Michael has one HDMI port going to his receiver that acts as a kind of switcher. But his antenna goes into coax. Leo says that Michael needs to get a digital box now because nobody really broadcasts in analog anymore. Leo says a TV with digital out could be routed to the tuner, but there will be audio sync issues.
Scott continues his CES retrospective, but now he's got the 'CES Crud,' which you usually get when you travel to Las Vegas with 100,000 of your closest friends. Scott found it interesting that curved panels are all the rage, especially in Korea and China. Meanwhile, Japan still hangs on to flat screens.
Bob wants to use his Canon Rebel T3i as a webcam. Leo says he would need HDMI passthru. He'll need a miniHDMI to HDMI cable, then he can connect it to his TV. But if his computer doesn't have HDMI, then he'll also need a video adapter. But for all of the effort required, he should probably just get a good HD Webcam. Leo likes the Logitech C920. It'll connect via USB and will work great.
Oscar wants to get the Roku 3 and run it through his home theater, but he doesn't have any available HDMI ports. Leo says that's a problem. That means he'll need an HDMI switcher, and frankly, they don't work as well. The Giz Wiz says that the Monoprice HDMI switcher works great.
Scott has questions today:
John wants to play stuff from his computer to his TV, but it doesn't have HDMI out. Leo says that if you have DVI Out on your computer, you can buy an adapter that will allow you to connect it to your TV. Other options include
John would like to connect his computer to an HDTV and he's not really interested in 4K. What's the best TV? Leo says that there's not much content for 4K and even if there was, computers can't take advantage of it. A 1080p HDTV with HDMI will work just fine. And for gaming, a 60hz set will be sufficient.
Scott attended a webinar this week on HDMI 2.0, a new home video connection cable standard. He said it's a bit confusing. You can use the same cables you have now, which is a nice thing, and HDMI's category 2 cables have a bandwidth of 10.1 gigabits per second. Even though HDMI 2 is 18GBps, they can still work. It's not necessarily about the version number, it's the list of features it brings to the party. It depends on what the manufacturer decides to support, though.
Jim wants to run both DirecTV and Time Warner Cable off the same TV. Leo says he can do it via the HDMI ports on the back of the TV. Then he can just switch from one source to the other. But he'll need a separate cable for it. Can he do it wirelessly? Leo says that wireless HDTV is a difficult thing. It's always best to go wired through HDMI.
Derek runs fiber optic cable from his receiver to his TV, and he's wondering if that's better than HDMI? Leo says they're identical in terms of quality over a short throw. Receivers have a delay capability for audio which can sync with the video. He just has to look in the settings of his receiver.
