How to connect Laptop/PC/Computer to TV Sometimes, people want to show the pictures and videos to others from laptop onto TV, but unfortunately they did not have the correct cords. Pretty annoying considering the times we live in, it should be quite easy to connect the two together! So here’s a quick walk-through of all the methods that I know to connect a laptop or PC to TV.
Step by Step Guide 1. S-Video – This is probably the most common method out there currently because an SVideo cable is cheap as heck and just about every TV under the sun has a S-Video port. You’ll have to make sure you laptop is equipped with this port. Remember, there are two types of SVideo cables: 4-pin and 7-pin. Most laptops and PC’s are equipped with a 7-pin port, so if your TV only has a 4-pin S-Video port, then this method will not work. 2. VGA – If you have a HDTV, then you will be better off connecting using a VGA cable. It gives much better quality than S-Video and as with S-Video, the cable is very cheap. You usually won’t find a VGA port on regular TV’s though, so this option is if you have an HDTV. 3. DVI - DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface with “digital” being the key word there. The digital signal will give a higher quality picture than either S-Video or VGA. Of course, your computer will need to have a DVI connection and your TV will need to be an HDTV. This cord is definitely not cheap, it ranges anywhere from $40 to $80. 4. HDMI – Using HDMI will give you the best quality by far. No computers that I know of yet have HDMI ports, but you can get a DVI to HDMI cable to connect it to your HDTV. HDMI is compatible with DVI. 5. Scan Converter Box – This is the last method that I could think of and it involves using a scan converter box, which takes a VGA signal and converts it into S-Video or component video. Here’s a graphic I created with some pictures of the various cables:
Hope this helps someone! (Internet.)