How to Connect Your Laptop to the TV

Its really not difficult to connect your Laptop to TV. They’re easy and simple. All you need is the proper cable and a few adjustments to your laptop settings.

Cables & Jacks for Connecting Laptop to TV

• S-Video
• Video graphics array (VGA)
• Composite/phono plug (RCA)
• HD multimedia interface (HDMI)
• Digital video interface (DVI)

TV’s with a single digital port labeled HDMI/DVI require only one cable when the source is another HDMI component. But when source is a DVI laptop, you need a DVI-to-HDMI cable for the video and a separate pair of RCA analog stereo cables.

If ports don’t match then you can always buy adaptors and cables to make any connection.

Tuning

Tuning is the second important factor and if the TV screen and computer resolution aren’t the same then the TV picture will be distorted.

Before 2003 a lot of computers had a screen ratio of 4:3, since then 16:10 is a lot more common. HDTV has a ratio of 16:19; and motion pictures and still photography have even different ratios.

You can adjust both picture ratios and resolutions with the Display Settings on the Control Panel of a PC laptop. Mac laptops automatically adjust settings for screen resolutions and ratios; if necessary, the adjustments can be tweaked in System Preferences.

If you have any questions please make sure you check your user manuals.