Hooking up consoles to computer monitor...

[SpeedKills]

Time for another question because I suck at internet research!

I really want to buy a new monitor, and would love to be able to hook my ps3 / 360 up to it, instead of the crappy low-end HDTV I currently own.  However, it seems kind of complicated, if at all possible.

I don't even know what's possible with this kind of tech nowadays, but it would be super-awesome if I could, like, hook up some kind of switch to go between a console and my pc.  Is that a pipe dream?

Thanks!

[rathoriel]

the new monitor should have a HDMI port on it. Just get a HDMI cable to hook it up to bps/xbox 360

[zherok]

So long as it's not an older 360 that doesn't have HDMI it shouldn't be a problem. I think all PS3s have had HDMI outs.

I use my DVI monitor for my PS3. DVI -> HDMI cable for video. Sound is trickier. At home I had a component stereo and I just plugged the audio RCA connections into it. In the dorm I'm in now I've got a cheap pair of speakers I had to buy a converter for (3.5mm to converter to RCA).

[SpeedKills]

I guess I didn't realize it was that easy, though.  For some reason, I thought Sony and Microsoft had all that stuff on lockdown.

But then, the next part of the question is probably more complicated.  Do they make some kind of multi-input 'switch', sort of like what you'd use for a home theater system?

Appreciate the info!

[kitamesume]

I guess I didn't realize it was that easy, though.  For some reason, I thought Sony and Microsoft had all that stuff on lockdown.

But then, the next part of the question is probably more complicated.  Do they make some kind of multi-input 'switch', sort of like what you'd use for a home theater system?

Appreciate the info!

HDMI has alot of them, some even gets it's power from the HDMI itself meaning you don't need anything else but the hub and HDMI cables

[ant900]

You could also buy a TV instead of a monitor and most of those have multiple hdmi ports

[SpeedKills]

You could also buy a TV instead of a monitor and most of those have multiple hdmi ports

The only problem with that is, I live in a small apartment, and wouldn't have enough room for a big enough TV to be worth buying that over a good monitor.  I mainly need to replace mine, since I'm still using a 24-inch.

So, I'm hoping to get a 31-inch or something, and just use that for everything.

[SpeedKills]

HDMI has alot of them, some even gets it's power from the HDMI itself meaning you don't need anything else but the hub and HDMI cables

Stuff like this makes me feel so old and antiquated.  I always make this kind of stuff out to be so complicated.  Thanks! :p

[vuzedome]

Most 31-inchers I see in the market would have multiple HDMI inputs as well, try looking around.

[kitamesume]

the sad part about the 31" TVs are that most of them are 1366x768 or 1280x720 in resolution, not cool =(

whats so bad about your 24" by the way, its about just right at a viewing distance of 1meter away.

PS: i think you can plug HDMI into DVI in with a HDMI-to-DVI converter, in case the monitor doesn't have HDMI but still has DVI.

[SpeedKills]

the sad part about the 31" TVs are that most of them are 1366x768 or 1280x720 in resolution, not cool =(

whats so bad about your 24" by the way, its about just right at a viewing distance of 1meter away.

PS: i think you can plug HDMI into DVI in with a HDMI-to-DVI converter, in case the monitor doesn't have HDMI but still has DVI.

There are a number of things wrong with my monitor.  I bought it with almost no research, and then found out how crappy it really was.

It's a Samsung blahblah-numbers-model (don't remember), but that specific model suffers from "Green Push", so the color always looks washed out.  I didn't even really notice it until a few weeks ago, because I guess I've gotten used to it.

It's DVI-only, and was like 300 bucks like 3-4 years ago, so...  Yeah.

I probably do sit about a meter away from my monitor, but it always feels really small (possibly also because it's a little lower than my head).  But like I said, the washed-out colors and the no-HDMI are pretty much forcing me to buy a new monitor at this point.  That's why I'd like to hook consoles up to a new one, so I could buy, say, a 400-500 dollar monitor and get something truly decent, and also have it for console playing.

Edit:  My current monitor is this one:  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001378

Edit, part two (this time, it's personal):  Oh, it does have HDMI capabilities!  :p

[vuzedome]

The older Samsungs are terrible in colour, go look around the retail shops for some demo.

[kitamesume]

hmmm, well samsung's budget line is indeed quite crappy (damn u samsung 32" TV!).
but i can tell you that 32" @ less than 1.5meters away is too big, i'm saying the rest of the screen is pretty much at the edges of your field of view.

if you indeed feel like 24" is a little small for you you can look up 27" monitors, recent 27" 1080P LCD got quite cheap as well although 1440P monitors looks insanely good even if the contents are mostly upscaled but the price... well eitherway.
[$249.99]AOC e2752Vh 27" 1080P 2ms (HDMI) w/ Built-in Speakers
[$309.99]LG EB2742V-BN 27" 1080P 5ms (HDMI)
[$349.99]Dell S2740L 27" 1080P 7ms (GTG) IPS-Panel (HDMI)
========================
[$649.99]Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 27" 1440P 8ms (GTG) IPS-Panel (HDMI) [99% sRGB color accuracy]
[$699.99]ASUS PB Series PB278Q 27" 1440P 5ms (GTG) PLS-LED panel (HDMI) [100% sRGB color accuracy] w/ Built-in Speakers

[SpeedKills]

Thanks, I'll probably end up buying something like those (or one of those).

So, just to complicate it more, what if I did want to screencap or video cap footage from a game, to my pc?  :d

[kitamesume]

now that i dunno, video-cam it? lololol

although i wish GPU manufacturers starts implementing bi-directional ports (e.g. ports can act as either output or input).

[SpeedKills]

bi-directional ports are sinful.  (sex joke)

I guess I'll have to look around.  I had heard something about a piece of hardware people buy to capture, and then convert it to avi or some other format, but you'd think someone would have made it simpler by now!

[Saras]

I'd go for 1440/1600p for anything equal or larger than a 25 inch screen for a monitor. Size is nice and all, but it should have the detail to deal with it.

If you're upgrading to a larger size, upgrade the detail as well. There's little point in just bloating it out. To record games and the like, you'll need a capture card. As for what card to go for, I'm not exactly qualified to recommend. There are plenty of reviews on youtube that show footage and pricing like http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvJiCDxvO7c so just pick something to suit your needs.

Having said that, I did use the black magic intensity pro for a bit. While the quality was superb, it was prone to breaking. So if you aren't tech savy, avoid that. If you are, it's probably 5 times better than general run of the mill cards designed to record xboxs and ps3s.

[bunalz]

I had heard something about a piece of hardware people buy to capture

You mean like AverMedia, Hauppauge, and BM Intensity Shuttle?

and then convert it to avi or some other format, but you'd think someone would have made it simpler by now!

The conversion part is not a necessity. People do them because they're not getting the desired format for reasons like editing and uploading. Different devices have different encoding preferences (some allow you to make an option like the Hauppauge PVR).

Trust me, these devices are simple enough already. It's just that they are not perfected yet—limitations: format and compatibility (consoles, TVs, CPU chipsets). Though, AverMedia doesn't require a PC to do the recording.

There is also another method: Using a videocam as the capture device (not directly recording them as you would normally). For 5th/6th generation consoles, the quality's fine: standard cables (component ones are possible but need a lot of work). For the newer ones, you'll be stuck with 480p quality. Capture devices like the Intensity Shuttle and GC1000 offer HDMI. However, you still have the problem with HDCP-protected contents.