I snagged a cheap HDMI-DVI cable off of monoprice. The two DVI monitors I have (a 19" 4:3 and a 19" Widescreen) won't cooperate. The 4:3 refuses to show anything, and the WS only likes 480i. Who is being picky, the console or the monitors, and why (I'd assume simple resolution compatibility) (or perhaps a flaw within DVI itself)? If I were to buy a modern monitor, will I likely have the same problem with this particular setup (just curious, I know a new monitor would have HDMI)?
Make sure when you switch it on that you press and hold the Power button until it beeps twice (then you let go) so you get the HDMI screen set up. You will also need to use another port for sound as DVI does not support sound as HDMI does, you can use the toslink or composite cable for stereo analogue sound (you can set it up from the start).
The PS3 (and XBox 360) uses HDCP and while DVI does support HDCP not all monitors that have DVI support HDCP. My Dell 2405FPW that I bought in early 2006 doesn't support HDCP and with the $860 price tag it carried back then it was essentially a flag ship model for its size. Assuming your displays are about that same age you're likely in the same boat as myself. Basically you're SOL unless you get some sort of box to stick between the PS3 and your monitor that strips out HDCP. DVD players, Blu-Ray players, set top boxes of all sorts these days typically demand HDCP as a misguided attempt at preventing people from making a digital copy of an A/V signal. IIRC the leaked service guides for the PS3 had potential for showing a particularly crafty individual how to get an HDMI compatible signal sans HDCP. Don't quote me on that. Though I do use a hdmi->DVI adapter for my laptop to hook up to my older Dell 2405FPW and it looks absolutely magnificent. My AT&T U-Verse set top box will display a picture but complains that the 2405FPW doesn't support HDCP and resets the image every few seconds rendering it's usefulness moot. Though the bloody thing supports 1080i over component and so does the Dell... http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/12044/HDCP-Strippers-Part-3-HDFury-Review
I had a Samsung 940MW 19" LCD monitor, and it said both on the box and even on the unit itself that it supports HDCP. When I tried to connect my PS3 to it via a HDMI to DVI cable, I got no signal. I found out later that the monitor actually doesn't support HDCP, even though it says it does. Bastards. Luckily it had a component-in. Anyway, now it's dead and I have a 32" LG HDTV. All is well. Moral of the story: don't count on a computer monitor to work with a device (like a PS3) outputting HDMI. If you need a display that size and you need it to support HDCP over HDMI, get a monitor that specifically does that. I have an ASUS monitor now that, although it's main purpose is as a computer monitor, also has an HDMI input. I don't use it for that, but there you have it. Also keep in mind that unless the monitor you're using has an HDMI input, you're going to have to get sound separately from the AV-Multi port or the optical port. What's the native resolution of the 19" widescreen unit?
My 23" Samsung PC monitor (DVI+VGA only), a few years old now, works fine with PS3 over DVI without HDCP needing to be stripped, just FYI.
