connecting laptop to hdtv

pri · 20-02-2008, 13:24

i wanted to connect my laptop to my tv in my bedroom so it saves burning american sitcoms etc that i watch onto dvd but i don't have the slighest clue as to how to do it like what cables i need etc.

all i know about my tv is that its a philips 50" hd ready flat tv.

anyone have an idea? cheers

EDIT: also i can't seem to find a VGA port on my tv either and on my laptop i only have an option of using a VGA cable, usb cable and ethernet cable and there's another port that looks like the one where you put your mouse in.

papadontpreach · 20-02-2008, 13:51

Suprised to heat your tv does not have aVGA input, but not all is lost, you can get a VGA to HDMI lead which will give you the screen feed, then you will need a jack to 2 phonos to give you a audio feed, if you want audio through the TV, the leads sre available at PC world but much cheaper online at places like Maplins.

Does your TV have the 2 phono inputs and a spaye HDMI Socket?

chrisjr · 20-02-2008, 14:14

VGA to HDMI won't work. At least not without an Analogue to Digital converter in the middle of the lead! Maybe, papadontpreach, you were thinking HDMI to DVI?

Having said that if the TV has a DVI-I socket on the back then it may have analogue connections available. DVI-I has connections for both digital and analogue. So if the TV has both sets wired up you could use a VGA to DVI-I lead.

But the other option might be that socket on the laptop that resembles a mouse port.

If it has only four pins then it could be a S-Video port. if it is and it is an OUTPUT thejn you could hook that up to the TV. You can get SCART to S-Video adapters quite readily. Then it just becomes a matter of getting a signal out of the thing. Which should be in the Display properties somewhere, or a separate control application for your video card.

As papadontpreach also mentioned it will be necessary to run an audio lead from the soundcard to the TV. Most SCART adapters also have phonos for audio so all you need is a mini jack to two phono lead.

pri · 20-02-2008, 14:19

i'm a girl so i frankly have no idea what i need to do so is there anychance of links to the products you have recommended please lol

EDIT: the mouse thing i was on about at the back of my laptop has 7 holes in it is that still a s-video port? :S

chrisjr · 20-02-2008, 14:53

This is waht a DVI socket looks like.

http://www.interfacebus.com/Design_C...e_DVI_Bus.html

Either of the two on the left of the four are the type you need on your TV. if there is nothing resembling this on your TV then the VGA option may be closed.

If it does have a DVI socket you'll need one of these

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...eria=vga%20dvi

for the video and one of these

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...a=phono%20jack

for the audio

There is a diagram of an S-Video socket and a picture of the plug here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Video

If this resembles what is on the back of your laptop then we may be in business.

If so you need a lead like this...

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/level5/mo...cpc/271894.xml

The SCART end goes to the TV obviously and the S-Video plug to the socket on the laptop and the mini jack to the headphone outlet.

pri · 20-02-2008, 14:58

i don't have the VGA or DVI.

so that means i need to work from the s-video port. but mine has 7 pins not 4. can i still use this http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/level5/mo...cpc/271894.xml

chrisjr · 20-02-2008, 15:17

There are some laptop video sockets that are hybrid Composite and S-Video. Don't worry if that means nothing they are just two different video formats. The two different types of signal use different groups of pins on the socket.

However all the ones I have seen are physically and electrically compatible with a plain S-Video plug. So the CPC lead or one very like it should connect up OK.

Your laptop may have come with a short converter lead that has a seven pin plug one end with two wires, one with a four pin S-Video socket on the end and the other with a (yellow) phono socket on it. That splits out the two forms of video signal but should not be needed for S-Video unless the pins are not quite in the right place.

pri · 20-02-2008, 15:51

i found this http://www.svideo.com/svideoscart.html

would this work?

chrisjr · 20-02-2008, 16:13

I wouldn't touch that item. The guy who wrote the blurb has made several factual errors which make me doubt the quality of the lead he/she/it is flogging.

For a kick off SCART can do S-Video in colour. It is the equipnemt the lead is plugged into that deteremines whether it works or not. Basically S-Video splits the signal into two components, black & white and colour. So requires two pins on a SCART plug to carry the signal.

OK I will concede that SCART wasn't originally designed to carry S-Video so it is a bit of a bodge. What happens is that to carry S-Video the TV or whatever uses the Composite video pin for the black & white component of S-Video and one of the RGB pins for the colour component.

This means that if you have a DVD player for example set to S-Video out and the TV set to Composite the TV only sees the balck & white signal. But if you switch the TV to S-Video hey presto S-Video in colour as it now sees the colour signal.

What this lead does is mix the two S-Video signals into one and feeds it onto the Composite video pin of the SCART. Which is by no means the same as true S-Video to S-Video.

