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You can use your TV as a computer monitor by connecting the two devices with the appropriate cable. Check the available connection ports, get the right cable, and adjust computer settings. However, resolution incompatibility may cause poor display quality.
In many cases, you can use your TV as a computer monitor. To do this, you need to determine what kind of connection ports are available on both your computer and TV, get the appropriate connection cable, and use the cable to connect the two devices to their respective ports. While bridging the two is often a simple process, in some cases resolution incompatibility will cause the resulting display to be of poor quality.
First, examine both your computer and TV to determine which connection ports are available. The most common computer video-out ports are the small round S-video port and the trapezoidal VGA port. Your TV may also have one of these ports, or it may have a different type of connection. Alternative TV video-in connections include the DVI port, which is similar in appearance to the VGA port but with more pins, the component video port, which consists of small red, yellow, and white holes, and the composite video port, which one small hole. HDTVs will likely have HMDI ports.
Now that you know what kind of connection ports are available, you will need to get the appropriate connection cable and connect your computer to your TV. Depending on the door types, this task can be very simple or more complex. Cables can be found in most electronics stores and online.
If both devices have the same type of connection port, such as S-video ports, you can buy a simple cable with that type of connection at each end and connect the ends to the ports. One potential downside to an S-video to S-video connection, however, is that you’ll need to establish a separate audio connection if you want your computer’s audio to play through your TV’s speakers. This will require another cable that fits into the audio ports on both devices.
In many cases, your TV and computer won’t have the same type of connection port, so you’ll need to get a converter cable. These cables have a different connection on each end, allowing you to connect two devices with different port types. They are available to fit many door combinations.
Let’s say, for example, your computer has a VGA port while your TV has a component video port. In this case, you should purchase a VGA to component cable. To connect your computer and TV, simply plug the VGA end of the cable into the computer’s VGA port and plug the component end into the TV’s component port. Converter cables are often more expensive than those with the same connector on both ends.
After you physically connect your computer and TV, you need to change your computer settings to route the video signal to your TV. To do this, turn on the computer and open its display settings, which can usually be found in the control panel menu. Click the output device tab, then select “Enable output to TV” or “Connect to a projector”. Note that this procedure and wording may vary slightly, depending on your computer model. Once you select this option, your computer display will be redirected to the TV and your computer monitor will turn off.
Even if you have successfully connected your devices and adjusted your computer settings, you may find that you cannot use your TV as a computer monitor due to resolution issues. In some cases, the resolution of a computer monitor is higher than what a television can accommodate. As a result, your TV screen may distort or cut off part of the video output. It may be possible to change the resolution of your computer to match the capabilities of your TV. You can determine the resolution ranges of your TV and computer by consulting their user manuals.
