VGA or go to HDMI

[Brian Ashton]

I download movies from iTunes onto my computer and then play them (through the computer) on the High Def TV (Sony Bravia Smart TV)... I've got the computer hooked to the TV through VGA. The computer is doing all the work with respect to generating the image and so forth so wondering if HDMI will give me anything better irregardless if the movie is in HD or SD. I'm sure a few here will know that answer. Thx in advance.

[Dan Hintz]

VGA is an analog transmission, whereas HDMI is inherently digital... plenty of loss can be found in an analog process for long cord lengths, so consider that. I can tell when my cable is starting to fall off of the connector (I bump my machine a lot) because the screen begins to look a bit fuzzy. With HDMI, it's either all or nothing.

HDMI also allows you to transmit audio to the screen... VGA doesn't.

[curtis rosche]

depends. if you dont have an hdmi port on your computer, your looking at a $100+ cord for usb to hdmi.

[Larry Browning]

Does your PC have a HDMI port? If so, do you have an HDMI cable? If not you can pick one up on Amazon for a fraction of what you will pay at Best Buy. Like this one (http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-Cable-2M-6-Feet/dp/B0002L5R78/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328809867&sr=8-1)
My experience has been that an HDMI connection will get you a much better picture than a VGA. Of course, if the video you are playing is not very good to begin with, then the HDMI connection won't help much.
Also, I think you will only get HD quality thru an HDMI connection. VGA can only produce SD.

[curtis rosche]

we currently use an hdmi cable and my computer with our 40 inch hd tv in the dorm. the only thing is that if you start with a poor qaulity video, like on youtube, when it is stretched to fit the larger screen it will look really bad. but the hd videos look very good

[David Weaver]

if you dont have an hdmi port on your computer, your looking at a $100+ cord for usb to hdmi.

Always check ebay for that kind of stuff. There is always someone in china selling something for $10 that is $100 in best buy or staples or whatever. Or quite often someone who gets a bunch of them from china and brings them to the US.

I see USB 2.0 and micro USB cords, both converting to HDMI (or adapters that do the same) starting for about $8 shipped on ebay.

When the branded cables come from malaysia and china, and at a markup of 10 times or so (and it often is at any store, accessories are always where people will pay after price shopped hard on a big ticket item), it's hard to justify not just going straight to the source.

[Dave Gaul]

Try monoprice for all your a/v cable needs!! I have several different cables from them, very high quality at a crazy price!

[Van Huskey]

Try monoprice for all your a/v cable needs!! I have several different cables from them, very high quality at a crazy price!

+1 I was buying quality HDMI cables from the for 3-5 bucks when they were universally 40+ in stores.

If you have the capability to go HDMI do it, period.

[Curt Harms]

And if you don't have HDMI out, you can get DVD -> HDMI cables from Monoprice(dot)com as well. HDMI and DVI are both digital signals. I doubt there's a computer newer than 5 or 6 years old that doesn't have a DVI connector -- except laptops. DVI connectors are pretty big for laptops.

[Ole Anderson]

Here is where I get my cables, not cheap unknown all Chinese stuff, but not outrageously priced designer cables either. You know what you are getting, USA made Belden cables assembled in, you guessed it, China.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/hdmi-cables/hdmi-cable.htm

[David Weaver]

Suddenly, I feel like I need to make a joke about the Four Horsemen. Ole, I never noticed your name before!

(Only low class folks like me who watched wrestling reruns in the 1980s are going to have any idea what I'm talking about, I guess).