Been trying to source the cause of visual defects in the signal from the PC to the TV for the last few weeks. The original set-up was:
PC > DVI Port > DVI to D-sub converter > D-sub cable > TV
I've been getting horizontal interference lines which jump around the screen, and after a while get worse without any cables being touched, which makes me think it was something to do with noise build-up of some description related to act of making the connection, strangely it's normal for the first couple of minutes when you boot. Having swopped the D-sub cable, tried hooking up a laptop instead of the PC, tried a different DVI to D-sub converter, tried a different DVI port on the graphics card I'm left with the only reasonable conclusion that the TV's D-sub port is knackered. Fortunately I have an un-used HDMI port and S-video for back-up.
Now the PC can provide DVI, but the laptop only has D-sub. I've been considering running the laptop as the media player for a number of reasons:
* I have a dock for it, so I can just hook everything into that, then plug the laptop in as and when I want to use it as a media player
* More energy efficient
* It's quieter
The laptop can handle upto 720x480 which is good enough for me, and also has it's own DVD drive which is useful for DVD Player functionality. It's a dual core CULV 1.2Ghz / GMA900 / 2Gb / 12" machine.
My question then is, what's the best way to get from D-Sub to the TV's HDMI port. I have 3.5" Jack going from the Dock to the TV to supply rhe audio which is all I need.
Is it simply a case of buying a D-Sub to DVI converter block, then plugging in a DVI > HDMI cable to the TV?