So yeah, I finally got everything situated just right so that my TV can display my PC desktop.

TV is 32", with 1366x768 resolution (which is really weird, but a lot of games natively support it). I can play some games just fine with a 360 controller right now, but for everything else I'll need to figure out a better means of propping up my mouse and keyboard.

So this is it. I'm with Vinny and Brad and everyone else who's doing it. Anybody else looking into it should give it a go, if only for the surreal feeling at the start of it "Whoa, everything looks so big!", etc.

PC on your TV is nothing new. It's been possible for years

Unless you're saying that Brad is our Jesus?

Not for me, but each their own.

I did this a few times, but I have to physically move the PC to the living room every time since I don't have long enough HDMI cables so I stopped doing it altogether. It was cool though, but not something I'd be into regularly. Still use this thing for work.

@GreggD: If it's only a 32" tv what's the point? Unless your monitor is really really small.

Tried it. Didn't like it; I'll be sticking to my monitor.

@Hunkulese said:

@GreggD: If it's only a 32" tv what's the point? Unless your monitor is really really small.

It's 19 inches, 1440x900.

@Mcfart said:

PC on your TV is nothing new. It's been possible for years

Unless you're saying that Brad is our Jesus?

He isn't saying it is new, he is just saying he finally gave it a shot.

I personally can't do it, I will stick with a monitor as well, but more power to you1

I'll probably do it if I build a gaming computer in the future because the TV I got for Christmas said it could be used as a computer monitor right on the box and it would save money on not buying a monitor.

lol is exactly the same tv i have i actually plug my laptop and play left 4 dead in it

@MikkaQ: I have the same issue. I carried it out to the living room a couple times but too much effort. Although thinking of buying a 32inch tele just to sit next to my pc as they are pretty damn cheap even for a 1080p one.

@benspyda said:

@MikkaQ: I have the same issue. I carried it out to the living room a couple times but too much effort. Although thinking of buying a 32inch tele just to sit next to my pc as they are pretty damn cheap even for a 1080p one.

That's actually what it was like for me before I even had the inkling to hook them up together.

I only find it amazing how many people never thought of doing this until they talked about it on the podcast. As soon as I saw a DVI or HDMI port on my pc and an HDMI on my HDTV's thats straight where my mind went several years ago.

@ShadowSkill11 said:

I only find it amazing how many people never thought of doing this until they talked about it on the podcast. As soon as I saw a DVI or HDMI port on my pc and an HDMI on my HDTV's thats straight where my mind went several years ago.

Building an HTPC was one of the first things I did when I took the plunge on an HD TV. Granted, this PC was never built specifically for gaming, more for watching Netflix, Hulu, movies, etc without the limitations put in place on those online services to try and prevent you from watching them where you actually want to.

It's also been weird to me seeing everyone act like this is a revelation. If I didn't prefer gaming at my desk, I'd have dragged out my main rig and hooked it up ages ago.

I've been considering it but my laptop here has built in HDMI and even that doesn't seem to work correctly with my TV. The TV never seems to match up perfectly with the laptop resolution, if when defining a custom resolution that matches the TV. It just doesn't seem to want to work without painstakingly fine tuning the entire system. Honestly, I'm content with my PS3 and Xbox 360 acting as my television service. I have netflix and I am soon to own Hulu plus. In addition, a lot of my blu-rays can upload digital copies to my computer which means on a networked drive I can access terrabytes of digital television episodes and movies and watch them easily with a click of the button- using either my PS3 or 360. And if I'm really wanting to get comfortable I can use my iPod touch with some headphones and watch some super high-def TV on that. The smaller screensize makes even the oldest films and shows look like modern blu-ray spectacles. I love it.

