In this day and age of technology it seems that we can do anything we want to do. For example, if you have been travelling around the world and have a gathering of friends and family when you return then you may want to put on a slideshow of your experiences via your photos. How can you do that for an entire room of people? You can do it via your TV, providing that your laptop is connected to it of course. Connecting your laptop to your TV may sound complicated but it really is not that difficult.
With TV programs being available online these days as well, there are more reasons for connecting the two than you may imagine but there are no excuses for not trying. When you are leading a busy lifestyle and barely have time to eat and sleep, it can be easy to put off jobs like connecting your laptop to your TV but it really need not take more than a few minutes to do when you know what you are doing. This article will give you the basic knowledge you need to be able to do just that.
Factors For Consideration
Before you even begin to try to figure out how to connect your TV to your laptop, there are many factors that you need to consider and some of those factors can make a difference as to exactly how easy it will be to connect the two. For example, your ability to connect your laptop to your computer depends on how old your laptop is, how old your TV is, the features that are available in both, the port connections that are compatible and whether you have the cables you need to link the appropriate ports together. That little explanation may have lost you already. If it has then the next paragraph will explain in simple English so that you can get to grips with what you are supposed to do.
A port is effectively a physical connection point in which a cable or device can be placed. There are numerous ports on computers and on TV sets in which cables can be placed to run data from one device to the next. Common connections on a laptop can be used to link it to a printer, scanner or other similar hardware, whereas a connection on a TV is often linked to a DVD player, VCR or digital TV channel provider set top box, such as Sky or Freeview. The ports in both can be used to link a laptop to a TV, thus connecting them.
Modern laptops and TV sets have a vast array of connection ports that you can work with and most will help you to connect the two together. However, if you have an older set or an older laptop then your laptop and TV may not be compatible. They need to have corresponding ports in order for you to run a line between them. The most common are VGA cables, S-Video cables, DVI cables ad scan converter boxes but not all laptops and TVs will have the ports to be able to use these methods of connection. As such, you need to compare the ports before moving on to the next step, which is actually connecting the two.
Your Connection Options
There are actually 6 main ways in which you can connect your laptop to your TV set, depending on the connectivity options that the two leave you with of course. A quick introduction of each is outlined below for you so that you can decide which one is best for you:
S-Video Cable – This is easily the simplest and quickest mode of connecting your laptop to your TV. It is also the cheapest given the price of the cables, which are of course readily available. Almost every TV, regardless of age, will have a S-Video jack built in so it is relatively simple enough to connect the two. However, there are a few drawbacks with this method. The main issue is the fact that the data is not processed as efficiently so the picture quality, resolution and background audio will not be as high a quality on your TV screen as it is should you choose to play it on your computer instead. However, you might not be able to use this method because there are two types of jack – a 4 pin one and a 7 pin one. The two cannot mix. If your TV has a 4 pin jack and your laptop has a 7 pin one, for example, then they are not compatible and you will have to try another method.
VGA Cable – The VGA cable connection is solely used to connect HDTV sets to a laptop. Normal TV sets do not have VGA cable jacks but HDTV sets do so you can use this method instead of S-Video cables. VGA cables are also relatively cheap but they give you a quality that is much higher than the S-Video method It certainly delivers the best video possible and the best audio, but bear in mind that you might need to adjust the aspect ratio if you want to achieve such a high level of quality.
DVI Cable – The DVI cable is another option if you have a HDTV because it works with them to provide you with a good quality picture and audio. Working with digital signals, only the newer laptop models will be able to support this connectivity. As DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface, the name should hint at exactly how expensive the cable is. If you want a higher quality via this method then you will have to pay for it.
Scan Converter Box – The scan converter box is another useful tool that allows you to see on your TV what may otherwise appear on your laptop. It works differently to cables in that it works with the signal, altering it so that your computer can effectively and efficiently communicate with the TV itself. It actually converts VGA to S-Video so the quality is not particularly brilliant but it is effective.
PC To TV Card – A PC to TV card is effectively installed to transmit data to your TV from your laptop. You will need to adjust the resolution but may not have to adjust the aspect, depending on your TV, its model and of course its age.
HDMI – This option is not one that is often listed along with other connectivity options. However, it is one that may become popular in the coming years. It provides the highest possible visual and audio quality so you can watch your laptop work miracles on your TV screen. However, you will have to use HDMI in conjunction with DVI. Laptops do not have HDMI ports as yet but you can get a DVI to HDMI cable to connect your laptop to your HDTV set. Needless to say, these cables are indeed expensive though so you pay for the quality.
Identifying Your Ports
Now you know a little bit about the way in which you can connect your laptop to your TV, you have to be able to identify the different types of ports. The following quick descriptions and images will help you to do just that.
The five port types are as follows:
- Composite/Phono Plug (RCA) – This kind of connector is a traditional one because it has long been used for analog channels and audio. Today, it is commonly used to connect games consoles to the TV as well. The RCA is composed of three standard jacks, all of which are assigned a color for ease of connection. The left audio is controlled by the white jack, the right audio by the red jack and the video by the yellow jack. All can be used on older TVs, although some new ones will still have the jack connector sockets as well, and older laptops. These cables are readily available and the socket is easily identifiable on the TV. A picture of the RCA plug can be viewed below.
