How to Connect a Laptop and HDTV (It's Easier Than You Might Think)

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Today the wealth of content available online seems to want to bust out of our small computer screens at times; between TV and Movies, Games and Social Media, to News and Information, the internet is your one shop stop for all your media needs. If you want to get more from your internet experience, you can connect your laptop to a modern HDTV easily, providing a larger, better picture and a tremendous increase in sound quality.

This article will walk you through the process of identifying which items you'll need and which you may want to consider, as well as how to hook it up.

So you want to use your Television to access the full, unbridled web (via your laptop computer), first check out the features and instructions for your TV, some are already "internet enabled", and may already be able to provide the features you're looking for with the addition of some peripherals.

If you don't have an "internet TV", or you would like the same unbridled experience your laptop computer provides, you can connect your laptop to your TV with one or two simple cords.

The first thing you need to do is determine what kind of input/output ports are available on your devices. The best options for image quality are HDMI and VGA, HDMI also provides sound so there is no need for a separate cord for that. With VGA you will get a decent video signal, but you will also need a 3.5mm stereo cable, with one input and two outputs (usually red and white). To verify if you have the proper ports simple do a Google search for "HDMI Port", you should be able to find some images that show what the ports looks like so you can identify whether they are on your devices. If you do have HDMI on both your laptop and TV, you are in luck, All you need to do is purchase an HDMI cable, which can be found on amazon.com for under $15.00, connect the cable to both devices, check the TV's input settings and your off to the races. You may need to check your computers display and sound settings (found in control panel on PC, system settings for Mac), adjust these until you are satisfied.

If you don't have an HDMI port on either your TV or laptop computer you can do a Google search again, this time for "VGA port", this is a multi pin port that you may be familiar with, as most desktop monitors connect this way. Your TV may also have a VGA port, in which case you can get a VGA-to-VGA cable, if not, you will need a cord that converts VGA to the standard RCA video connection (yellow on the yellow/red/white inputs). VGA doesn't transmit sound, so you will need to get a 3.5mm stereo out-to-RCA sound cable as well, Again, you can obtain these cords on amazon.com for less than $15 each.

Connecting a laptop and TV via VGA isn't as straight forward as with HDMI, but the process is still simple enough. This time before you connect the cables make sure your laptop is off, and your TV is on and set to the right input. Connect the cables and boot up your laptop, the TV should be working as your screen now, if not you will need to check your display settings.

That's it, there are other inputs and options available to connect your computer to your TV, but HDMI and VGA are two of the cheapest, easiest, most widely available options, and the picture/sound quality is unrivaled. Now that your up and running, you may have noticed your laptop has become somewhat less mobile with all these cords sticking out of it. Thankfully, there is a solution for this too, you will need to obtain a wireless keyboard/mouse combo, which can be found for under $30, you have a lot of options here though, with more portable peripherals geared specifically towards this situation. such as the Lenovo Multimedia Remote, or Logitech K400 mini keyboard with built-in touchpad.

So there you have, for $15-100, you can turn your TV into a dynamic media center for your home or office. I Hope you found this article helpful and that you'll visit my site: http://internetentv.co for further resources on bridging your media devices.

About the Author:

Jeremy Plack is Web Designer/Developer, writer, and technologist. he provides resources on bridging media across devices on his website: internetentv.co
For Web Design, Consulting and writing please visit: St. Louis Web Services

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Connect PC to TV or Laptop to Television

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There are many ways to connect your computer and television together. Whether you have a laptop, Netbook, tablet PC, Smartphone or desktop computer, you will need either cables (such as HDMI, VGA, Mini DisplayPort or S-Video) or a wireless streaming kit dongle from your USB port.

There are, however a couple of things you should consider if you want to connect PC to TV. If you are connecting PC to TV using a VGA cable, the VGA cable will only transmit video and not sound. As a result, if you want audio and video to play through your television from your computer, you will also require a 3.5mm Mini Jack to RCA cable. The same principle applies for DVI-I, DVI-D and DVI-A cables.

Moreover, these cable combinations assume that both your PC and TV have the same input socket (e.g. VGA laptop to VGA High Definition television). If for example your computer has a VGA (Video Graphics Array) 15 Pin D-Sub socket and your television has a HDMI Type A input, you will need a VGA cable, HDMI cable, 3.5mm Mini Jack to RCA audio cable and a VGA + audio to HDMI converter.

If the prospect of having to use three or more different cables to connect a VGA computer to your HDMI television sounds chaotic, you can instead stream PC to TV wirelessly from your USB port. Wireless PC to TV connectivity has become increasingly popular in recent years, due to the fact that the vast majority of personal computing devices come equipped with either a USB Type A, Mini USB Type A or Micro USB Type A port. Wireless PC to TV kits enable you to stream audio and video content wirelessly from a distance of up to 30 feet.

Connecting your PC and TV is in most cases the cheapest method of connecting devices together, however you must make sure you don't overspend on a PC to TV cable, as there are many overpriced cables on offer online.

You can also connect PC to TV using your WiFi Wireless Network. The latest products, known as Digital Media Adapters, allow you to watch TV content, music and photos on your monitor, with surround sound.