I bought a LG 32" 1080p TV on sale (for like under $400) and am currently using it as a second monitor on my computer desk. This way, I can play games at 1920x1080 and not have to deal with scaling issues on my 27" (2560x1440) monitor. My larger TV is in a different room and is hooked up to a different PC (though not really a primary gaming PC) but even on a 32" screen, games still look great, almost as good as they do on my 27" monitor at native resolution. I used to occasionally run a 50" HDMI cable from my main PC to the living room (my living room is right next to my bedroom) so I can play on the big TV on the couch but personally, playing on a 32" TV from two feet away isn't much different to playing on a 50" TV from six feet away so I've stopped bothering with it.

@AndrewB said:

It's also been weird to me seeing everyone act like this is a revelation. If I didn't prefer gaming at my desk, I'd have dragged out my main rig and hooked it up ages ago.

I never claimed it was revelatory. I just figured I'd post a blog about it, to get some discussion going.

@TheSeductiveMoose said:

Tried it. Didn't like it; I'll be sticking to my monitor.

Same here. Couldn't handle viewing the Internet on a huge screen...too much power!!!

I´ll probably do that during the course of this year, I would have to look into a few things first though:

- Upgrading my video card to something that can handle that kind of resolution with ease.

- Getting a tv, and a really big one at that.

- Figuring out a text-to-speech/kinect (which is supposed to come to pc at some point during this year) combo set up, cause: why do all of the other stuff if I dont go all the way?.

I don't think I'd really want to drop down to such a low resolution. Even 1920 * 1080 at however many inches won't look as good as my monitor.

Whilst this isn't directed at the OP, my view on it is, if you want comfort and a sound system, just buy a comfy chair and a good headset. I prefer my headset to the 1000watt surround sound system in my living room, when it comes to video games.

I've been doing this since going to uni. One TV, one monitor. Hooked up the game consoles and primary PC monitor to the TV. Very space-saving and useful to look up stuff while gaming on the other monitor.

Plus, productivity.

I don't really know why so many people have difficulty getting their PC to work properly on a TV. Every time with my setups, it's just been a plug and forget situation, regardless of whether its over HDMI, DVI or VGA.

I remember my first time, on a Full HD 40" Bravia around when the PS3 launched. Good times ♫

Now that TV is in the bedroom and I have the PC hooked up to a full HD projector for 300" glorious inches!

Shouldn't you be able to run in full 1080p with a TV of that size?

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

@h0lgr said:

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

and both of those are dumb marketing terms

@Sooty said:

@h0lgr said:

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

and both of those are dumb marketing terms

It is accurate, though. My TV can't output 1080p.

@h0lgr said:

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

and both of those are dumb marketing terms

@h0lgr said:

@Sooty said:

@h0lgr said:

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

and both of those are dumb marketing terms

The terms are dumb, the technology's not. The TV doesn't output 1080p. Same with my TV.

I know that, but obviously you didn't read what I posted.

I was only asking IF it could play 1920x1080 (Full 1080p), and as Gregg has stated, it can't. It shouldn't be that crazy to assume a 32" TV is capable of doing something like that. I currently have a 26" TV which is more than capable of 1080p.

Dumb marketing terms aside, I like having a bigger picture when I watch my movies and play my games.

@h0lgr said:

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

But 1280x720 is a HD resolution. HD-Ready simply means the display does not have a HD tuner installed in it. It can take a signal from a HD device, such as a cable box, console, PC, etc, but you cannot plug in a HD-Ready device and receive OTA HD signals. Since 1366x768 surpasses 720p, it is an HD display.

960x544 isn't a HD resolution, but I'm pretty sure the back of the PS3 copy of Black Ops says HD on it. Nor is 1040x608, but again, I'm sure the back of the 360 box has a big ol' HD symbol on it. It's all marketing mumbo jumbo. HD-Ready just means "No TV tuner installed".

@GreggD:

If your PC is a permanent part of your living room, you should check out XBMC. It can be quite a bit of work to configure, but once you have it set, it's very sweet. It'll catalog not just your movies and TV shows, but your music and games as well. The interface is perfect for viewing from far away and works perfectly with a controller.