- S Video Plug – In addition to the RCA plugs in the photo above, you can also see a fourth plug and that plug is an S-Video plug. This is more advanced than the RCA and is sometimes used in conjunction with it to help improve the picture. Some laptops and TVs have the jack to connect this cable to but it is not guaranteed to be one specific type. There are two types of S Video plug – the 4 pin (as shown below) or the pin, which is exactly the same in appearance aside from the fact that it has 7 pins inside. The cables available only connect like to like so count the pins in the easily recognizable socket.
- Video Graphics Array (VGA) – The VGA cable is capable of carrying analog signals in addition to display data and the sockets that you use the cables with are easily identifiable. Common on both laptops and TV sets these days, you can identify the socket by the 15 pinholes that characterize it. The cable connectors have 15 pins that fit snugly into the holes, through which the data is passed, although an RCA jack is required for sound. The VGA connectors are powered like a USB port, meaning that no power sources is needed because the power comes directly from the laptop. You do not have to install any software either because the connection is automatic. As example of the connector can be found below.
- (DVI) – A DVI port is similar to the VGA one in many ways but the main difference is the fact that it has 24 pins rather than 15 in a rectangular arrangement. There are 3 horizontal rows, each with 8 pins, to give high quality digital video. As with the above types of connection, you can use an RCA cable with it for audio. As a general rule, MAC laptops feature DVI cable connections and the port may be smaller than the DVI jack itself. However, an adaptor comes with the laptop if this is the case. An example of the DVI cable can be found below so that you can easily identify the port.
- High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) – The HDMI port is literally half the size of the DVI port as pictured above but has the same sort of layout. It has 19 pins in a rectangular formation instead of 24. Unlike the other connections, there is no need to use an RCA with it because the HDMI transports audio as well as video. The picture below is a DVI to HDMI cable so you can see the difference. It is worth noting though the if this connection is used for laptops then you will have to use an RCA cable with it for audio purposes at the moment.
Now you have been able to identify your ports you can get on with actually connecting your laptop to your TV set. However, please note that you cannot connect the two if they do not have compatible ports so be aware of that before you start.
Connecting And Tuning
When you have discovered the ports that will help you to connect your TV and laptop, all you have to do is connect your TV to the laptop using the appropriate cables that correspond with the port types. The first step is obviously running the cables from one to the other but then you have to tune your TV to receive the pictures properly after setting up a two monitor system on your laptop if it has a Microsoft Windows operating system. The latter will be discussed in more detail a little later on but first we should deal with how to tune your TV properly.
You may not have to tune your TV to cope with the input from your laptop at all if the resolution and aspect ratio of your laptop screen and TV are exactly the same. However, this is indeed a rare occurrence so the likelihood is that you will have to alter your TV settings to accommodate those of your laptop as the picture will otherwise be distorted.
LCD, non-LCD and traditional CRT (or tube) TVs will all have distorted pictures if the tuning is not done correctly, but first it is necessary to explain what the resolution and aspect of a TV screen actually are.
The aspect ratio is determined by the proportions of a screen, meaning the height vs. the width. This applies to laptop screens and TV screens. In years gone by, most of both types of screen were 4:3 but that changed after 2003. The specs of laptops and TVs changed as technology evolved and most actually changed to 16:10, with high definition TVs being 16:19. On the other hand, the resolution of a screen is measured in pixels, individual examples of which can be identified in the following image:
Again, this is determined by the size of the screen and the general rule is the higher the pixel count the better the quality. Unlike the aspect ratio, which may be similar between screens, the resolution usually has to be adjusted to accommodate laptop TV connectivity. Most laptops have resolutions that range from 1024 x 768 to 1920 x 1200 pixels, whereas HD TVs tend to have resolutions of 1920 x 1080 to 1366 x 768. As you can see, these vary widely so you will undoubtedly have to check the resolutions and change them if necessary to avoid seeing images in the same vein as that above!
You might have to rescan channels automatically on your TV for it to be able to pick up the signal as each channel has its own setting and this may not be compatible with the space your laptop is occupying. After finding the right space, you will have to go through your laptop to improve the picture and audio.
Using The Microsoft Operating System
To change the TV settings in order to enjoy your laptop TV connectivity, you have to go to the menus and choose to alter the display settings. It is easier to change the resolution and aspect on your computer than on the TV so that is the logical way to make the images on both screens completely compatible. Simply go to the Display Settings Menu in the laptop’s Control Panel. You will find the display options you need to change there. Be sure to apply them before coming you of the menu so that the images appear perfectly on your TV.
Laptop TV connectivity should be used in conjunction with a two monitor system so you control the images viewed on your TV via the laptop itself. Setting this up on a Microsoft operating system is easy. When you are altering the display settings for your TV via your laptop, simply go to the Display Properties menu in the Control Panel. As soon as you have hooked up the correct cables, there will be two monitors in that particular area and not one. You can then choose to enable, disable, orient and resize the screens as you see fit from that menu. Just be sure to make sure that you have not extended the laptop onto the monitor or else you will get half of the display on your laptop and half on the TV!
If you find that the two monitors are not showing up in the menu then the connection has not yet been detected by your laptop. If the connection has not been detected automatically then it is not connected properly. You should alter the cables if this is the case and the TV will soon be visible in the menus.
The guidelines above can help you to be able to connect your laptop and TV quickly and easily. When you have established your laptop TV connectivity once then you will find it easy to do it again. It is not a complex process by any means so try it out when you get a few minutes spare. You will find that it is nothing to fear at all, even for staunch technophobes.
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