So, now that I have my PS3 at home, it was time to up the experience by connecting it to my Samsung 226BW, and my Sony 300 watt speaker system.  The only problem here is the volume I can enjoy the movies and games at - since I live in an apartment (flat).

Update - After receiving numerous comments and emails regarding setting up the sound to output though your computer speakers, I've written up another post that might help you with that.

Update #2 - Read my detailed post about setting up a good surround sound system to enjoy not only your PS, but other inputs as well.

It was fairly simple to connect the PS3 (or a Xbox 360 Elite) to a LCD monitor. Only prerequisite being that your monitor will have to support HDCP (High Definition Content Protection - High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection)

I have only tried the following for the PS3, therefore I give no guarantees that the XBOX 360 Elite will work with a similar setup – in theory it should.

Why does it only work with those two consoles?

Because the HDMI signals translate well into DVI – the signal that you monitor understands. You could buy an expensive converter to go from composite or component to HDMI, but what’s the point, you’ve already lost quality by going to analogue!!

What you need:

  • One of the two game consoles – Playstation 3 or XBOX 360 Elite (or an player that spits out HDMI – whatever it happens to be)
  • HDMI cable (both male connectors) with a HDMI to DVI (female to male) converter - or - a HDMI to DVI cable (both male connectors).
  • PS3 Component (included in your PS3 bundle) – AV cables for the sound. (This will save you from spending $300 on a HDMI receiver box that splits the audio from the video.) Although you will loose some quality, and it won’t necessarily be 5.1.
  • Monitor that supports HDCP (which obviously has a DVI input).

That’s it. The rest is just plug and play.

Connect your HDMI cables to the monitor console. The AV cables from your console to your speakers/amp. Then fire-up the PS3 and enjoy.

If you get a black screen, here is a tip on resetting the video settings.

After you are up and running, it would be a good idea to play with the video and audio settings in the PS3 to get the best picture possible. Unless your monitor natively supports 1920 x 1080, the 1080p/i output setting won’t look good.

On my Samsung 226BW, I have the PS3 outputting 720p – HD goodness. Mmm.. crisp, sharp, vivid images.

If you need anymore details, feel free to ask.

Update - After receiving numerous comments and emails regarding setting up the sound to output though your computer speakers, I've written up another post that might help you with that.