@Rohok said:

I've been considering it but my laptop here has built in HDMI and even that doesn't seem to work correctly with my TV. The TV never seems to match up perfectly with the laptop resolution, if when defining a custom resolution that matches the TV. It just doesn't seem to want to work without painstakingly fine tuning the entire system. Honestly, I'm content with my PS3 and Xbox 360 acting as my television service. I have netflix and I am soon to own Hulu plus. In addition, a lot of my blu-rays can upload digital copies to my computer which means on a networked drive I can access terrabytes of digital television episodes and movies and watch them easily with a click of the button- using either my PS3 or 360. And if I'm really wanting to get comfortable I can use my iPod touch with some headphones and watch some super high-def TV on that. The smaller screensize makes even the oldest films and shows look like modern blu-ray spectacles. I love it.

Christ... use the overscan setting in your nvidia/radeon menu and use it.

 @Zelyre said:

@h0lgr said:

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

But 1280x720 is a HD resolution.

@h0lgr said:

@Sooty said:

@h0lgr said:

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

and both of those are dumb marketing terms

The terms are dumb, the technology's not. The TV doesn't output 1080p. Same with my TV.

I know that, but obviously you didn't read what I posted.

I was only asking IF it could play 1920x1080 (Full 1080p), and as Gregg has stated, it can't. It shouldn't be that crazy to assume a 32" TV is capable of doing something like that. I currently have a 26" TV which is more than capable of 1080p.

Dumb marketing terms aside, I like having a bigger picture when I watch my movies and play my games.

I also just got this fully working, in the way I want it to.

I wouldn't settle for anything less then being able to use the resolution that I was used to on my main monitor (1920x1080), so I have just been waiting for a TV to be at the right price and still be able to do 1080.

Found one at Best Buy (37" Insignia, not top of the line but gonna work for this student for now) last week, order up a 25ft HDMI for amazon.com and just tonight hooked everything up and it works great. Watching the last Brono ER on the TV in my living room running off my PC in my bedroom (yay for small apartments!). I would never want this as my main computer desktop screen though, I can't seem to get text not to be slightly blurry. Not bad, but I could see it creating some major headaches if I had to do long homework/writing sessions.

My only issue right now is that every time I am going to want to use the TV, I have to go into the ATI settings a tell it to "replace" my main screen from the computer screen to the TV. But I can deal with that, games run great and so do all the video stuff I want to watch. Having one of the 360 wireless controllers for the PC makes this all come together like it was meant to be.

I am sure putting my 5770 to the test, but damn it if the little guy is still going strong running two monitors at all times and now moving from the "TV" in the living room to the computer monitor at my desk depending on where I feel like being.

Congrats on your set up @GreggD !

@rynbeed: Thanks, man.

@h0lgr said:

@loopy_101 1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution, it is NOT a full-HD TV.

But 1280x720 is a HD resolution.

I'm aware of this. I don't understand why you are arguing, or what you are arguing for.
Look at my post again: "1366 x 768 is HD-ready resolution".
1280 by 720 is however, still not a full-HD resolution.
It is HD-ready though. Not sure why you believe I think otherwise.

I'm not arguing, it's just a bit of misinformation I want to clarify for others who may be reading.

1280x720 is a HD resolution. HD resolutions are 720+,1080. 1440p+ is EHD. If your display exceeds the resolution, it can still do the lower resolution. It simply scales the lower resolution 720p input up to 768p. 1366x768 displays were super common in 2005. My first large display was a 1366x768 HD-ready Viewsonic 32" LCD.