The D-Link Boxee Box Digital Media Player is a recent PC to TV connectivity product which allows you to stream visual and audio content on your HDMI High Definition television. The main benefit of this product is that you don't need a PC, as the Boxee Box is a computer itself, and can work from your wireless home network (WiFi).

If you need to connect your Apple iPad to TV, you will need an Apple 30-Pin Dock adapter. These adapters are available from most trusted online retailers, and can connect your iPad to your HDMI, VGA Composite or Component television.

Simon Wright is the founder of PCmyTV.co.uk, a unique online configurator which shows visitors how to connect their computer and television together, by entering the make and model of their devices.

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Cables to Connect Computer and Television Together

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Online shoppers today are faced with a staggering variety of cable choices when trying to connect their PC to their TV. They may wonder which cables give them the best sound and picture quality, and may also want to know the various options they have to connect their TV and PC together. High Definition Multimedia Interface leads are by far the most common cable of choice in demand at present, but products such as the Toshiba Satellite L300 have a VGA 15 Pin D-Sub socket, and so a different cable type would be needed.

Connect PC to TV using the latest wireless technology

If your Desktop, Laptop, Tablet PC or Smartphone, has a USB port or 'socket', there is a multitude of devices available online which will allow you to stream both sound and video content wirelessly from your PC, provided that your Television has a HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) input. Fortunately, nearly all High Definition (HD) TVs on sale in 2012 are retro fitted with a HDMI input, and every new 3D TV is equipped with a HDMI input.

Connect mini USB and micro USB PC to TV wirelessly

Some Laptops, Desktops, Tablet PCs and even Smartphones have mini USB or micro USB ports, and so to stream audio and visual content wirelessly from one of these devices, you would need a micro USB to USB (Type A) converter, or mini USB to USB (Type A) converter to use a Wireless PC to TV streamer.

Connect Apple iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to HDMI High Definition Television screen

If you want to connect your Apple multimedia device to your TV monitor, you can do this by using an Apple 30-Pin Dock connector to HDMI (Type A) converter along with with a HDMI (Type A) 1.4 lead. This combination of adapter and cable is also compatible with the iPhone 3, 3G, 4, 4S and iPod touch.

The wide availablility of product choice can only be seen as a positive thing for the consumer. Due to high competition, consumers have the power to demand ever-increasing levels of durability and transmission quality, at prices as low as 46p for a HDMI cable (the cheapest HDMI cable we have ever come across). It would be best to recommend any form of HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) 1.4 cable from a trusted online retailer.

Are expensive HDMI cables better than cheap ones?

If you have just spent your hard-earned cash on a 42" High Definition TV, you may think that spending loads on a "top-of-the-range" HDMI cable will ensure better image quality, but it is widely regarded that around £9.99 is a sensible amount to spend on a HDMI cable (to strike a good compromise between value and quality), unless you require a cable of more than 3 metres. Longer HDMI cables tend to cost more than £10, but are surely a cost-effective alternative to connecting PC to TV wirelessly.

If you don't know your PC or TV connection type, use an online configurator to search for a PC and TV connection by Make and Model. If you don't know the Make and Model of the PC and TV you want to connect, you can also search by cable connection type.

If your laptop lacks a HDMI input, but has a VGA input, you have two options:

Option one: Buy a VGA (Male) to VGA (Male) cable, a VGA to HDMI adapter set, a HDMI (Male) to HDMI (Male) cable, and a 3.5mm Mini Jack to RCA cable

Option two: If your PC also has a USB socket, use that instead and buy a Wireless PC to TV streaming kit

Option one will cost you nearly the same as the wireless PC to TV streamer, because the VGA to HDMI converter box will set you back at least 39.99.

Most wireless Computer to Television streaming kits are designed to work from a distance of up to 30 feet, so if you are planning to connect PC to TV wirelessly from a large distance, you should use a high quality HDMI cable, VGA cable and HDMI to VGA adapter, along with a 3.5mm Mini Jack to RCA lead.

You will need a 3.5mm Mini Jack to RCA cable when connecting using VGA because VGA does not carry audio signal. VGA cables must be used in conjunction with a 3.5mm Mini Jack to RCA cable when connecting Computer to Television.

How to connect Apple Mac or MacBook to HD TV

If you have a recent Apple MacBook or Mac Desktop, you are likely to have either a Mini DisplayPort input or Apple Thunderbolt input. Most new Mini DisplayPort adapters and cables are compatible with Apple Thunderbolt for connecting Computer to Television, so if you are planning to connect your Mini Displayport or Thunderbolt equipped Apple multimedia interface to your 27" Apple LED screen, you can use a Thunderbolt cable. Like HDMI cables, Thunderbolt also carries audio signal.

If you want to connect your Apple Thunderbolt or Mini DisplayPort (input) Computer, Desktop, Laptop, Netbook or Tablet to your HDMI High Definition Television, you can use a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI converter, or Apple Thunderbolt to HDMI converter.

Some new televisions come equipped with a DVI port (either a DVI-Integrated, DVI-Analogue, or DVI-Digital). DVI cables do not carry audio signal, so need to be used in conjunction with a 3.5mm Mini Jack to RCA cable.

For more information on this topic, read this article.

Simon Wright is a Technology Graduate from Manchester Metropolitan University.

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