What does "HDMI PC Signal Capability" mean?

Question

I am looking at a Sony KDL-32V4500 which comes with 3 HDMI ports and a VGA PC input.

What does it mean on the specifications by "HDMI PC Signal Capability".

Is it possible to connect a PC to the TV with a DVI-to-HDMI cable and slill have sound (DVI does not carry sound) via a 3.5mm audio cable.

Answer 1

"HDMI PC Signal Capability" means that the TV will work with a PC that has an HDMI port. Some newer PCs are being shipped with HDMI ports, so that they can be connected to a wide variety of monitors. Using the HDMI port on the computer, you can get higher image resolution than many TVs will give you through the VGA connector.

Case in point is my Visio 47-inch TV. Although it has a 1080p display, the maximum resolution I can get using the VGA port is 1200 x 800 pixels. The set will display 1920 x 1080 using the HDMI port. If I connected the Visio to a computer's HDMI port, I'd get very nice resolution.

No, you won't be able to get sound if you use a DVI-to-HDMI cable. There will be no audio connector associated with the HDMI input, since HDMI carries audio digitally on the same cable as the image signal.

Edit: I disagree with the answer that says you can get audio using a DVI-to-HDMI adapter if you use a separate audio cable. Unless your KDL-32V4500 is unusual, it will not have an audio input associated with its HDMI inputs. The TV will have audio inputs associated with its VGA, video, component and other inputs, but not for the HDMI inputs. That's because HDMI carries both image and audio on a single cable. There will be no RCA jacks that allow you to input sound when you use the HDMI input. Take a look at the back panel of the KDL-32V4500 to confirm this.

Answer 2

Agree with the first answer except that he missed the last part of your question. Yes, you would need to use a 3.5mm to rca adapter cable.