Old plasma TV limited to 24 fps whilst streaming?

[Pageboy]

Host Machine

Intel Core i5-3570k
ASUS Sabertooth Z77
8GB RAM
EVGA GTX 680 Sig 2

Client Machine

Intel NUC DN2820FYKH
8GB RAM

I'm not entirely sure what's going on here however when i'm streaming to my TV in my bedroom (LED Sony KDL46R473) via HDMI I get a very steady 60fps (720p) on games such as Grid 2/Autosport & Borderlands 2 which is all well and good. However, my original purpose of using the in home streaming was to use it in my lounge downstairs which has a Pioneer Plasma (PDP-436XDE I believe) TV, and I think it is a fairly old model. The issue is that when streaming the same games via HDMI on that TV it seems to be limited to ~24fps (720p), it literally won't go above it at all.

Note: When trying it with the Sony I was using WiFi and with Pioneer I tried both WiFI & Ethernet and both the same result.

Would there be any explanation for this? I'm assuming it's to do with being a fairly old TV but it's just baffling me.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Martelol]

Checking around that product number, it appears that the TV only operates at 24hz on HDMI. I have an older plasma with a similar issue - the TV will accept 1080i30 (or lower framerate) or 480p60 (again, lower is possible) over HDMI, but no 720p of any framerate. The solution in my case? Switching to VGA, which the TV can handle 720p60 from. If possible, switch to VGA instead of HDMI and see if that helps. If it does, you'll need to get separate cables for the audio, but it's better than being stuck at 24fps.

Edit: from more digging, it looks like yours will do 60fps over VGA. There's conflicting information over the resolution it looks for - I've seen both 1360x768 (slightly different than the usual 16:9 of 1366x768, but I've seen it before) and 1280x768. It'll scale non-native resolutions, so you'll just have to experiment and see which resolution looks best.

[Pageboy]

Many thanks for the info Marte and research that you've done - I'll try and give VGA a go tonight on a laptop that I have and report my findings.

One question though - Because I want to use my Intel NUC (DN2820FYKH) as the client machine, which only accepts HDMI. How would I use VGA from the plasma and then connect it to the NUC? I assume a converter but will that effect anything from what you have described above? (e.g. doing 60fps)

Thanks again.

[Martelol]

You'll need to get an HDMI to VGA converter. Amazon has plenty; get one with a good rating. There are some that will split the HDMI audio out for you as well, though that's unnecessary as you can just use the NUC's 3.5mm stereo jack for that.

When looking for HDMI->VGA converters, my suggestion with regards to making sure it's not going to fall flat on its face at higher framerates is to look for one that requires an external power source. Those that get their power solely from the HDMI port may not have the oomph to handle higher framerates. Admittedly, though, I have little experience with HDMI to VGA converters. The only one I've ever purchased is no longer available, so I have nothing specific to recommend.

[Pageboy]

Thanks for the info, after testing it out on a laptop (acting as the client machine) which had a VGA port, you're absolutely correct and it's maintaining a stable 60fps which is brill :). I've now ordered a HDMI > VGA converter which has an optional external power source (thanks for the advice, makes sense) which should arrive over the weekend if not sometime next week.

The only very minor problem I have is the fact that the VGA port for the TV is on the front of the box and not the back weirdly enough. Obviously to keep it less messy it would be nice to have it all round the back but the only available ports there are SCART's (which won't work I assume) and HDMI.

I guess my issue has been resolved but I will post again with the results with the HDMI > VGA converter just to conclude.

Thanks again for all the help, much appreciated.

[Pageboy]

To conclude (after receiving the converter) it seems to work fine fps wise however quality is somewhat lost which I guess is to be expected if it's not via HDMI, but it's definitely more playable and beats being stuck at 24fps.