My friend recently had a baby and also got a nice modern 46" LCD TV. Noticing that it (the TV) has a VGA input, I’ve decided to help her connect her PC and her boyfriend’s Macbook Pro to the television.
Both the PC and the Mac have DVI out (PC also has VGA out). Newegg has DVI To VGA cables for cheap and a KVM Switch that isn’t terribly expensive. She already owns a decent 2.1 PC speaker system, which I imagine could also be connected to the KVM. Total comes to less than $50. Would this be the best option? I’d rather not leave them with a set of video and audio cables hanging out and think the push button solution might be more appropriate.
Is this the right approach? I’ve been burned by more than one KVM solution in the past, so am a little wary.
If the TV has HDMI in and you can pick up a cheap HDMI swich (possibly powered), I’d rather use that and some DVI-D to HDMI cables. Dunno about speaker support, as the switches I’ve seen are all HDMI-to-HDMI, with no option for other sound inputs. A fancy DVI switch would do sound, but they still cost a ton (seen none cheaper than $300 here, so perhaps $200 in the US).
A pure mechanical HDMI switch can also be found for cheap, but read reviews in that case. Cables should be in the $10 range over there in Americaland. You’d need HDMIx1 and DVI-to-HDMIx2. I’m recommending HDMI because you can use longer cables without worrying about the signal.
A PC and a Mac has different keyboard layouts/functionality, so sharing a keyboard is right out. Switching on the fly is VERY confusing because of the Command, Alt/Opt, Control and Windows keys not exactly sharing functionality ;)
Ohhh, it looks like there is a wider range of options than I had realized. Found some cables for $6 and what looks to be a decent cheap switch for $40, which isn’t bad.
Great suggestion, thanks!
Now we’re just waiting for HDMI ocular implants so we can go 100% digital!
Don’t like NewEgg for cables. Always, always, always check Monoprice first (or that other one people recommend - bluejeancables, I think?). As suggested above, the best solution here might be getting a DVI to HDMI cable for each and a simple HDMI switch if you don’t have enough inputs in the back and/or on your stereo.
Thanks, Brian. Your post saved me a significant amount of time and money. Wider variety of cable options there, higher quality cables (opted for the thick supposed-to-go-in-the-wall kind) and even the switches look to be superior to the best one I found on Newegg (unless Monoprice actually writes their own customer reviews).