HD-Ready is a term used on displays that are indeed, HD-panels, capable of displaying full HD resolution. HD-Ready and HD-Ready 1080 are used for displays that do not have built in tuners. You cannot simply open the box, plug an HD-Ready display into the wall, and receive programming. They are for the most part, low end computer monitors. An HD-Ready device will only act like a HDTV if you purchase a TV tuner, cable box, or any other piece of hardware that'll output to the display.

http://www.avforums.com/forums/tvs/262446-why-1366x768-not-1280x720.html

Creating links never works for me, but the thread there pretty much explains why 1366x768 panels exist in a land where 1280x720 is the standard, entry level HD resolution. Since you state that 720p is not a full HD resolution, I'd like to know where you got that notion from. I do not work in the TV or movie industry, nor do I work on, engineer, or sell HDTVs. So, if I'm wrong, point it out; I'm always welcome to having my head filled with stuff.

I don't understand why people do this.

Why would you want to play PC on a TV? It's absurd. One of the point of playing on PC is enjoying the superior control scheme of Key+Mouse, why play FPS on PC with a 360 pad, that's stupid. You defeat the whole purpose of playing on PC. And I can't imagine how you setup your living room to be comfortable with a keyboard and a mouse on your couch.

I dunno, i was tempted to try it but meh. I feel the text will be to small, and the main thing ill be doing is either streaming video (which i can do via PS3 Media server anyway) or PC gaming, which again i feel wont work with my current setup. i also play games like WoW sometimes, and it seems prettty silly to atttempt it.

@Drakoji said:

I don't understand why people do this.

Why would you want to play PC on a TV? It's absurd. One of the point of playing on PC is enjoying the superior control scheme of Key+Mouse, why play FPS on PC with a 360 pad, that's stupid. You defeat the whole purpose of playing on PC. And I can't imagine how you setup your living room to be comfortable with a keyboard and a mouse on your couch.

Other than competitive shooters and strategy games, people like the couch and gamepad experience (moi) but want the better visuals and framerate the PC provides. Most modern games work great with this (AC, Batman: Arkham City, etc., etc.).

@Drakoji said:

I don't understand why people do this.

Why would you want to play PC on a TV? It's absurd. One of the point of playing on PC is enjoying the superior control scheme of Key+Mouse, why play FPS on PC with a 360 pad, that's stupid. You defeat the whole purpose of playing on PC. And I can't imagine how you setup your living room to be comfortable with a keyboard and a mouse on your couch.

i do it because i spend most of my working day sat behind a desk and i refuse to do it when i get home.

my PC (i7 2600/GTX570) is permanently plugged into my 46" LCD and i have a good wireless keyboard and mouse that means its very easy to sit back in my couch and use them. i've been doing this for about 4 years now and play anything from Star Craft 2, Civ 4, WoW, BF3, Skyrim, Saint row... anything.

i realise i have a drop in resolution playing at 1080p, but the large screen is more important to me than a slightly higher resolution.

@Drakoji said:

I don't understand why people do this.

Why would you want to play PC on a TV? It's absurd. One of the point of playing on PC is enjoying the superior control scheme of Key+Mouse, why play FPS on PC with a 360 pad, that's stupid. You defeat the whole purpose of playing on PC. And I can't imagine how you setup your living room to be comfortable with a keyboard and a mouse on your couch.

Because I still have a keyboard/mouse setup. Also, because it's on my computer desk.

Maybe it's because of my living room setup, it would make no sense.

That or I play a lot of MOBA and competitive games, so maybe It's not for me. I tried LoL on my 36" TV and I had a lot of problems to keep everything in my field of view, I didn't see ganks coming because they were so far on the TV screen.

@Drakoji said:

Maybe it's because of my living room setup, it would make no sense.

That or I play a lot of MOBA and competitive games, so maybe It's not for me. I tried LoL on my 36" TV and I had a lot of problems to keep everything in my field of view, I didn't see ganks coming because they were so far on the TV screen.

well i guess if your a pro gamer it might put you at a disadvantage, so fair point. but im just someone that plays games for fun these days and suits me perfectly.

Wowowow, I'm no pro.

But it was enough to handicap me. But yeah I can see how it works if you play more cinematic games that lend them self more to controlers.

I might try with AC2.

7 years and going strong.

I'm still surprised that my cheap LG 1080i TV has lasted this long to be honest.