How to Display a Laptop on an HDTV

Displaying a laptop on an HDTV offers advantages, such as a larger screen size.

Monitors and high-definition televisions (HDTVs) have many of the same inputs, meaning that most HDTVs can also be used as computer monitors. Using an HDTV as a monitor for a laptop offers several advantages such as increased screen size and, in most cases, higher resolution. Because computers use separate components for audio and video, two separate connections will need to be made from the laptop to the HDTV to have both picture and sound.

Things You'll Need

• Video cable
• Audio cable

Instructions

1. 

   A VGA port is one type of connections shared by laptops and HDTVs.

   Make a video connection from the laptop to the HDTV. There are three common types of connections shared by laptops and HDTVs: S-Video, VGA, and HDMI. An S-Video connection is a circular jack with a small rectangular hole on the bottom and several circular holes on the top. It can only transmit standard definition video, but the cables are inexpensive. A VGA connection is identified by three rows of five small holes and can transmit high definition images. An HDMI port is long and rectangular, resembling a USB port with with V-shaped sides, and provides the best picture quality at the highest cable price. Determine which type of connection to use and plug one end of the cable into the laptop and the other into the HDTV.

2. 

   A composite cable is used for audio connection.

   Make an audio connection from the laptop to the HDTV. Some laptops have a dedicated audio output, which can be identified by two small circular holes, one red and one white. For such laptops, a standard composite audio cable with a red and white plug on each end will suffice. Simply plug one end into the audio output on the laptop and the other end to the audio input on the HDTV that corresponds to the video input previously used. However, most laptops only have a headphone jack for audio output, in which case a 3.5MM to RCA cable is needed. This cable has a headphone connection on one end, while the other end is the same as that of a standard composite cable.

3. 

   Configure the laptop to send video and audio data to the HDTV.

   Configure the laptop and the HDTV to interface with one another. Set the HDTV to whatever input the cables from the laptop are plugged into using the "input" or "source" button on the HDTV. Many laptops will automatically detect the use of an output device and configure themselves without user input. If the laptop does not appear to be sending data to the HDTV, consult the users manual for the laptop, as the exact steps for solving this problem can vary drastically depending on the operating system the laptop uses.

Tips & Warnings

• Using a laptop with a plasma TV can result in burn-in if a static image is left on the screen. Always turn the TV off when not in use.

References

• EngadgetHD: How to Connect your PC to your HDTV