Using A Laptop To TV Cable
Connecting your laptop to your TV using a laptop to TV cable is not as hard as you ever thought. You see computer geeks, geniuses, wizards do it all the time but it is very simple that any Tom, Dick, Harry and even can do it. You need to have the proper laptop to TV cable and make a few adjustments to the settings on your laptop. Here, I will try to guide you as far as I can.
Getting To Know Laptop To TV Cables
The first thing you should do is to check your laptop and TV to see the type of connections they have. The ports(where you plug the cables in) are usually located somewhere around your laptop and the other connecting port is somewhere behind or on the sides of you TV. The locations depends on your model. There are five types of ports, or jacks that are common. They are:
- Composite/phono plug (RCA)
- S-Video
- Video Graphis Array (VGA)
- Digital Video Interface (DVI)
- High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
Composite/phono plug (RCA)
A phono connector also known as as RCA connector is usually used for analog video and audio components. It consists of three round sockets with three different colors.
White – Left audio (for audio)
Red – Right audio (for audio)
Yellow – Composite video (for video)
I would have to say that this is the easiest laptop to TV cable to use, especially for older model TVs. Just plug it in and you are ready to go.
S-Video
S-video stands for Super Video which is a more advanced analog video connector. It is a round plug with 4 small pins in it like the ones used in TV cable installations. S-video ports only carry video components and you will need separate audio cables like the ones for RCA which are the red(right audio) and white(left audio) cables. This type of port is also usually found in older model TVs and laptops.
It is a simple connection if both your laptop and TV have S-video ports. You will just need one s-video to s-video laptop to TV cable to connect them. You won’t need audio cables if your laptop sound system is decent.
You can use an RCA to S-video laptop to TV cable if one port is RCA and the other is s-video.
Video Graphis Array (VGA)
VGA connectors are used to relay analog video signals together with display and graphics data. VGA ports are usually found laptops. It is a 15-pin connector normally blue in color. You will need a laptop to TV cable with a male VGA head on one end to establish connection.
Digital Video Interface (DVI)
DVI ports are rectangular with 24 pins lined up on three rows with 8 pins on each row for digital video. This port only transmits video components and separate RCA cables are needed for audio. DVI ports are popular on Macintosh laptops. Sometimes they require an adapter as the ones on the laptop are smaller.
High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)
HDMI ports are half the size of DVI ports. It has 19 pins and rectangular in shape. They carry both digital video and digital audio albeit being smaller in size. Most new laptop and TV models come with HDMI ports (making life easier). Some newer TV models comes with more than one HDMI port. HDMI connections are hassle free as they only require one connecting cable without the need for extra cables for audio.
A quick step by step would be:
- Check port available on your laptop
- Check port available on your TV
- Get a (type of port on laptop) to (type of port on TV) cable
- Connect the laptop to TV cable to the right ports
- Connect audio components (if necessary)
- Tune the TV settings on you laptop (if necessary)
- Enjoy viewing your laptop on your big screen TV
You can find the laptop to TV cable you need on this site. You just have to look around. Check out the Laptop to TV Cable Blog for more detailed information on connecting your laptop to a TV.