How to connect your computer or Laptop to TV

Most of us download movies online using torrent or copy them from CD or DVD. But watching movies on laptop is not as good as watching them on television. You can easily connect your computer to TV. Connecting you laptop or computer to TV is not at all difficult as it seems. All you need to have a video port that matches to one of the inputs on your television. Common video ports available in laptops or computer are –

1. VGA Port
2. S-Video Port
3. DVI Port
4. HDMI Port
5. Composite Video Port

Different types of computer and TV have different types of Video ports. You need to understand the video ports one by one so that you can make a wise decision before you buy any video cable or an adapter.

VGA

VGA stands for Video Graphics Array. It is a 15-pin female socket on the back of a PC that is used to connect a monitor. VGA ports on LCD monitors, HDTV or Flat TV supports normal PC resolutions like 1024×768, 1280×1024, et cetera. If you own a plasma TV or HDTV then use this port for best image quality.

S-Video

The Separated Video or S-Video port is present in almost all types of computer or PC. Most new TVs and many DVD recorders and DVRs include S-Video. The S-video port allows the computer to connect to media hardware such as DVD players, televisions and projectors. Once you have plugged in cable to s-video port, you can right click on desktop and go to graphic options and choose how you want it on your TV or other device. It carries 480i or 576i resolution video, i.e., standard definition video, but does not carry audio on the same cable.

S-Video cables feature round, 4-pin connectors and provide better color and resolution than RF or composite connections do. If your laptop’s S-Video out is 7-pin then you will require a converter to use the standard 4-pin S-Video cables.

DVI

DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface, and is a standard for connecting computers to digital monitors or TV. The DVI port sends a pure digital video signal to TV thus providing the best quality output. If your computer has DVI port then your TV must be Plasma or HDTV, else you won’t be able to connect your laptop to television. In other words, If your television is not flat screen but a standard CRT TV then you cannot use DVI port. That’s because the CRT TV is only analog, so wouldn’t know what to do with the digital signal.

HDMI

HDMI is High-Definition Multimedia Interface which connects digital audio/video sources such as Blu-ray Disc players, personal computers, set-top boxes, video game consoles, and AV receivers to compatible digital audio devices, computer monitors, and digital televisions. You can connect a HDMI cable from your computer to a LCD TV that has a HDMI connection and use the LCD TV for your computer. You can connect any size LCD TV you want and get a HD picture using the HDMI out on your computer.

You can use HDMI port with DVI connectors due to its backward compatibility. If your TV has DVI input port and your computer has HDMI video output port, you can use an adapter cable. Just attach the HDMI plug to a DVI monitor port for the video signal but this method does not carry the audio signal.

Composite Video Port

This is the most common method of making connection from computer to external peripheral devices like TV or camera. If your TV does not have a VGA or DVI input that matches an output on your computer, you will need to use composite video or S-Video cables.

If your computer doesn’t have any of above TV-compatible outputs, then you need to install a new video card that has the matching port with your television. Before purchasing a new video card make a wise decision – If you are planning to replace your old age CRT TV to plasma TV or HDTV then purchase the flat panel plasma TV or HDTV first and then decide about the video card. Please note that HDTV can be used as a computer monitor also.

You get the sharpest image quality with VGA, DVI and HDMI video cables. A composite video and S-Video connection provides a low quality image. You can also use Media Center present in Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Home Premium for better results.

After making the proper selection of cable that connects your computer output to the input of your TV carry out following steps to watch the movies and online videos directly on TV instead of watching on your computer screen.

1. Turn off your computer or laptop. Make sure you only disconnect the monitor, do not disconnect the mouse and keyboard.
2. Connect the video cable from your computer’s video port to your television. Your cable must have a matching ports with your computer and TV
3. Turn on your television and set it to the input that matches the video port connected to your computer.
4. Enjoy movies and online videos on your television.

What other methods you are using to connect your laptop or computer to TV? Please share your experiences below through comments.

Related posts:

1. How to Block or Disable USB Port to Protect your Computer or Laptop
2. How to Connect two Computers or Laptops at Home
3. How to Disable Touchpad of your Laptop or Notebook
4. Facebook announced Facebook Connect.
5. How to set-up or install Google Friend Connect with WordPress Blog
6. How to access your Computer from anywhere using VNC
7. Game Booster-Better Gaming Experience on Computer
8. Connect Socially with Coffee Lovers while blogging.
9. How to secure a Laptop from thieves
10. Free Laptop Battery Power Monitor For Windows

Tagged as: Laptop