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Here, you see the back panel of a typical home computer.
You will commonly find two or three 3.5mm female jacks for audio input and output.
Computer manufacturers are usually pretty consistent about color-coding the line
out, or "headphone" jack green. The line in, or "microphone"
jack will most commonly be color-coded blue or red.
So, in order to get the audio from your computer to your
TV, you will most likely plug a 3.5mm Cable (male) into the female headphone
jack on your Computer (indicated by the red arrow, right).
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The next step is to determine if your TV has the same type
of audio input jack. Many newer TVs on the market today are equipped with a 3.5mm
female input jack (indicated by the red arrow, left). It will often be located very
close to the blue, female SVGA video connector (more on this later).
Some TVs, however, do not have a 3.5mm input jack. If this
is the case, it will most likely have 2 RCA female input jacks, color-coded red
and white - for the right / left audio channels (pictured left). The good news is
that a 3.5mm connector can be easily converted to 2 RCA connectors using our "6 Inch Female 3.5mm Jack to
2x Male RCA Plugs" adapter.
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If you would rather not use an adapter, we also have a
6 Foot Cable with a Male 3.5mm Plug on one end (for the computer), and 2x
Male RCA Plugs on the other end (for the TV). If you need a longer version of this
cable, be sure to check out our Super High Quality, Hand-Built
version.
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Let's now move on to the video connection:
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It is very important to remember that common connector types
is the key for a successful connection. Unless otherwise specified below, you cannot
"convert" from one video connector type to another with just a cable or
adapter. There are such devices
as "Video Converters." We will touch on those devices near the end of
this guide.
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Some computers and most TVs will have female S-Video and/or
female composite video jacks (pictured right). This type of video is certainly on
the lower-end of the quality spectrum, but if your equipment does not have any of
the higher-end connectors discussed later in this guide, S-Video or
Composite Video will get the job done (at a lower resolution than the
higher-end video standards). This type of video signal is great for streaming video
or slide shows onto your TV, but isn't necessarily recommended for browsing the
internet, or any other situation where you'll be reading text on the screen - simply
because you won't be able to achieve very high resolutions with this method. With
either of these connector types, you will need to run a separate cable for audio.
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S-Video (SVHS) Female (left)
4 pins + a rectangle "key"
for alignment
Composite Video Female (right)
Single RCA connector,
color-coded yellow
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SVGA (HD15) Female
15 pins (3 rows of 5 pins each with
the middle row slightly off-set)
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If both your computer and your TV have an SVGA (HD15) female
video connector (pictured left), you might be surprised how easy it is to make the
connection. You can use any of our standard SVGA Cables. You will most likely need a male to male
cable, since most computers and displays have female connectors.
If both your computer and your TV have an SVGA connector
AND a 3.5mm jack (discussed above),
you can connect both the audio and the video using one cable! See our SVGA Cables with 3.5mm Audio.
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DVI-I (pictured right) is also a fairly common connector
found on computers and some TVs. If both your computer and TV have a DVI-I port,
you can use any of our DVI-I Cables.
DVI-I is also compatible with HDMI, so if your computer
has DVI-I, and your TV has HDMI, you can use our HDMI to DVI-D Cables to make the connection.
You will need to run audio separately,
as DVI does not carry an audio signal.
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DVI-I Female
29 pins (3 rows of 8 pins each +
a flat "spade" pin with 2 pins
above & 2 more below)
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DVI-D Female
25 pins (3 rows of 8 pins
each + a flat "spade" pin)
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DVI-D (pictured left) is also common on computers and TVs
today. This is the "strictly digital" version of DVI. If both your computer
and TV have a DVI-D port, you can use any of our DVI-D Cables.
DVI-D is also compatible with HDMI, so if your computer
has DVI-D, and your TV has HDMI, you can use our HDMI to DVI-D Cables to make the connection.
You will need to run audio separately,
as DVI does not carry an audio signal.
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Many newer computers and HDTVs are equipped with HDMI ports.
If both your computer and TV have HDMI, all you need is one HDMI Cable for both audio and video.
HDMI can be considered the "easiest" way to make
the connection, since it handles both audio and video on one single cable with one
single connector. It will also generally yield the highest quality picture and sound.
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HDMI Female
19 pins (1 row of 9 pins, with a
second row of 10 pins below)
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Sometimes, you need more than just a cable to make the connection:
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If you cannot find a common connector type between your
computer and TV, it may be necessary to use a converter. There are a few different
converter options available:
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Our
PC to TV USB Adapter is one of the most versatile converters on the market
today. All you need is an available USB port, which nearly every computer has. Using
software that comes with this converter, you can output video to SVGA (HD15), DVI
or HDMI.
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PC to TV USB
Adapter
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VGA to TV Adapter
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If your TV does not have an SVGA (HD15), DVI or HDMI input,
but DOES have an S-Video or Composite
Video input, this is the converter for you. With resolutions up to 1024 x 768, this
converter is great for streaming videos or slide shows onto your TV, but may not
be the best solution for browsing the internet, or any other situation where you'll
be reading text on the screen.
When using this converter, you will need to run a separate cable for audio.
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How do I tell my computer to use my TV as a display?
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If you are replacing
your current computer monitor with your TV, it should "just work" after
successfully making the connection. Your computer should auto-detect the TV and
use it as your monitor.
If instead, you want to use your TV as a second monitor
for your computer, you must have a second video card in your computer, or a video
card that is designed with two separate video outputs. It is not a good idea to
try to "split" a single video output on your computer; the signal is simply
not strong enough to power two displays properly at the same time. If you
do have a second video card, and just need a nudge in the right direction
to figure out how to make your TV act as a second display, continue reading:
Of course, it depends on what kind of computer you have.
With Microsoft Windows®, you need to go into the "Display Settings."
To get there in Windows XP®:
- Right-click on the desktop.
- Select "Properties".
- Select the "Settings" tab. If your computer has detected the second monitor,
you should see a window that looks similar to the following:
- Select monitor number 2 by clicking on the box with the "2" in it.
- Place a check in the box that say "Extend the desktop onto this monitor."
- Click "OK" - You should now be able to move windows between the two displays!
To get there in Windows Vista®:
- Right-click on the desktop.
- Select "Personalize".
- Select "Display Settings". If your computer has detected the second monitor,
you should see a window that looks similar to the following:
- Select monitor number 2 by clicking on the box with the "2" in it.
- Place a check in the box that say "Extend the desktop onto this monitor."
- Click "OK" - You should now be able to move windows between the two displays!
If your "Display Settings" window does not show
two separate displays (represented by the boxes labeled "1" & "2"
in the examples above), chances are your computer did not auto-detect the second
video card or display. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide further technical
support regarding such an issue, since every computer / video card / display is
slightly different. We encourage you to consult any documentation that accompanied
your hardware if you run into such an issue.
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