If your TV has the option of S-Video via SCART then use the "proper" S-Video to SCART leads as these will give you better results.

pri · 20-02-2008, 16:36

could you link me to a S-Video to SCART that you recommend and any extension i need as i mentioned my laptop is a 7 pin one not a 4 pin. your help has been so appreciated.

chrisjr · 20-02-2008, 16:48

Any of the Signal IN ones on the CPC link I posted earlier will do the job. there are several options on length so just pick the one that lets you use the laptop at a comfortable distance from the screen. You must have a seriously big room if the 15m one is too short

As I said it shouldn't matter that the laptop is seven pin and S-Video is four. A four pin plug will connect to a seven pin socket OK and pick up the correct signals. That is assuming the seven pin socket is not some speciallised one with odd pin spacing. And of course that it is a video out in the first place!

pri · 20-02-2008, 18:42

cheers i will buy that tomorrow when i've got time and hope for the best haha.

EDIT: i've just ordered it now

RiverChelt · 20-02-2008, 19:01

Not wanting to put any kind of spanner into the works here, but as this laptop doesn't have a graphics card (or on-board graphic accelerator) with a dvi or hdmi output, and as it is going to be outputting a signal to a 50" screen, and as nobody has found out what output resolution it supports, is it a good idea to spend money on cables yet when the end result may be quite unsatisfactory?

Personally, I'm now using my TV as my primary display outputting from a 256m graphics card through a DVI-HDMI cable and the result is breath-taking. However, when I used my previous PC to connect to a 32" TV through a VGA-VGA connection, it was quite a low resolution blurry affair and video playback was awful.

Don't really know where I'm going with this, perhaps I'm just saying, if the OP has a laptop with a 32meg on-board graphic card is buying cables to output to a 50" whopper that good an idea?

Nigel Goodwin · 20-02-2008, 20:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiverChelt

Don't really know where I'm going with this, perhaps I'm just saying, if the OP has a laptop with a 32meg on-board graphic card is buying cables to output to a 50" whopper that good an idea?

A 50" TV has no more resolution than a smaller TV (plenty of 32" sets are just as high as 50" sets), but none approach the resolution of a decent monitor - so resolution of the graphics card isn't a concern.

RiverChelt · 20-02-2008, 21:32

What I mean is, if the card can only output an 800x600 signal, wouldn't that look worse on a 50" screen than a 32" version? Or am I a total dunce on this matter!

Nigel Goodwin · 21-02-2008, 15:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiverChelt

What I mean is, if the card can only output an 800x600 signal, wouldn't that look worse on a 50" screen than a 32" version? Or am I a total dunce on this matter!

Like everything, it's entirely related to viewing distance - but if you connect via VGA, using the exact same resolution as the screen (so no scaling) - the picture is absolutely stunning, regardless of size.

20-02-2008, 13:24	#1
pri Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: UK Posts: 3,202	connecting laptop to hdtv i wanted to connect my laptop to my tv in my bedroom so it saves burning american sitcoms etc that i watch onto dvd but i don't have the slighest clue as to how to do it like what cables i need etc. all i know about my tv is that its a philips 50" hd ready flat tv. anyone have an idea? cheers EDIT: also i can't seem to find a VGA port on my tv either and on my laptop i only have an option of using a VGA cable, usb cable and ethernet cable and there's another port that looks like the one where you put your mouse in.

20-02-2008, 13:51	#2
papadontpreach Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Cornwall Posts: 297	Suprised to heat your tv does not have aVGA input, but not all is lost, you can get a VGA to HDMI lead which will give you the screen feed, then you will need a jack to 2 phonos to give you a audio feed, if you want audio through the TV, the leads sre available at PC world but much cheaper online at places like Maplins. Does your TV have the 2 phono inputs and a spaye HDMI Socket?

20-02-2008, 14:14	#3
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	VGA to HDMI won't work. At least not without an Analogue to Digital converter in the middle of the lead! Maybe, papadontpreach, you were thinking HDMI to DVI? Having said that if the TV has a DVI-I socket on the back then it may have analogue connections available. DVI-I has connections for both digital and analogue. So if the TV has both sets wired up you could use a VGA to DVI-I lead. But the other option might be that socket on the laptop that resembles a mouse port. If it has only four pins then it could be a S-Video port. if it is and it is an OUTPUT thejn you could hook that up to the TV. You can get SCART to S-Video adapters quite readily. Then it just becomes a matter of getting a signal out of the thing. Which should be in the Display properties somewhere, or a separate control application for your video card. As papadontpreach also mentioned it will be necessary to run an audio lead from the soundcard to the TV. Most SCART adapters also have phonos for audio so all you need is a mini jack to two phono lead.

20-02-2008, 14:19	#4
pri Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: UK Posts: 3,202	i'm a girl so i frankly have no idea what i need to do so is there anychance of links to the products you have recommended please lol EDIT: the mouse thing i was on about at the back of my laptop has 7 holes in it is that still a s-video port? :S

20-02-2008, 14:53	#5
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	This is waht a DVI socket looks like. http://www.interfacebus.com/Design_C...e_DVI_Bus.html Either of the two on the left of the four are the type you need on your TV. if there is nothing resembling this on your TV then the VGA option may be closed. If it does have a DVI socket you'll need one of these http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...eria=vga%20dvi for the video and one of these http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...a=phono%20jack for the audio There is a diagram of an S-Video socket and a picture of the plug here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Video If this resembles what is on the back of your laptop then we may be in business. If so you need a lead like this... http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/level5/mo...cpc/271894.xml The SCART end goes to the TV obviously and the S-Video plug to the socket on the laptop and the mini jack to the headphone outlet.

