Problems with HDMI

[bluesc]

I built a PC the other day, I can't use my old VGA cable as the 6870 only has HDMI/DVI/MiniDP ports.

Basically everything is a little fuzzy, I have black bars on the side and bottom of my screen no matter what resolution I use (underscan/overscan doesn't help), and it looks 10x worse than my 6yo PC did using VGA. Also, no matter what resolution I set my PC to, my tv always recognises it as 1080p/i. I have already tried 2 different HDMI cables that worked perfectly with my 360.

My monitor/tv is a Samsung SyncMaster 225mw, native resolution of 1680x1050, and is apparenty a tv/monitor hybrid.

I was considering buying a DVI-D cable to use, but I read that it uses the same signal as HDMI. The only thing I can think of that could help is using an analog cable as I used to, but my tv only has VGA and DVI-D, and I'm not sure if an analog DVI cable would work in there.

Is there any way I can use an analog signal, or make digital work?

Thanks

[jim]

I've got exactly the same problem with some 5870s I have - interestingly, I tried using a DVI-->VGA adapter and it looks absolutely fine.

XFX 5870 --> Samsung P2270HD

So I would try a DVI cable, it may well work. Although I was using VGA, it was the DVI output on the graphics card, so that was obviously working properly. Just the HDMI that gave me grief.

By the way, I sorted out the black bars by forcing the TV into "auto" mode rather than 16:9, but you may not have that option

[shaithis]

Try turning off the interpolation feature on the TV for the input you are using.

[Buckbanzai]

I know this is a bit old but, I had a similar problem hooking up my sammy TV by hdmi, by trial and error....its not in the manual, I realized that by choosing the input name 'PC' in the TVs menu that it must set some internal settings within the tv that in my case solved all the resolution issues I was having when I was using the Hdmi3 label. Its a long shot but worth a try.
regards BB

[Rave]

So I would try a DVI cable, it may well work. Although I was using VGA, it was the DVI output on the graphics card, so that was obviously working properly.

That's because a 'DVI-I' port on a graphics card includes an analogue VGA output- it comes out through the four cross shaped pins at the top, if you're interested. So you were using an analogue signal if you were using a DVI-VGA cable.

Although AFAIK the digital video component of HDMI and DVI are the same (HDMI obviously has sound channels as well), it may be worth using the DVI input on the TV/monitor, as it is almost certainly a TV setting that is causing the problem. It may be that it will then assume that it's getting a signal from a computer and not try any signal processing tricks that would improve the quality of a TV signal, but will cock up a computer desktop.

I bought a 42" off-brand LCD TV from Amazon in late 2008- at £500 it was the cheapest 42" tv going that advertised itself as 'FullHD', and I wanted to watch the 2008 Olympics in HD since I already had a V+ box. And in fairness HDTV and Blu-Rays look mint on it. However I have never found a way of persuading it to display a 1920x1080 signal from either of my computers sharply. 1366x768 looks pixel perfect however. The panel is apparently a PVA one with an odd hexagonal array of pixels. I suspect in this case the 'FullHD' description is pushing the bounds of truth....