how should i connect my Onkyo 875 to my pc?

[tommyb]

this is my pc: http://support.vaio.sony.co.uk/specifications/specifications.asp?site=voe_en_GB_cons

I've got the audio set up via optical out.

How should I connect the video? I basically have two options I think

1) S-Video Cable to Onkyo 875

2) DVI > HDMI Cable to Onkyo 875

If you can think of any other options i'm open to suggestions.

What type of DVI do I need - i'm aware there are certain types - On my pc monitor it displays it as DVI-D, but i'm not sure if that's becuase of the monitor, or what the pc is outputting.

Cheers

 

[Gozaradio]

I'm afraid that link doesn't quite work Tommy so I can't see the specs of your PC (laptop or desktop?) and you don't say exactly what you want to do so I'll assume this is for watching DVD's and other videos using your PC.

Assuming you're using the on board sound card, you'll probably be best sticking with your optical out to the Onkyo. If you want multichannel sound from your DVD's, then the sound card needs to be multichannel.

If it's just stereo sound you want from the PC, then the same applies although one possible way to improve the sound further would be to get a separate DAC and put that between the PC and the Receiver (do a search for 'Beresford' to learn about a possible economical option).

As for Video, I would think that a DVI to HDMI connection is almost certainly going to be preferable both for using you TV as a monitor and for watching DVD's but if you have any problems, you can always try the S-Video route and see how the Onkyo handles the upscaling for you on DVD's.

 

[Anonymous]

Video wants to be DVI-HDMI since this is full resolution, progressive. Exactly as you see on the monitor. If you run s-video then you are downscaling severely (e.g. from 1920x1080 down to 720x576 video) and are also interlacing. Long story short, fuzzy, crappy picture. You want to set the output of the graphics card to 1280x720 or 1920x1080 or whatever the resolution of your TV is.

Audio wants optical as this will pass 5.1 digital to the AMP. You don't need a multi-channel surround card.

 

[tommyb]

My PC is Sony VAIO PCV RZ504.

I have a Panasonic PZ85, which is full 1080p, but I'll be using the Onkyo to upscale first to then connect to the tv.

The DVI cable i'm using to my pc monitor at the moment is a DVI-D single link type (it came with monitor). will I get better results using a single link cable or a double link (if my pc can output for a double link - i don't really understand), or will it not make any difference to the Onkyo 875?

 

[professorhat]

Good explanation of different DVI types here. Basically, you're good with what you've got at that resolution.