20-02-2008, 14:58	#6
pri Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: UK Posts: 3,202	i don't have the VGA or DVI. so that means i need to work from the s-video port. but mine has 7 pins not 4. can i still use this http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/level5/mo...cpc/271894.xml

20-02-2008, 15:17	#7
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	There are some laptop video sockets that are hybrid Composite and S-Video. Don't worry if that means nothing they are just two different video formats. The two different types of signal use different groups of pins on the socket. However all the ones I have seen are physically and electrically compatible with a plain S-Video plug. So the CPC lead or one very like it should connect up OK. Your laptop may have come with a short converter lead that has a seven pin plug one end with two wires, one with a four pin S-Video socket on the end and the other with a (yellow) phono socket on it. That splits out the two forms of video signal but should not be needed for S-Video unless the pins are not quite in the right place.

20-02-2008, 15:51	#8
pri Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: UK Posts: 3,202	i found this http://www.svideo.com/svideoscart.html would this work?

20-02-2008, 16:13	#9
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	I wouldn't touch that item. The guy who wrote the blurb has made several factual errors which make me doubt the quality of the lead he/she/it is flogging. For a kick off SCART can do S-Video in colour. It is the equipnemt the lead is plugged into that deteremines whether it works or not. Basically S-Video splits the signal into two components, black & white and colour. So requires two pins on a SCART plug to carry the signal. OK I will concede that SCART wasn't originally designed to carry S-Video so it is a bit of a bodge. What happens is that to carry S-Video the TV or whatever uses the Composite video pin for the black & white component of S-Video and one of the RGB pins for the colour component. This means that if you have a DVD player for example set to S-Video out and the TV set to Composite the TV only sees the balck & white signal. But if you switch the TV to S-Video hey presto S-Video in colour as it now sees the colour signal. What this lead does is mix the two S-Video signals into one and feeds it onto the Composite video pin of the SCART. Which is by no means the same as true S-Video to S-Video. If your TV has the option of S-Video via SCART then use the "proper" S-Video to SCART leads as these will give you better results.

20-02-2008, 16:36	#10
pri Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: UK Posts: 3,202	could you link me to a S-Video to SCART that you recommend and any extension i need as i mentioned my laptop is a 7 pin one not a 4 pin. your help has been so appreciated.

20-02-2008, 16:48	#11
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	Any of the Signal IN ones on the CPC link I posted earlier will do the job. there are several options on length so just pick the one that lets you use the laptop at a comfortable distance from the screen. You must have a seriously big room if the 15m one is too short As I said it shouldn't matter that the laptop is seven pin and S-Video is four. A four pin plug will connect to a seven pin socket OK and pick up the correct signals. That is assuming the seven pin socket is not some speciallised one with odd pin spacing. And of course that it is a video out in the first place!

20-02-2008, 18:42	#12
pri Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: UK Posts: 3,202	cheers i will buy that tomorrow when i've got time and hope for the best haha. EDIT: i've just ordered it now

20-02-2008, 19:01	#13
RiverChelt Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Cheltenhamshire Posts: 5,024	Not wanting to put any kind of spanner into the works here, but as this laptop doesn't have a graphics card (or on-board graphic accelerator) with a dvi or hdmi output, and as it is going to be outputting a signal to a 50" screen, and as nobody has found out what output resolution it supports, is it a good idea to spend money on cables yet when the end result may be quite unsatisfactory? Personally, I'm now using my TV as my primary display outputting from a 256m graphics card through a DVI-HDMI cable and the result is breath-taking. However, when I used my previous PC to connect to a 32" TV through a VGA-VGA connection, it was quite a low resolution blurry affair and video playback was awful. Don't really know where I'm going with this, perhaps I'm just saying, if the OP has a laptop with a 32meg on-board graphic card is buying cables to output to a 50" whopper that good an idea?

20-02-2008, 20:36	#14
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by RiverChelt Don't really know where I'm going with this, perhaps I'm just saying, if the OP has a laptop with a 32meg on-board graphic card is buying cables to output to a 50" whopper that good an idea? A 50" TV has no more resolution than a smaller TV (plenty of 32" sets are just as high as 50" sets), but none approach the resolution of a decent monitor - so resolution of the graphics card isn't a concern.

20-02-2008, 21:32	#15
RiverChelt Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Cheltenhamshire Posts: 5,024	What I mean is, if the card can only output an 800x600 signal, wouldn't that look worse on a 50" screen than a 32" version? Or am I a total dunce on this matter!

21-02-2008, 15:56	#16
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by RiverChelt What I mean is, if the card can only output an 800x600 signal, wouldn't that look worse on a 50" screen than a 32" version? Or am I a total dunce on this matter! Like everything, it's entirely related to viewing distance - but if you connect via VGA, using the exact same resolution as the screen (so no scaling) - the picture is absolutely stunning, regardless of size.

DS Forums

connecting laptop to hdtv