How to Attach an HDMI Laptop to an Old TV

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Connect the output of an HDMI converter to a TV with an RCA "push-in" cable.

The design of a laptop with an high definition multimedia interface port allows you to connect it directly to a high definition television set with a single HDMI cable to view your laptop screen presentation on the TV. The HDMI signal contains high-quality digital video and up to eight channels of audio that produce pictures and sound. But to connect such a laptop to an older TV that doesn't support HDMI, you need a converter to change the signal to one it can read. Your TV needs to have composite video and audio input jacks.

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Step 1

Connect one end of the HDMI cable to the HDMI port on the laptop and the other end into the HDMI input port of the converter.

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Step 2

Connect one end of the RCA composite video cable into the three output jacks of the converter, and the other end into the tree input jacks of the old TV set. Use the yellow connectors for video, the red for "right" audio and the white for "left."

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Step 3

Turn on the laptop, plug in the converter using its power adapter cord and turn on the TV.

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Step 4

Set the input selector on the TV to show the video from the input to which you connected the converter. Your old TV will show your computer screen presentation and any sound included.

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