Why HDTV for HTPC?

[Dave246]

Hi:
In trying to plan an HTPC I'm trying to understand whether I really need to spend money on HDTV. Will no pc video cards allow for good resolution on a regular television?
Thank you.

[jaxvon]

PC video cards are usually used to output much higher resolutions than a normal TV can display. For instance, a normal TV has a resolution in the 300x400 range (not exact, obviously), while a crappy resolution on a computer is 640x480. Most people run 1024x768. To take advantage of the awesome picture your computer can output, you need to have an HDTV, or a projector.

[Dave246]

Thanks, Jaxvon. Since I'm putting this system together piece by piece as I can afford it, can I connect an htpc to a regular television and get the same quality of picture as, say, a DVD, or will there be some kind of compatibility issue?
Dave

[jaxvon]

Sure, read the PM I sent you.