Is it worth paying the extra for a netbook with HDMI?

chipp

I'm thinking of treating myself to a Netbook to replace my antique, steam-driven laptop (which thankfully is not my main computer). I would use it "out and about" and also as a means of watching the BBC iplayer/4oD etc on my TV.

My LCD TV is about 5 years old and HD ready (has an HDMI socket), perfectly serviceable and I have no plans to replace it. I have succeeded in watching catch-up TV by connecting the laptop to the TV via a VGA connector but as I've not connected the audio (enough cables to trip over already) the sound comes out of the laptop, not the TV, also, presumably because of the age of the laptop and the ancient processor, the programme tends to be a bit stuttery.

If I buy a netbook with an HDMI output will it carry video AND AUDIO to my TV? I've heard/read conflicting stories here, some people say the audio and video on a netbook are on separate cards and the HDMI out is connected only to the video, others say the output will carry both, you just need to change some setting which tells the netbook where to send the sound. If the only way of getting sound from the netbook to the TV is via a separate audio cable, then as I'm not that fussed about watching hi-def TV there seems little point in making an HDMI output a "must have" feature given that a VGA output will do the job adequately and there is a much bigger choice of non-HDMI netbooks.

I have to say it strikes me as odd and a little short-sighted of the manufacturers if they include a High-Definition Multimedia Interface and it doesn't do the multimedia bit.

Hopefully there's someone out there who understands these things and isn't a salesman!

jaydeeuk1

If I buy a netbook with an HDMI output will it carry video AND AUDIO to my TV?

Yes.

steve1980

It will, although not sure a netbook will work very well with iplayer

SteveJW

Wifes

Samsung NC10 netbook runs BBC iplayer with no problems and it's not that high a specification

chipp

Thanks SteveJW, I've been looking at Samsungs because of the good battery life but if any of them have HDMI outputs they're above my budget. The NC10 doesn't seem to be current but processor is the same as N145, does the NC10 have HDMI? Or are you using a VGA cable to connect to the TV or alternatively watching iplayer on the netbook?

steve1980

It's VGA only.

RussJK

OP - if the netbook has a HDMI slot, then presumably it'll also have a graphics card powerful enough to run HD video on an external display.

Yes it'll carry both video and audio.

steve1980 wrote:

It will, although not sure a netbook will work very well with iplayer

Any HD capable netbook will work fine outputting HD content to an external display, and certainly won't struggle with BBC iPlayer.

SteveJW wrote: »

Wifes Samsung NC10 netbook runs BBC iplayer with no problems and it's not that high a specification

The NC10 would have a low level intel graphics adaptor, so fine for 1024x768 with the latest Adobe Flash - but that's different to outputting HD video at higher resolutions (1280x720, 1920x1080). Also it's a VGA-out so not quite relevant.

Hammyman

Unless your laptop is over 6 years old, I seriously doubt you will find a Netbook any quicker. Netbooks are built for portability and long battery life, not performance.

chipp

6 years old? That would be a mere youngster. Mine's a candidate for the antiques roadshow! I keep meaning to check the spec but by the time it's powered up I've forgotten what I was intending to do (you can take that either way )

sillygoose

Most digital TV's have a VGA input, all mine do. Certainly a TV with HDMI input will probably have VGA.

I have happily watched full screen movies from my Netbook on a big TV simply by connecting the VGA port to the TV with a simple cheap VGA cable.

Only catch is VGA doesn't carry sound like HDMI so also usually need a 3.5mm stereo jack-to-jack cable for that. (possibly 3.5mm to phono for some cases)

VGA is capable of outputting more than enough resolution than most TV's can handle (over HD levels) and more than a Netbook can comfortably sustain. Only benefit to getting HDMI would be saving plugging in one extra cable.

jaydeeuk1

And the fact that DVI and HDMI is digital resulting in a much clearer signal than vga. Anything over 768 I find looks blurry