Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Over a year ago, I replace my VGA monitor with a TV via HDMI to my PCs that have HDMI/DVI ports. I am extremely happy with the switch, if for no other reason, I no longer need glasses when using the TV to PCs.

When I started use of the TV with PUPs, I ran into issues of sound to the TV over HDMI. It was a pain. The most recent Slacko64 beta has hurdled that element as it is picking up screen size and audio on pristine boots and preserving it over subsequent reboots.

2 things happened

• the power to run my platform is reduced. The old monitors used more power.

• And the number of wires behind my PC has reduced. No speaker power wires or sound wires are needed anymore. Just the HDMI which carries both audio and signaling, together.

As I see, today, PC monitor vendors are now offering large monitors that will be connecting directly to USB-C v3.1/v3.2/v4.0. These are not TVs as they do not have TV receptacles built in, yet much of the same screen technology is the same as found in TV...including high/higher refresh rates and low/lower response times than TVs in some cases. Monitors, in some cases, too offer features for screen layout settings that TVs do not.

And there is cost factors as HDMI TVs vs DP Monitors are different.

Which will be leading many of us to a crossroad of consideration: Use HDMI TV OR use a modern Monitor when connecting to our PCs?

What are your experiences with this new technologies? ... Video experience? ... Audio experience?

I go on holidays every year to the same place. I take my laptop (running Fatdog) to hook up to the TV at the holiday unit. Every year I am always surprised at how good the quality is. It is a minor hassle to set up the sound via HDMI, and every year I trick myself up when I get home and the sound doesn't automatically revert to the laptop's speaker when it's not connected to the TV.

I recently purchased a 55" cheapo 4K LCD Android TV. It cost me about $400. For the same money, I can get a 27 - 32" monitor with the same resolution. The TV does it all on it's own, the monitor does almost nothing. I believe monitors have better refresh rates than TV. For watching TV / Movies, or doing basic computing, reading emails, word processing etc, why wouldn't you use a TV?? For serious gaming, then I guess a monitor makes sense.

Family TVs these days are big - to big for a conventional PC monitor but because of the mass production are relatively cheap which is an attraction. In the right circumstances TVs are better value than monitors but if I still had to work at a desk with a PC then I think I would still prefer a monitor as with my experience there is less "tearing of print letters" with them and they are better to stare at. A laptop serves most of my needs.
My experience with using a TV as a monitor is with a Media Centre. For many years I have MythTV installed with a Ubuntu base on a PC below the SMART TV*. It gives me the options of watching live TV via the TV or go via the MythTV box which means I can easily pause it. I can also set up MythTV to record the regular programmes that we watch. I can also download recorded programmes from it when out of country to view on a TV in the holiday accommodation using Puppy Linux and a HDMI cable that I take with me. HDMI and sound does have issues since the devices may not do a handshake to set it up. I have a script that detects the TV coming on and restarts the display manager and that always works to get sound and it was a relief when I managed to get that idea working many years ago.
Certainly, I want a conventional SMART TV for family TV viewing as it gives the better images than the integrated GPU on the motherboard and the SMART TV gives me an easy ability to use the streaming services.
I have a laptop with USB C and no HDMI and if I want that display on the TV I have a little cheap adaptor which works really well.

* I had a year 2011 made Samsung SMART TV which was OKish when new but as the years went by it never updated and lost it services and become a TV with MythTV having to provide any "intelligence". It was recognised by the PC and the display worked fine. More recently, I needed to upgrade because I needed something more easily for my wife to use and I wanted a bigger display. We bought a 49" Toshiba SMART TV which annoyingly Ubuntu recognises as a 55" TV? I am not sure why. So buying a SMART TV for a monitor may not always work.

Each of the above points to a common issue that we face when moving to TV use: "Audio over HDMI".

Yes, it is a part of the HDMI spec but only a couple of OSes handle this without problems, currently: MS, Apple.

In the LInux world this is hampered by several factors; XORG & Wayland transitioning forward.

We will need to pay attention to seeking a set of steps which will lead to having sound delivered as automatically as is possible.

Any suggestions to this mitigation is necessary, as laptops vs desktops present a diverse set of problem-solution needed.

• In the laptop world your OS boots with the laptop screen present and primary.

• In the desktop world your OS boots with its primary video being the TV over HDMI.

Thus the solution to audio is a little different vs each other. In my specific case, I use a TV as my monitor for my desktops, vs a laptop.

Suggestions are welcomed.

Well I don't want to advertise, but basically I don't want a monitor per se... I just want something like headphones but including 'monitor' that I slip on my head.

And maybe this will do it - no advert but Lenova something or other A3 or something so no spam link from me!!! Yeah, well, easy to google anyway and pretty new - not much out there that 'might' work like big monitors(???), and presumable with huge electricity power savings.

Ultraportable and comfortable, these augmented reality (AR) glasses create a customized, expanded personal workspace anywhere, from a virtual monitor at home

But here is an (old) article re the idea:

https://futurism.com/no-monitors-engine ... al-screens

Hi people,

How do you split a tv into two screens?

I am assuming you want to split your TV screen from the same session on one of your PCs.

Found a few videos on Screen splits to same PC.

I have never tried this. Does this help?

Let us know which path-steps you use, should you split your TV screen.

Linus shares his experiences using a HUGE 'monitor'.

As we march into the future of Puppyland, this shows that there will be many questions that arise because the functionality these are bringing to the table for our use. Some issues on screen use, issues on sound, issues on connections, issues on wiring options (usb-c/DP/HDMI), issues on gaming, issues on enclosed video modes, issues ...

We must expect it because this migration is only going to continue. VGA will end on same landfills as old TVs before flatscreens have for the same reasons.