC and the monitor has DVI and VGA ports. She wants to hook her DirectTV up to the computer so she can watch HDTV on her 16x9 monitor. However, the monitor only allows one connection at a time (i.e., you cannot use VGA then switch to DVI), so she’d have to be plugging and unplugging the cables constantly.

Is there a way, via video card or something, that should could connect her cable box (with an HDMI out) to her PC and control the display?

Let me know if I need to clarify anything.

Thanks!

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Pirate

My friend just got a Dell PC and the monitor has DVI and VGA ports. She wants to hook her DirectTV up to the computer so she can watch HDTV on her 16x9 monitor. However, the monitor only allows one connection at a time (i.e., you cannot use VGA then switch to DVI), so she’d have to be plugging and unplugging the cables constantly.

Is there a way, via video card or something, that should could connect her cable box (with an HDMI out) to her PC and control the display?

Let me know if I need to clarify anything.

Thanks!

Does the Dell have DVI or VGA output, or both? What is the model? (Some Dells do not allow for PCI-E video cards).

Basically if the Dell outputs VGA the cheapest route would be to buy a DVI videocard from newegg and a DVI switcher + HDMI -> DVI cable from monoprice - assuming the Dell allows for internal expansion.

If the Dell outputs DVI, then all you need is the HDMI -> DVI cable and DVI switcher from monoprice.

[Pirate]

Originally Posted by Ruined

Does the Dell have DVI or VGA output, or both?

I think the video card has both DVI and VGA, but she can only use one connection to the monitor at a time.

[firestorm]

Ruined beat me to it. If the PCI has DVI outputs, I would also recommend buying an HDMI-to-DVI converter for the sat receiver and connect both the receiver and PC to a DVI switch from monoprice (which is also a good source for the converter). With a quick search: http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...t=1#largeimage

[Pirate]

So, just to clarify: she would hook her DirectTV box into the PC via a HDMI-DVI cable. Then send the signal from the video card's DVI out to the DVI switcher that would then go to the monitor.

Is that right?

[Ruined]

Originally Posted by Pirate

So, just to clarify: she would hook her DirectTV box into the PC via a HDMI-DVI cable. Then send the signal from the video card's DVI out to the DVI switcher that would then go to the monitor.

Is that right?

No. 3 connections.

PC DVI output -> DVI switcher's 1st input

DirectTV HDMI output -> HDMI > DVI cable -> DVI switcher's 2nd input

DVI switcher's output -> monitor

[Pirate]

Okay, I see.

Thanks, guys!