How to Hook S-Video From a PC to a TV

Connecting your computer to a television set has a variety of benefits. You can extend your desktop onto the TV and use them both as one big monitor. For video editing, you can drag your videos onto the television and see it exactly the way others will experience it. You can also use it as an exact duplication of your monitor so others can see what you're doing without having to be directly behind you. Setting up the actual connection is a perfectly simple process, provided your PC video card and your TV both support S-Video..

Things You'll Need

• Video card with an S-Video output S-Video cable TV with an S-Video input

Instructions

1. Locate the S-Video output on the back of your computer. This is generally connected to your video card. It is a circular plug with five tiny pins inside (pictured above). It is the only plug on the back of your computer that matches this description. Most new computers have at least one S-Video output. If your computer does not have one at all, you will have to purchase and install a new video card that does.

2. Locate the S-Video input on the back of your television. This looks identical to the output on the back of your computer. It will typically be located on the rear of a television set. On some models you may have to open a lid to reveal the sets various inputs and outputs.

3. Plug one end of your S-Video cable into your PC and the other end into the television. Be very careful --the cable can only go in one way. Match up the pins and make sure the cable is securely into both devices. If you attempt to plug in the cable in and the pins don't line up you run the risk of damaging one. They are very fragile, and even bending one renders the entire (usually expensive) cable useless.

4. Select the proper settings on both devices to make the connection work. On your television you will have to turn it to whichever Input the cable is plugged into. This can be done by hitting the Input button on your remote control. On your computer, go into your monitor settings and select your computer's equivalent of "Display Multiple Monitors." From there you can play around with just what you want to appear on the television versus what is on the regular computer monitor.