Asus G73JH - Connect to HDTV with HDMI or VGA?

[Si3]

Hi guys!

I am absolutely enjoying this laptop in every way like most of you guys! But I have a little confusion.

I am trying to connect the laptop to my 42in 1080p LCD HDTV. I thought that using the HDMI cable would give me the best result in clarity, but what I found was that the VGA was more clean and clear. Is this the way it's suppose to be or am I just doing something wrong? Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks!

HDMI = text not as clear, little noisy
VGA = Text more clear (not perfect), less noisy

[masamunecyrus]

Hi guys!

I am absolutely enjoying this laptop in every way like most of you guys! But I have a little confusion.

I am trying to connect the laptop to my 42in 1080p LCD HDTV. I thought that using the HDMI cable would give me the best result in clarity, but what I found was that the VGA was more clean and clear. Is this the way it's suppose to be or am I just doing something wrong? Can anyone shed some light on this? Thanks!

HDMI = text not as clear, little noisy
VGA = Text more clear (not perfect), less noisy

HDMI should theoretically be the clearest, but VGA is also capable of providing a very clear picture.

If the HDMI is worse, I'd make sure that your computer sets the TV-out resolution to be 1920x1080. It's also possible that your HDTV isn't ~exactly~ 1080p (not too long ago, basically all lcd tvs were very close to but not exactly 1920x1080), and if that's the case, see if your TV has a 1:1 pixel mode and make sure that it isn't stretching or shrinking the 1080p image to fit the TV. For instance, my Sharp TV has a "dot-by-dot" mode which displays the computer's image on the TV pixel-by-pixel, without any stretching.

[trulsrohk]

Yeah, mess with the resolutions to make it correct. In most cases the HDMI should be the better option.

Also there are options in Catalyst Control center for help working with external HDTV connections with scaling etc.

[Si3]

Thanks for the reply guys. I did set the resolution for the TV out to 1920x1080p when using the HDMI. On my Insignia TV (apparently a rebranded LG), there is a option for overscan which stretches the image if it is not full HD, but that is turned off, so the image is pixel for pixel. The TV also indicates that the signal that is coming through is 1080p. I also tried messing with the Catalyst Control center to see if I could make it cleaner without much luck... Maybe I'm missing something? Anyone else having similar issues?

[dajohu]

I know you said the zoom/overscan is turned off, but can you actually see ALL of the desktop. Meaning when on the HDMI can you see the complete title bars when maximized and the full taskbar/clock etc at the bottom?

If not then the TV is still overscanning. I had an LCD that overscanned when using HDMI and not when it used the Sub D VGA connector. This led the image to be much better looking on VGA, just as you describe. It was not a resolution issue, is was simply that they intended PC users to use the VGA connector and the HDMI was more for DVD players etc that usually works well with the overscanning. There was no way to get around it on this TV, so I bought another one and gave that one to my Dad

Also it could be a connection or quaility issue with the HDMI cable, have you tried another one?

[Si3]

If not then the TV is still overscanning. I had an LCD that overscanned when using HDMI and not when it used the Sub D VGA connector. This led the image to be much better looking on VGA, just as you describe. It was not a resolution issue, is was simply that they intended PC users to use the VGA connector and the HDMI was more for DVD players etc that usually works well with the overscanning. There was no way to get around it on this TV, so I bought another one and gave that one to my Dad

Thank you so much! You are absolutely right... I forgot there was a problem like that. But luckily your imformation has led me to research a little bit and found a solution!

It seems all HDTV only except the "Color Pixel Format" of "RGB." And inorder to have the HDTV accept the 1080p resolution is...

1.) Go into the Advance Catalyst Control Center
2.) Click on "Graphics" on the top left hand corner drop down menu and select "Desktop & Displays"
3.) On the bottom, select your HDTV and right click on it, choosing "Configure..."
4.) First, choose the "HDTV Support" tab and under the "HDTV modes supported by this display" scroll down and check off "Add 1080p60 format to the Display Manager (NTSC)" [if you are in the USA ]
5.) Then click on the "Pixel Format" tab and drop down and change the "YCbCr 4:4:4 Pixel Format" setting to "RGB 4:4:4 Pixel Format PC Standard (Full RGB)"
6.) This should then allow you to select 1 to 1 pixel or in my case, turn off the "overscanning"

Remember, this is for the ATI Graphics card. So if anyone is have problems with another graphics card do something similar in your settings. I hope this information helps those that have the same problem as me! And thank you all for those that helped !

[aramis109]

Actually most newer HDTV's can accept YCbCr- I use that from my PS3 to my Panny plasma. Glad you found the answer though!