Connecting my Viao to my Plasma (Vga to HDMI adapter)

Yesterday afternoon i got my sony viao laptop
I wanna connect it to my plasma and watch movies
My plasma tv doesnt have a vga port. It has an RGB port and a HDMI port. I looked on the net and couldnt find a Vga to HDMI adapter
so im wondering if i could use a vga to dvi adapter on the laptop then use a HDMI to dvi adapter on the plasma and then use a dvi cable to connect the laptop and plasma (hope that made sense)

SO.... good idea or bad idea? D

A VGA->DVI adapter will almost certainly NOT work. You're converting analog VGA to analog DVI-A (despite the term "Digital' in the acronym, DVI-A is analog) -- AFAIK the HDMI port is digital-only and would only connect to a DVI-D or DVI-I output.

When you say your TV has RGB inputs, do you mean real RGB, or component Y/Cr/Cb? RGB and Component are not the same. VGA is actually closest to RGB (in fact VGA carries RGB signals + sync) and there many converters made to do VGA->RGB conversion. You can also get VGA->Component converters if that's what you have.

[quote57cb9446e7="dmorris68"]A VGA->DVI adapter will almost certainly NOT work. You're converting analog VGA to analog DVI-A (despite the term "Digital' in the acronym, DVI-A is analog) -- AFAIK the HDMI port is digital-only and would only connect to a DVI-D or DVI-I output.

When you say your TV has RGB inputs, do you mean real RGB, or component Y/Cr/Cb? RGB and Component are not the same. VGA is actually closest to RGB (in fact VGA carries RGB signals + sync) and there many converters made to do VGA->RGB conversion. You can also get VGA->Component converters if that's what you have.[/quote57cb9446e7]

It actually has both (this plasma has a shiton of inputs)

hmmm, cant remember offhand where i get cheap cables. i will find out for ya

[quote926862a0c5="jy3"]hmmm, cant remember offhand where i get cheap cables. i will find out for ya[/quote926862a0c5]
The best cheap cables come from Monoprice.com. They are as good as, and often better than, anything Monster makes. At a fraction of the price. I have HDMI cables from Monoprice that I paid $14 for that are thicker and better made than $100 cables from Monster.

But you won't find a "cable" to hookup VGA to Component or HDMI. Monoprice does have HD15 "VGA" to Component cables, but they only work with devices that output component YpbPr component video -- which PC's do not. What he's trying to do requires conversion circuitry. The cheapest/easiest would be VGA->RGB.

Vga to RGB.... Im sure it would work but do you think it would look good?
good as in better than just doing the connection using S-video

The laptop doesn't have DVI?

[quotedb0a965a8f="JUNIOR6886"]Vga to RGB.... Im sure it would work but do you think it would look good?
good as in better than just doing the connection using S-video[/quotedb0a965a8f]
Yes it should look quite a bit better than S-video.

Best results would probably be through a VGA->DVI-D converter, then use a DVI->HDMI cable. The converters are pricey though -- expect to spend $200-$400 for one.

Here's an example

http//www.digitalconnection.com/Products/Video/dcp261.ASP

dmorris where do you live?

[quotefea64c3793="Wolfeman"]dmorris where do you live?[/quotefea64c3793]
Northwest Georgia. Just outside Dalton, to be exact. About 20 minutes from Chattanooga, TN.

Why, you stalking me? P

MAYBE! No I wanted to pay you to setup my home theater ) I want to build a MythTV HD box or something but have 0 idea where to start...

[quoteb99c37c9cd="dmorris68"][quoteb99c37c9cd="jy3"]hmmm, cant remember offhand where i get cheap cables. i will find out for ya[/quoteb99c37c9cd]
The best cheap cables come from Monoprice.com. They are as good as, and often better than, anything Monster makes. At a fraction of the price. I have HDMI cables from Monoprice that I paid $14 for that are thicker and better made than $100 cables from Monster.

But you won't find a "cable" to hookup VGA to Component or HDMI. Monoprice does have HD15 "VGA" to Component cables, but they only work with devices that output component YpbPr component video -- which PC's do not. What he's trying to do requires conversion circuitry. The cheapest/easiest would be VGA->RGB.[/quoteb99c37c9cd]
yes, monoprice is the place i get cables )

Ok ive got the video connection figured out but now i also wanna have sound from my tv speakers so i look arounds at staples and found a "Y audio cable" for about 10 bucks. Isnt this basically the same thing?

http//www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021802&p_id=667&seq=1&format=2&style=

[quote11148bab1b="JUNIOR6886"]Ok ive got the video connection figured out but now i also wanna have sound from my tv speakers so i look arounds at staples and found a "Y audio cable" for about 10 bucks. Isnt this basically the same thing?

http//www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021802&p_id=667&seq=1&format=2&style=[/quote11148bab1b]
Yeah, it's exactly the same thing. Do you want sound going to the TV speakers liandli another set of speakers at the same time? If not, then you don't need a Y cable, you just need a straight cable. And most TV's don't take a 3.5mm input for speakers -- they take 2 RCA connectors (red and white). So you'd need a 3.5 -> RCA Stereo cable unless your TV does take the 3.5mm input.