All About HDTVs as a PC or Laptop Monitor

[Michael DeAbreu]

As I shopped for an HDTV, I got the uncomfortable feeling that few were PC friendly. Most new models sport HDMI inputs. Contrary to what I read in many AV magazines, HDMI isn't a backward compatible evolution of the DVI interface. This White Paper from the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) explains the incompatibility between personal computers and consumer electronics. In short:

A major contributing factor to this growing problem is the use of similar (and in some cases identical) digital interfaces used in both markets. Examples include the DVI and HDMI specifications, both of which are based on a common electrical interface definition and which are showing up more and more in both entertainment and PC systems. There is a growing likelihood of consumers having products of both types in their homes, and the apparent compatibility naturally leads the consumer to believe that such products will interoperate. However, due to the current incompatibilities between PC and CE industry standards and typical industry practices, a consumer attempting to connect CE and PC products will very often find that they do not work well together as expected.

The whole point of an HTPC is to connect it to a high definition display. Many people in this forum are having problems doing this. So, I thought I would start a thread that would specifically identify those high definition monitors and TVs that can't be connected to a PC or that do not allow the PC to use the panel's full native resolution.