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    DVI, S-Video, VGA

    Discussion in 'Asus' started by Mikeoo17, Jul 4, 2006.

  1. Mikeoo17

    Mikeoo17 Notebook Deity

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    How significant are the differences between the different video interfaces?

    I'd like to hook up my laptop to a CRT television to watch movies from time to time and don't see myself hooking up to an external monitor for any reason. I would like the DVI for future LCD tv's that come out but only if it's a significant improvement!

    opinions?
     
  2. Adaptive

    Adaptive Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    DVI sends a digital signal that is far better/clearer than analog signals like S-Video. VGA, which is analog, is substantially better than S-Video as well due to bandwidth, and while not quite up to par with DVI, it is still relatively good. Basically DVI > VGA > S-Video, with S-Video far behind the other two. If you have the option of getting DVI, it is certainly worth considering, but VGA might be good enough depending on your expectations.

    Hope this helps.
     
  3. Mikeoo17

    Mikeoo17 Notebook Deity

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    That definitely helps!

    I know both VGA and DVI are available on (most) LCD computer displays. S-Video is available on (most) home televisions. DVI should be standard on LCD/Plasma tv's in short future.

    That being said, VGA which is the next best option after DVI, isnt really available for home television which means I'm stuck with the bottom of the barrel S-Video. How good do you think the S-Video will look on a 36" Sony Vega?

    Also, does S-Video have an audio component, or would I need to hook up RCA's to the Speaker-Out?
     
  4. Adaptive

    Adaptive Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    S-Video does not have an audio component and requires the use of the RCA's you mentioned. As for VGA, some LCD TV's do actually have the input, but it's still relatively rare (and yes, DVI is generally more prominent). I've used S-Video with my Panasonic SDTV and found that it looked pretty good. The question with your WEGA is whether or not it's an HDTV/DTV or SDTV. If it's SDTV then S-Video should be quite acceptable; otherwise, if it's an HDTV/DTV, then it will still look pretty good, but not as good as it could.

    Personally, when I have hooked up my computer to watch movies on the TV, I've found that even a super crappy S-Video -> Composite -> Coax conversion still looks "ok" on my 27" Sony SDTV when I'm sitting on the couch. It's really only gradient banding and whatnot that is a little noticeable, since in general the reduced clarity isn't that big a concern when sitting far enough away (by banding I mean the wavy colored paterns that appear on detailed items like fences and whatnot, such as you sometimes see when watching things like NASCAR over broadcast).

    If you're "stuck" with S-Video I wouldn't really worry too much about it, as it will still provide reasonably good quality for movie viewing purposes. If, as you say, S-Video is your only option, then I really wouldn't get worked up about it. At least you don't have to be the king of conversions like me. :)
     
  5. Mikeoo17

    Mikeoo17 Notebook Deity

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    Is there any USB 2.0 video/audio interface expected that can compare with DVI... I'm going to assume no as the DVI, VGA and S-Video are probably hooked up directly to the video card.
     
  6. Adaptive

    Adaptive Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    On the USB 2.0 interface the answer is sadly a no. The only truly digital video outputs right now are DVI and HDMI (which is really just DVI + Audio + Content Protection).
     
  7. carlislegeorge

    carlislegeorge Notebook Consultant

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    s-video is indeed analog and therefore lowest quality. The quality of what you get via VGA (or any "digital" mode) is based on the input signal. VGA is quite capable of throughputting Hi Def video signals. before DVI came along, some hi def satellite receivers had VGA out. i used it myself to connect to a 53 inch hdtv. i agree that if you have a 30" or smaller screen it really doesnt matter.
     
  8. SRD

    SRD Notebook Virtuoso

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    If you are attaching to a high def tv no input is worth using other than DVI or HDMI. i do this for a living doing custom home theatres and Media centers, VGA is sorely lacking compared to the other 2 in quality. it is noticable even on a 30in set. 20 in and lower not so much anything larger you will notice.
     
  9. Mikeoo17

    Mikeoo17 Notebook Deity

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    Why do you think Asus left the DVI off of the W3J and W7J leaving only S-Video and VGA?

    I'm definitely getting one of the two, unfortuneately the video out on both is apparently quite lacking. This doesnt make much sense concidering they both have small screens begging to be broadcast to something larger!
     
  10. SRD

    SRD Notebook Virtuoso

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    Its still rare to see anything but vga on laptops. if you are just hooking it to a monitor its not a huge difference. i find when connecting to tvs or large displays that it matters. VGA is still fine for most uses. i would still prefer dvi simply for that fact that you can downgrade it to vga if you want.
     
  11. Adaptive

    Adaptive Notebook Consultant NBR Reviewer

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    The A8Jm is very comparable to the W3J, but has DVI (PortableOne has it rebadged as the MX). Just FYI.