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At home we're in need of a new screen to which I could hook my macbook and my girlfriends netbook, but I'd also like to use the screen for my Wii.

The netbook is an asus (not sure about the exact model), with only vga out, my macbook has mini dvi, but I think convertors exist so I can get DVI or even HDMI output. The Wii has composite or scart as output.

Does anyone have experience doing this?
What's my best option? An lcd TV which can also be used as a computer screen, or a screen that has inputs for the Wii? Do such things even exist?
I wouldn't be watching TV on it, if that matters.

Is this even a good idea? What specs should I look for when evaluating screens?

I was thinking 22"-24" big.

Thanks for any input.

Jonik
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4 Answers4

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If you get a monitor with VGA or HDMI input you could use one of these for the Wii connection. They plug directly into the Wii, rather than attaching to its component cable. However, they are not endorsed by Nintendo. (See below. Although I'm not sure that this is such a big deal.)

Mayflash converters:

  • Wii to HDMI converter. Requires an additional HDMI cable to connect to the monitor.

  • Wii/PS3 VGA cable. Includes audio cable, which may require additional adapter for a standard stereo audio jack.

From http://www.nintendo.co.za/NOE/en_ZA/support/wii_support_5251_8020.html (Computer Monitors section):

Nintendo home consoles are designed for use through home televisions and VCRs, using standard A/V, or RF connectors. Computer monitors typically do not have these connections. There are however two ways a hookup to a computer monitor could be accomplished:

With a PC TV Card:

A TV card inserted into your PC may allow you to connect your system if the card has the proper connections (such as RF, A/V, or Coaxial). However, we have found that the image quality is not as clear as it is on a TV, in most cases.

With a Direct Connection (RGB or DVI Cables):

Nintendo does not manufacture any cables to make an RGB or DVI connection. While other companies may manufacture wires that can make this possible, we are not able to recommend them, as they are not licensed by Nintendo.

Community
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lofidevops
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For the macbook, you're correct that there are adapters (around $20-30 at any apple store) to convert your Mini-DVI port to whatever you need, whether DVI or VGA.

In order to be able to connect the Wii, you would likely need to look at a 22"-24" LCD TV, which would likely have a single DVI port for a computer. However, TVs rarely carry the quality of an equally sized monitor. Since the Wii is the only console to not support HDMI connections, finding a monitor that accepts a component connection will be very difficult and likely carry a premium cost for the function, and you'll be sacrificing quality in the end for functionality.

Will Eddins
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If you're not going to be watching TV go for a monitor that can take the various inputs. The latency on TV screens is quite high which could cause you problems.

Having said that you can get LCD TVs that will take input from a computer - we have one.

ChrisF
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The HP2475W is a gorgeous display with an H-IPS panel, so it has viewing angles and wide gamut colours of the bigger than 30 inch TV's. It's not anything like the average TN 24 inch display you see in PC stores. And it is king of the connections too. It has DP, HDMI, DVI, VGA, S-video, S-PDIF digital sound through, component. So you can connect all computers and consoles, even that classic SNES catching dust in the attic.

bert
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