Hdmi "in"

[unreal25]

Hi,

Anyone has an idea of how to connect something that requires an HDMI input to a laptop that doesn't have a native HDMI IN port?

I was looking at Expresscard solutions on eBay in $100-$150 range, but was hoping for a cheaper solution.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

[Michael]

@Tech Inferno Fan might be able to help u here

[Khenglish]

There are 2 methods. One is easy but costly, and the other is difficult but is cheap.

The costly method is an expresscard adapter. Last time I checked, these supported 60fps at only 1080i, and not 1080p, so 1080p would only run at 30fps. I also think using this method adds a significant amount of input lag, but I am not sure how much.

The hard way is to hardwire the HDMI/DVI to your LVDS. This requires a converter that costs $30 to $40. You buy them off ebay from a company called nyjtouch. Their price also includes an inverter since their product is meant for turning laptop displays into TVs and monitors without the laptop. Maybe you can get a lower price since you don't need the inverter. They say that they do not support LED displays, but I think that that's only because they do not have a means to power the backlight, so if you are still using the laptop to drive the display, it does not matter. I also do not know how you would wire this method to allow the laptop to drive the internal display again. You won't be able to fit the DVI/HDMI to LVDS adapter inside the laptop unless you remove the optical drive, and even then I'm not completely certain. You'd have to somehow make the monitor's LVDS data input switchable, and I don't think anyone makes a switch for it so you'd have to make one. Even if you could find an LVDS switch, you'd probably only want the data to be switchable since switching all signals would require a bunch of hardware to power the display. You' also probably want a removable cable so you don't have a cable sticking out a foot or so from your laptop whenever you take it places. There are several LVDS pinout standards. For 1080p monitors the most common seems to be a 40 pin connector with 12 data and 4 clock lines. Some 1080p monitors have a 50 pin connector and 16 data and 4 clock lines for 24 (32) bit color support, but this is rare and most are just 18 bit color. I think the input lag added by the conversion from DVI to LVDS would be tiny, but I am not certain.

The good news about the hard way is you get full 1080p at unlimited FPS. The time cost of implementing the method likely would not outweigh the cost saving for you though, but if you're looking for something to do that hasn't been done before, this would be the approach to try.

[Tech Inferno Fan]

+1 for Khenglish's response. The expresscard HDMI card he's referring to has been extensively discussed at Play PS3/X360 on laptop screen using new HDMI Input Express Card. . There are examples of wiring the LVDS lines to the LCD on the web.

The one I know of is user 'no-tech' on NBR doing it to upgrade a HDX9000 from a 8800M GTS to a GTX280M MXM card. There they couldn't get a stable image any other way than routing the GTX280M DVI output back to the internal LCD. His ideas about it start at *HP HDX 9000 DRAGON Owners Lounge, Part 2* - Page 497 .

[unreal25]

Wow, thanks a lot for great replies! I should have been more detailed why I am asking. I got a Logitech TV Cam HD and wanted to use it on my laptop. I got it for free directly from logitech but with a promise that I'll put up a review. The idea was to put up the review here as well. I love the idea of re-routing it to LVDS but I really still want to use my monitor.

But, I just realized it only has an HDMI output (I sort of assumed there will be a USB....). In the worst case I'll send it to my dad in Europe, and I'll test it as a person on the receiving end. We have a decent TV at home.