If you have a PC and a big screen television and are looking for more information about how to connect the two so you can watch all those favorite movies, photos, etc. on a big screen, you’ve come to the right address.
Watching movies on small monitors is something from the past. The same goes for showing your friends your holiday photos on the 15 inch screen of your laptop. Today’s TVs can provide consumers with almost cinema like experiences so it’s a shame to watch anything on your PC. Read on to find out how to connect your TV to your computer or laptop.
Which Cable Do I Use?
There are gazillion types of cables on the market and it’s understandable if you can’t see trees anymore because of the surrounding woods. We’ll shed some light on the matter.
The first step you should make is figuring out which audio and video outputs your laptop or computer has and which audio and video inputs your TV has. Chances are that you get lucky and see that the inputs and outputs match; this will greatly simplify things. If the inputs and outputs are different, you will have to make a little detour when it comes to the wiring.
S-video & VGA
If you have a standard definition TV and a computer you will most likely have either composite, component video or S-video video inputs. Most computers have an S-video output. You can find the S-video jack on the graphic card of your computer. There are some laptops that also have S-video outputs, but most have VGA outputs that are used to connect to monitors. Fortunately there are plenty of special cables available that can connect to an S-video and VGA solving your problem.
Older TV with Coaxial Video Cable Input
If you happen to have an older TV you might have to use an RF converter, if you can only input coaxial video cable that is. The converter can convert both S-video and VGA into a coaxial output.
HDTV Video Cables
If you have a HDTV you’ll most likely have a DVI, component video or HDMI input. If your laptop or computer has a different output you’ll need to get yourself a converter. You can also decide to get a better graphic card that has a HDMI or DVI output. The last option will also assure you that you can watch HD content properly.
Let’s Not Forget Your Audio
In general a 1/8 inch audio mini plug to RCA cable will suffice if you want to connect your TV’s speakers with your PC. Watching movies with awesome sound really makes you enjoy watching movies that much more; therefore, you might consider upgrading your audio card in the computer to a digital or optical coaxial output.
If you want to see an example of how you can connect your PC to your TV and see how the actual cables and converters look like, have a look at this video.
The post is contributed by Calvin Scott.Calvin has a long standing background in IT and programming field and he wants to transform the landscape of learning. Visit his site for adsl kpn and draadloos internet.
