Can I connect my computer to LCD TV?
 

How can I connect my computer to my LCD tv for live stream viewing? I have no monitor plug on the tv os is it as easy as getting a usb to hdmi cord? As I read some say it works but most say it does not work for like live shows and like only for still images, but I have learned there is much bull $hit out there...that's why I ask here :)

What model TV?
What model computer?
Does the computer have any kind of video in/out card? (Not graphics, but video.)

Sony kdfw55 LCD
Computer is homemade Gigabyte MB M68M-SP2, AMD 64x2 dual core 4400 cpu with 3 gigs ram no video cards, I am using the on-board for the monitor.

I'm not seeing that model of TV pop up in Google searches. Are you sure the model name is entirely accurate? I wanted to see what sort of connections were available on it -- i.e, HDMI, VGA, s-video, component, etc., and in what quantity.

For the price of those semi-junky "USB-to-VGA" or "USB-to-HDMI/DVI" converters, you could also afford to simply get a good video card that also does video output. For example, the Hauppauge PVR 350, or one of the HD-generation Hauppauge cards.

How many PCI slots are available? If any.
Or do you only have USB2 slots open to add hardware to the system?

The 2 pci slots and the 1 pci express are available in the computer.

Thanks for the detailed help.

Verify the model ID of the TV set. Need more info.

Actual model is Sony KDF-55WF-655

Kinda forgot about this but am trying to figure it out again...

What is the best way to do this?

Given that you have an open PCI Express card slot, and simply need HDMI, I'd buy a $40 graphics card.

For example, this 'Sapphire Radeon HD4550 512 MB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card 100252HDMI' from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...SIN=B001SJLLTQ

It's an ATI graphics card from Sapphire.

That's the simple solution. And it's pretty cheap, all things considered.

............

That's an awesome TV, by the way. :thumb:

Amazon calls it an "LCD Projection" television, but Sony had no such TV. What Sony used, to my knowledge, is their own variation of that technology (LCoS by Intel), known as "SXRD". Essentially, a light source (a bulb, in this case) is projected through an LCD chip. It gives you the benefits of an LCD image, as well as benefits of projected display (deep blacks). This particular model may actually pre-date SXRD, as the Sony specs describe it as a 3-CCD WEGA. This was one of the best HDTV lines ever made, and had a vast array of filters to improve the quality of your video, such as the DRC color corrections, multiple types/levels of noise reduction (NR), and quite a few other tweaks to color, white balance and black level -- if you dig deep enough in the on-screen menus, and avoid "dummy" preset modes.

...Are we talking about the same tv? my tv is like 6 or so years old, it has what is called the "optical block" it has gone out in it twice, always the blue lense...thought the next time I would get a another tv but if this one is really good...maybe not...

Your model is pre-SXRD, but even then, the optical block replacement should be a final fix for it. Does it have any of the filters for noise reduction, color correction, etc? These higher end older Sony sets have a lot of advanced filters to really make a picture look good. Compare it to the crummy, crunchy, blocky, noisy, over-bright, over-saturated crappy images you'd see on a plasma or LCD screen from Walmart or Best Buy.

... Unless you're one of those weird people who likes to scorch their eyeballs for "bight picture", prefers to make skin red for "vivid color", and likes the "detail" that is created by having digital grain on screen. Yuck.

You'd have to get a high end Sony LCD to truly replace this HDTV.

Thanks...

On cable the HD channels do look good for a tv of it's age...

However I am on optical block # 3 and it's always the blue lens that gives out, don't know if it has anything to do with the fact the blue flame is the hottest.

This tv is on optical block # 3, and it is turned on I would say 5 day/week, blue lens each time, now every couple of weeks or approx. 10 times turned on, it will not "boot up", the "on" light just blinks and the projector will not turn on, I have to unplug it for 30 seconds or so, then plug in and it comes on and works fine, don't know what this is, does anyone here have any idea? Is this tv worth the $$ to keep fixing, I haven't had to put that much in it, for the most part it's been a good tv.

It could be a simply short somewhere. Next time it's fixed, have the wiring checked. Make them cure the disease, not just treat the symptoms. (Like replacing a bad kidney 3-4 times instead of the disease causing the kidney to fail!)

Are you sure the TV is not overheating? How many hours per day is it in use? Do you ever make the mistake of turning it off too much? As was explained in a post elsewhere on this forum recently, every time you turn on an electronics device, you more or less cause it to have a small "power surge" of sorts, and that can be bad for the life of the unit if it's always in in on/off type of environment. Something like a TV is designed to be turned on, watched for a few hours, then turned off, and left that way for a few hours. Not on/off, on/off -- and not on 24/7.

To me, this...
... has already answer your question. YES! It's not a money pit, and it's been good to you. Be good back, and take it "to the vet" -- don't take it for a walk up the hill (with a shotgun in tow) and give it the Ole' Yeller treatment. You've more or less answered your own question here. If it's not costly, just fix it. Repairs are what people worldwide used to do, and what people in other countries still do. The toss-it mentality is part of why this country is/was in the financial/employment gutter -- always demanding the cheapest stuff around, because we treat everything like disposable junk instead of a repairable item. I'm a fixxer-upper kind of person, because it's thrifty, and because it's sometimes not so easy to replace a good item with a new item. (New != good.)
Be proud of yourself for fixing it, or for even considering it. :)

Thanks you for the reply...

You are a wise man! I totally agree on "find the cause" and cure that.

And I am well advised on the "light blub" phenom...take two "long life" bulbs, turn one on and let burn, it will last months, the other turn on/off over and over, I can burn it out in a day...or less.

The first optical block was replaced under the extended warranty, the second I paid for, close to a gran, you can buy a new low end 55" hdtv (same size) for that so I wondered if it burns out again, what to do.

And we try not to have to much pride, pride can lead to arrogance, and the saying should be..."arrogance commeth before a fall" :)

A repair bill of a few hundred dollars would be understandable. Ideally no more than $200-300, and $500 at very most. But if it starts to come close to $1,000 to repair, then I would consider replacement options. Of course, if the repairmen can find and fully fix the cause of the problem, then the TV may be worth it. I'd rather fix a known-good HDTV than buy a new one, as many new HDTVs are somewhat crummy compared to sets made just a couple years back.

It's a hard decision. Neither option is necessarily the wrong choice.

Would you need/want 55" again, or something smaller or larger? Perhaps we can at very least give some "Plan B" advice, should repair be an unreasonable cost, and a new TV is needed. Generally speaking, you'll probably want another Sony HDTV, this time an LCD, to get the kind of quality you're used to. (When it's good and working, that is.) While many other brands can be "good enough" -- it's just not the same as a well-made Sony set.

If it was a couple hundred bucks, I wouldn't think twice but a $ 1000 repair is a tough decision for me, that's why I am asking...the optical block I had to pay for was a few years ago when the name brand 55" were still over 2,xxx so I paid for this one...really don't want to pay for another and with the not wanting to turn on problem, maybe something else is going wrong.

I like the 55", could go 60" and would still fit my stand, if I had to get another I would like to weigh the pic. quality vs. repair rate....some times I will take a little less quality if it's not a finicky unit that need repair/adjustment often...there is a balance for me, at what point do you sacrifice a little quality to get longevity?