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High Def Through the Net

Discovering I could get high def through the Internet was truly a treat. I had no idea. I added a EVGA GeForce 6200 256MB 64-bit DDR AGP-8X DVI/VGA/TV Out Video Card to my TV attached computer. (See my blog on the Toshiba 40” LCD.) I got the card at Buy.com for a whopping $39.99 including shipping. That was way cheaper than many 128mb video cards I found. The card interfaced easily, the software on the CD loaded and gave me all the options I needed.

My TV computer is an old P4-3ghz running XP. It only had 512mb of RAM so I goosed up the RAM to 1.5gb by adding a Kingston Technologies 1GB DDR SDRAM Desktop Memory (KVR400/1GR). This is a PC2700, 184pin, DDR memory stick running at 400mhz but downward compatible to 333 and lower. I popped it in and fired up the CPU and it worked as advertised.

Now my TV computer had the specifications to attach it to my new Toshiba LCD and pull down High Def from the Internet. I got a Link Depot Cable 6 Hdmi Male To Dvi-D Male for $3.57 plus shipping & handling of $2.98 for a total of $6.55 at Amazon. The cable was packaged nicely but more importantly worked as advertised.

After a few tweaks to my TV and to the NVIDA software I had ABC.com showing high definition on my TV. Frankly I was surprised that it worked as well and as problem free as it did. Normally little projects seem to blossom into nightmarish experiences. I did discover that if I didn’t turn off PC sound once I configured the video card for HDMI, I had no sound. The analog audio channel is shared between the HDMI and the PC sound so once PC sound was off, the HDMI configuration allowed the sound to come through. So for less than $100.00 I now have the ability to watch High Definition through the Internet. In the memorable words of my beloved spouse, big deal, but I know the gear heads among you will empathize with my successful accomplishment.

This was not a paid blog and I have no financial relationship with any of the above. However if you want to go to my Amazon store and order any of this stuff, feel free.

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