PC to Home theater setup

[the_Journeyman]

Just got done reconfiguring my home theater stuff.  Hung the plasma, mounted the speakers etc.

Now, I want to connect a PC or mobile device to the TV & hopefully the receiver.  C has Amazon Prime and can stream movies and some shows.  It would also be nice to be able to put Youtube up.  IIRC, our Blu-Ray may be able to do Youtube, but if not, the PC would handle it. 

Our mobile devices are:  Netbook, Kindle Fire (not the HD model), iPod, Galaxy Player and iPad.  I've not even looked into options or if they can even connect yet.

Anybody have any experience connecting a PC to an HDTV?  I'm thinking it's just as simple as getting the appropriate video card.  Just looking for FHE, tips etc.

JM

[DarkMonster620]

Just got done reconfiguring my home theater stuff.  Hung the plasma, mounted the speakers etc.
<snip>

Anybody have any experience connecting a PC to an HDTV?  I'm thinking it's just as simple as getting the appropriate video card.  Just looking for FHE, tips etc.

JM

to connect the PC or laptop to my 32"LED, I just use a HDMI cable from either to the TV, if you have a receiver, I think you're gonna need 2 HDMI cables, but, I ain't no expert

[the_Journeyman]

Kinda what I was thinking.  I'll just have to get a card my my PC.  I'm planning on replacing my desktop and will make it a dedicated streaming machine.

JM

[DarkMonster620]

lucky you

want to do that, for my iTunes, but, cannot dedicate the laptop for it, laptop is my office !!!

[JohnEE]

They have DVI to HDMI converters for super cheap, That is what i use for my 50" plasma.

[the_Journeyman]

I'll look into those.  I don't have DVI out, but I know I can grab a video card with it pretty easy.

JM

[JEFF_H]

The new devices that are web-enabled are easier to use for common streaming apps
i have an HDMI laptop on my TV, but got a newish samsung tv recently and use it to stream hulu, netflix, youtube, havent tried prime but there is an app
i find the only time i want to use the PC is when things arent avail to view on mobile and tv devices

you'll want a new remote/mouse for the pc as well

[the_Journeyman]

My TV is a couple generations old, so it doesn't have any steaming ability.  I *think* (gotta go read the manual) my BluRay player can do Youtube & Netflix. 

Off to actually read my instruction manuals.

JM

[JohnEE]

I'll look into those.  I don't have DVI out, but I know I can grab a video card with it pretty easy.

JM

Most of the new video cards probably have HDMI out natively.

If you have a lot of media on your hard drive i would suggest XBMC. It looks great and is perfect for a dedicated HTPC rig. Some setup is involved but isn't terribly complicated.

Here is a link to get you started if you go the XBMC route,
http://lifehacker.com/5900626/create-a-kickass-seamless-play+everything-media-center-the-complete-guide

[duc_fan]

You should be able to easily find a video card with HDMI-out.  If you dig around, you *may* be able to find one that will run the audio through the HDMI cable as well, so you can run an HDMI cable from the media center to your receiver, then from your receiver to the TV.

I have been wanting to do this with my desktop... but it appears the mobo died.    I used to love Asus... now I've had two of their mobos die on me after 2-3 years.  Buying a new mobo + processor is not in the budget right now, so the desktop sits, and we take care of business on the laptops.

[d3vi@nt]

Might want to check out Chromecast: http://www.google.com/intl/en/chrome/devices/chromecast/#netflix

For $35 you can stream to your TV most of what you can pull up in a browser window on a mobile device.

I have a Windows 7 pc hooked up to my tv via HDMI. I just use Windows Media Center because I'm lazy, but as JohnEE said, XBMC is a better option. Not much benefit to the PC unless you need extra storage for media. Or have a TV tuner and can record/store shows via cable or antenna...

[kopfjäger]

Apple TV

[the_Journeyman]

If the iPad was mine (it belongs to my employer) I would go with Apple TV, but since I won't have one (and then have to spend $400 for one) if I were to change jobs, I'm going to look at other options.

I like what I see with Chromecast.  Basically, it's looking like all I want to do is be able to stream YouTube through the TV & sound system.

Neither of my Bluray players stream Youtube.  I think one can do Netflix, and the other can play off a flash drive.

JM

[caperix]

I have an older computer setup connected to my LCD for bluray/DVR.  On the DVI to HDMI it may run in to HDCP compadability issues when using bluray.  I have a video card with HDMI out & am connected to the audio receiver using a optical SPDIF cable.  Some things to note, unless things have changed HD DVR is a little dificult to get working as most cable/sat providers code thier digital signals.  I was running Beyond TV for low def DVR, when my cable provider switched to all digital I was unable to get it to work properly & stopped using the DVR.

[coduc]

I just built a dedicated HTPC for about $300 including windows OS.  I bought this video card, and it works fine for streaming video via XBMC.  I think the card was about 30 bux.

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=917&pid=316&psn=&lid=1