DLP HDTV Users

Anyone playing Second Life using a DLP TV/Monitor as your main monitor?

I'm thinking of getting a DLP TV/Monitor and hooking it up to my TV and using my TV as a great big Monitor for when I am working on the computer, included when I'm playing

If anyone else here has already accomplished this, I would appreciate hearing about the results.



Thanks!

Most DLP monitors only have a vertical resolution of 720p pixels high. The minimum resolution for most folks running SL is 1024x768.

Furthermore, I may be wrong, but a computer monitor has more horizontal lines than a HDTV. So the picture will look vaguely yucky.

LF

Lordfly, thank you for your opinion and taking the time to help out.

Now, I hope we can find someone that actually HAS this setup and hear IF it looks ugly or not.

I've been told by people that use DLP's that you can easily make this setup work, especially with the new video cards, because they have a resolution in a resolution function and you can setup the correct resolution to accomplish just this.

I have asked one of those people if they wouldn't mind loading Second Life this weekend and see how it looked. They have yet to answer, but if they do this, I'm sure they will also take screenshots so we all can see.

Although, with the large number of SL Users, I'm still hoping that we have someone in our own world that has already done this and can walk those of us through the connecting process for future reference.

I would trial one on the new 1080p DLP DarkChip3 (. 1920 x 1080) TV's for the best.

Dont forget the nice LCOS displays too.

Only thing I would worry about is that HT/TV's are setup for video playback and the Text display in SL may be hard to read . But many have presets that you could change the display for SL/PC graphics and back to regualar TV.

Sounds like fun though.

I am going to borrow a New LCOS and a new DLP projector from work to invesitgate the whole HT/ PC projector pros and cons...

I've been using SL with a 53" HDTV since June, and I've used the TV as a computer monitor since I built the PC 2 years ago. Though it's a CRT projection screen vs. DLP, maybe I can give you an idea what to expect. I use an ATI 9600pro card with a DVI-to-Component output adapter (from ATI).

The resolution I've found to work best with my setup is 1152x648. I can go to higher resolutions but the text becomes so tiny that I can't read it from 7' away. The game plays fine in both full-screen or windowed-mode, however I use the windowed mode due to the only real problem with projection screens (I believe the problem exists for DLP's as well.) Unless the monitor uses jumbo-sized lenses, the image overshoots the edges of the screen by a small amount, about 3/4 the size of the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. This isn't a problem for games like HL-2 or Doom 3 or GT-4 via PS2, however application with menu bars at the top and bottom of the screen get cut-off. So, I use windowed mode and adjust the window to see the menus. I believe the new ATI drivers have some adjustments for this, but I haven't messed with it yet. I'm happy with what I have.

Before buying the monitor, check to see what type of cabling you'll need. There's at least two HD cable options on the graphics card side, Component (R-G-B) and DVI. On the monitor side, there's a new cable option called HDMI.

If you have any other questions, ask.

Thanks for all your input, I really do appreciate it!

I've also been speaking with someone from the HDTV Website and they've also been quite helpful.

Using a DLP TV/Monitor they suggest you merely to a VGA Connection and it should work straight up without any issues, other then finding a resolution you can lie with!

I've also come across some things on that Website concerning your issue, and I believe they said if you get a program called Powerstrip or something like that, that you could fix that issue and have no further problems!

Well, again, thanks for you help, now I know what I need to be saving my money for

Bob - I have a Samsung 46" DLP rear projection HDTV which I use as a computer monitor occasionally, but not with SL. (No nice graphics card in the TV room computer) All I do is plug in the regular VGA cable and it works fine. The only limitation I've noticed is that it's limited to 1024x768 resolution. The TV's native resolution is 1280x720. The manual says you can do higher resolutions through the DVI jack, but I've never investigated that (presumably I'd need a card with DVI output). I use it with the PC mainly to look at digital photo albums, and I think the picture is good.

On the other hand I prefer first person games on the LCD on my desk. Although the Xbox looks pretty on the DLP, it feels more like looking through a window, I guess because of how far away it is from the couch. But maybe you would have a different setup.