[Powerplay]

I have an Acer laptop on Windows 7, and a Grundig LCD TV with an HDMI socket on the back.

When connecting a VGA to HDMI cable from my laptop to the TV is does not seem to work at all?

Maybe I have missed something obvious but none of the AV settings on the TV find the laptop connection.

[chrisjr]

You cannot connect VGA to HDMI or vice versa with a simple cable. VGA is analogue HDMI is digital. The only way to connect one to the other is to convert between analogue and digital formats, something no cable is capable of.

Not even sure I have ever seen a VGA to HDMI cable anyway. I wonder if it is intended for some other use? Perhaps some device that uses HDMI look alike connectors for something other than HDMI digital video and audio?

Edit. Of course just remembered there is an option on some graphics cards to output digital video from a VGA socket, or is it analogue input on HDMI, or both? So that is another potential use. But it does rely on the graphics chipset in your laptop and or the HDMI input on the TV having this ability.

[Deacon1972]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powerplay

I have an Acer laptop on Windows 7, and a Grundig LCD TV with an HDMI socket on the back.

When connecting a VGA to HDMI cable from my laptop to the TV is does not seem to work at all?

Maybe I have missed something obvious but none of the AV settings on the TV find the laptop connection.

VGA is analogue, HDMI is digital - you need either a converter or a VGA ->VGA or HDMI -> HDMI cable.

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

Edit. Of course just remembered there is an option on some graphics cards to output digital video from a VGA socket, or is it analogue input on HDMI, or both? So that is another potential use. But it does rely on the graphics chipset in your laptop and or the HDMI input on the TV having this ability.

Having done a bit more research on this I'm not entirely sure if Digital over VGA is a reality or a con used by people selling these cables. Looking at various hits thrown up by Google I'm beginning to wonder now.

Though isn't there a games console that has a socket that is based on HDMI that they use for analogue video and audio output?

[Powerplay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon1972

VGA is analogue, HDMI is digital - you need either a converter or a VGA ->VGA or HDMI -> HDMI cable.

There is no VGA port on the TV at all, only HDMI. My laptop only has VGA with no HDMI.

I understand that VGA is analogue and HDMI digital but would a DVI to HDMI converter help?

[chrisjr]

DVI is digital and electrically compatible with HDMI so you can use a simple DVI to HDMI lead to interconnect the two. If you have a DVI port on the laptop however. Which it seems you might not.

You can get plug adapters with a DVI plug one end and VGA the other. They do not however connect DVI to VGA. There is a hybrid form of DVI connector that has extra pins for analogue VGA output. The adapter plug simply connects the VGA socket to these pins.

If you were to use one in reverse then plug a DVI to HDMI lead into the adapter the VGA signals would get as far as the DVI socket on the adapter and stop. The DVI to HDMI lead would not even pick up those pins carrying the VGA signal so nothing would get to the TV.

The only way to do it is to use electronics to convert the VGA signal to HDMI format. No simple plug/lead solution will work.

[Deacon1972]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Powerplay

There is no VGA port on the TV at all, only HDMI. My laptop only has VGA with no HDMI.

I understand that VGA is analogue and HDMI digital but would a DVI to HDMI converter help?

DVi is still in the digital domain, so no it won't help.

Has the TV got component?

Alternatively a converter reasonably priced will do the job.

http://www.hdcable.co.uk/component-v...r.html#reviews

[Powerplay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

DVI is digital and electrically compatible with HDMI so you can use a simple DVI to HDMI lead to interconnect the two. If you have a DVI port on the laptop however. Which it seems you might not.

You can get plug adapters with a DVI plug one end and VGA the other. They do not however connect DVI to VGA. There is a hybrid form of DVI connector that has extra pins for analogue VGA output. The adapter plug simply connects the VGA socket to these pins.

If you were to use one in reverse then plug a DVI to HDMI lead into the adapter the VGA signals would get as far as the DVI socket on the adapter and stop. The DVI to HDMI lead would not even pick up those pins carrying the VGA signal so nothing would get to the TV.

The only way to do it is to use electronics to convert the VGA signal to HDMI format. No simple plug/lead solution will work.

Thanks, so in layman's terms what would I need to buy to get the picture and sound from my laptop to my TV screen?

[chrisjr]

Something such as the device linked to in Deacon1972's post above.

[Powerplay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon1972

DVi is still in the digital domain, so no it won't help.

Has the TV got component?

Alternatively a converter reasonably priced will do the job.

http://www.hdcable.co.uk/component-v...r.html#reviews

I didn't notice this post when I typed last time, thanks for your help!

[Nigel Goodwin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

Having done a bit more research on this I'm not entirely sure if Digital over VGA is a reality or a con used by people selling these cables. Looking at various hits thrown up by Google I'm beginning to wonder now.

Though isn't there a games console that has a socket that is based on HDMI that they use for analogue video and audio output?

As far as I'm aware, there's a game console that (stupidly!) uses a VGA socket that can be switched to output HDMI instead (rather than having two sockets).

The VGA/HDMI leads are for these consoles ONLY, nothing else and are completely useless for a laptop.