The Road To Hd...

[Tor]

QUOTE
HDMI video signals are the same as DVI-D.
.. and that's what made the size-saving trick possible.

As for the poll, I'm not voting because I don't really know enough about all the options. Still interested in the whole thing though.

 

[fanoush]

I voted for HDMI but I mean just the DVI half without any royalty fees just like it is on beagleboard. Displayport looks good to but I'm not sure it is so widespread as DVI/HDMI today.

 

[JayFoxRox]

I voted for DisplayPort after reading some bits about it - adapters are kinda cheap and therefore most people will find use for it.
VGA will be dead in a few years. DVI-D and HDMI are not too common yet (atleast not in Germany, only very few of my non-nerd friends own a digital monitor).
The only options I can see:
A universal plug which easily works with adapters to older standards like VGA: DisplayPort or Full DVI (which seems hard to do)
Or forget about all those people who don't have a new display and go with DVI-D because HDMI is too expensive. But then again: Digital displays are not too common and DVI plugs are kinda huge. So the only option I see here is either adding additional expansion plugs or use another standard so people don't have to buy more pandora specific items (like BeagleBoard which uses HDMI plugs but DVI-D signal - do they have to pay licensing fees?)

 

[gp32rich]

Here's a link to news about the HDMI 1.4 spec .. now higher res and including Ethernet in a new micro connector.
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/05/28/hdmi_1_4_announced/

Looks like they're just throwing everything at it they can <_<

 

[Goity]

Is it HDMI or just HDCP that requires the license fee?

Failing that, probably Displayport with a hdmi adapter included, or failing that either VGA or component.

 

[___]

DisplayPort sounds like a good option so I voted for that. How would you go about integrating that connector into the pandora? Would there be some sort of addon or is it strictly going to be a modding kit if you are actually going to make something like this happen at all?

 

[emil10001]

I said DisplayPort because it seemed to be the smallest (connector size) and cheapest option. But honestly, any digital signal that you can buy a cheap cable to convert to hdmi or dvd-d would work fine for me. VGA would work too, but I would prefer a digital signal. It might be a good idea to find out why the BeagleBoard guys picked HDMI, and if they were able to get around the licensing fee somehow. Seems like for the most part, HDMI is the most prevalent connector, and again, it's easy to get adapters for a couple bucks.

I would be willing to pay $100~150 for a boxed solution. This should include an easy way for us to plug in the pandora to the connector, meaning perhaps a split cable with a switch and an exposed port on the back, perhaps using an alternate case part to accommodate.

 

[multiplex]

DisplayPort looks technically good, but seeing how I don't have anything that accepts it, I'd have to use an adapter to HDMI or DVI. Not a problem if it avoids licencing costs IMO, except that the adapters I can find are a bit on the expensive side.

 

[_VWV_]

How would you go about integrating that connector into the pandora? Would there be some sort of addon or is it strictly going to be a modding kit if you are actually going to make something like this happen at all?

+1

I have the same questions.

 

[emil10001]

How would you go about integrating that connector into the pandora? Would there be some sort of addon or is it strictly going to be a modding kit if you are actually going to make something like this happen at all?

+1

I have the same questions.

Me too. What I'd like to see is a replacement case part that includes an alternate LCD connector, switch (to go between lcd and the port), and an exposed port on the back of the pandora. I wouldn't mind opening it up to do the replacement myself, but I would want a permanent solution so that I only need to do this once, and don't need to worry too much about screwing it up.

 

[CyruzDraxs]

HDMI, if you support the networking added in the 1.4 spec, otherwise DisplayPort would be best because of the openness, if a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter can be included or easily acquired.

 

[Mithrildor]

I dont even own a HDTV....

 

[Titcher]

I'd prefer component/VGA, or DVI if I could successfully use a VGA converter. As I only really have CRTs.

 

[cools]

DVI

I'd rather not support anything that has DRM incorporated into the design, whether that part is utilised or not. It's also vastly simpler than DisplayPort, and DVI>HDMI, DVI>VGA adapters are cheap.

 

[PhonicUK]

DVI-D gets my vote. It can be adapted to HDMI readily (I do this with my mini-itx box) and it carries an analogue channel to use with a VGA adapter as well.

You can even hack audio over DVI-D. I'm not sure how my MiniITX box does it but it outputs sound over the DVI-D connector that the DVI->HDMI can use and I get video+sound when plugged into a HDTV. Avoids the licensing issues and suits everyone.

I thought the licence was only for HDCP over HDMI for protected content though :\

 

[emil10001]

and it carries an analogue channel to use with a VGA adapter as well.

DVI carries an analog channel, but DVI-D is the digital-only half. That means no DVI-D to VGA adapters.

 

[dockthepod]

You can go HDMI -> DVI-D without problem using only a cable. The only sticky point is HDCP. Only a few TVs support HDCP over DVI. Mine does, and this is how I've got my PS3 hooked up. I'm pretty sure the HDCP part is optional.

 

[MWeston]

. It's not that ideal unless people want to make their own 'Pandora Cube' out of their regular Pandora.

I think the only way it could ever get into the Pandora itself was if the demand for the system was so high that we could do it without changing the selling price. It's way too soon to predict something like that and seems impossible in 2009 for sure. Maybe Christmas 2010 will bring the mk2.

As for this DVI--->HDMI connection thing working: maybe it's just my TV. It's a pretty new Sharp Aquos panel and when I plug in the Beagleboard, I get "unsupported signal" or something like that. It led me to believe it's not as simple as that and there isn't an exact match between signals. Maybe the Beagle kernel needs to set up the framer's registers differently. I don't know.

 

[socket]

I clicked HDMI but after I thought about it for a sec I think DisplayPort or DVI-D would be better. so -1 HDMI, +1 DP or DVI-D

+1 to this so...

-2 HDMI +2 DP or DVI-D

 

[cbox]

You can do HDCP over DVI-D, it's just a digital signal, my TV supports it. But I don't know why you'd even want that on the Pandora, unless you are planning to play encrypted VOB files on it.