How do I link my computer to my TV?

Question

OK, in plain english, can someone tell me if it is possible for me to view what is on my computer monitor on my TV? I have some videos on my computer I want to watch full-screen on my TV. The computer and TV are about 3 feet from each other. I have no idea what jacks or plugs or whatever they're called I have, so if you can tell me EXACTLY what I need and where to get it, that would be awesome. Thanks!

BTW, my TV is pretty old (not HD or anything) and so is the computer...nothing fancy about either one of them...

Oh, and how do I know if I have a video card...what the heck is an DVI or AGI r whatever connection? All I know is I have a computer and I have a TV...that's about it lol

Answer 1

i think you can use an s-cable and you can get one at walmart also you can look at
www.howstuffworks.com
they have all that kind of stuff

Answer 2

Hey there,

There are a couple ways to do this:
1) a VGA to RCA converter (they have a special name that is totally escaping me right now...) They work like those old pong style video game converters, but take a VGA monitor cable as input.

2) S Video works as well if you have a computer with S Video output and a TV/VCR with S Video input. A lot of PC laptops have this now a days. You should be able to find a custom video card that has it if you have a desktop. Just look for S Video out.

3) DVI is the best way. Unfortunately, most TVs with DVI input are plasma TVs. If you have one, you're in luck! The video cards with DVI out are not standard (unless you're MAC users like us... :D so again, you may have to buy a custom card.

The VGA converters are not a good option, they blow out fast and frequently and when they do work long enough, the resolution is for crap. I went through three with my old laptop before I gave up on the idea.

I have used S Video once and the resolution looked much better, although it could still use some work. It's a very cable option, especially if your video card already has an S Video out.

Best regards, and good luck :-)
Silvered

Answer 3

You can if you use a video presentation adapter. These are ususally used with laptops to display business presentations on TV sets. Some connect to the vga port, and some are usb devices. You can find them at any computer or Office supply retail chain store.
There is also a card called a video-overlay adaptor which can be used for digitally editing video.

Answer 4

Do you have a high-definition TV or just a regular NTSC one? The resolution on non-HD television sets is much lower than a computer monitor...

Also, check the back of your computer to see if your video card has a TV-out port. If not, you'll need one that does...

Answer 5

From what I've read here, it almost sounds like too much trouble. I'd talk to someone from the geek squad at Best Buy or Circuit City. Just make sure you have all the information about your TV and computer (model numbers, features, stats, etc...). They can probably show you the equipment, hardware and software to buy right in store, or they could tell you what store in your area has it.

Answer 6

there are several ways, depending on your PC and TV

If your TV has a spare HD input and your graphics card has a spare digital output then you can just get the correct cable and plug it in.

if your TV has a PC input (mine has, others may or may not depending on model of TV) then you can connect from either a spare digital or standard PC output.

you may even have a TV ariel output on your PC, just plug that into the TV's ariel input.

If your PC has no spare outputs then you will need to buy another graphics card with output to match the TV's spare input.
Simplest one is a TV output card which will have the Ariel outlet.

Answer 7

Try this: