How do I connect laptop to TV?
M.L.
I read that connecting my Vista laptop to a TV was as simple as
selecting Display 2 on the Display Settings->Monitor tab. However,
when I connected a VGA cable from the laptop's VGA port to the VGA
input port of a Samsung LN32B360 32" LCD TV, the TV screen simply
showed "No signal or weak signal" against a background of TV snow.
The owner said that the TV was tuned to channel 4. Otherwise both the
TV owner and I were clueless about such hookups and there was no
owners manual around. Can someone explain what steps or actions I
might have missed to get the laptop screen to display on the TV?
Thanks.
John Williamson
It sounds as though the TV was still trying to pick up a signal through
the analogue tuner. You probably need to manually select the right input
on the TV set, probably using an on screen menu or a dedicated button on
the remote.
--
Tciao for Now!
John.
M.L.
Sounds plausible. The remote control has buttons for Aux, TV, Cable,
etc. I don't remember selecting any of those.
TVs are so fiddly for that task. What I really need is a no-fuss
solution like a 20" digital picture frame that plays video/audio from
either USB or SD card. Unfortunately the lowest priced one I found was
nearly $400.
John Williamson
For somewhat less than that, you can buy a second hand PC with a decent
20 inch monitor and a TV interface.
But I'm pretty sure that if you selsct the right input on the TV set
you've got, it'll work fine.
Brian
Check the manual for your laptop as there may be a function key you
need to press first so that the signal from your laptop is output to
the TV.
Regards Brian
Don Stauffer
Very few IBM (PC) laptops provide an NTSC output. Rather, they provide
some offshoot of VGA or SVGA, which a tv will NOT understand.
You need to buy a VGA to NTSC converter. This is plugged into the VGA
output of the laptop and connects to the TV. They run anywhere from
about sixty bucks to a couple hundred, depending on the quality.
J. Clarke
> M.L. wrote:
>> I read that connecting my Vista laptop to a TV was as simple as
>> selecting Display 2 on the Display Settings->Monitor tab. However,
>> when I connected a VGA cable from the laptop's VGA port to the VGA
>> input port of a Samsung LN32B360 32" LCD TV, the TV screen simply
>> showed "No signal or weak signal" against a background of TV snow.
>>
>> The owner said that the TV was tuned to channel 4. Otherwise both the
>> TV owner and I were clueless about such hookups and there was no
>> owners manual around. Can someone explain what steps or actions I
>> might have missed to get the laptop screen to display on the TV?
>> Thanks.
>
> Very few IBM (PC) laptops provide an NTSC output. Rather, they provide
> some offshoot of VGA or SVGA, which a tv will NOT understand.
An antiquated TV.
> You need to buy a VGA to NTSC converter. This is plugged into the VGA
> output of the laptop and connects to the TV. They run anywhere from
> about sixty bucks to a couple hundred, depending on the quality.
His particular Samsung, which is not even this year's model, has 2 HDMI
inputs, one composite, one component, and one VGA. He should be able to
plug his TV into his laptop, select "PC" off the input menu, and be good
to go.
Steve King
news:4c1b8223$0$16040$815e...@news.qwest.net...
Don, the original poster, stipulated that the LCD TV he was attempting to
use had a VGA input. Sounds like operator error to me.
Steve King
Gene E. Bloch
The OP said in so many words:
"The owner said that the TV was tuned to channel 4."
This corroborates your remark -- in spades.
--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)
Brian
On my laptop I have to either press a function key or click on
something before the signal outputs from the VGA connection.
I suspect that is the problem in this case.
Regards Brian
Richard Crowley
> On my laptop I have to either press a function key or click on
> something before the signal outputs from the VGA connection.
> I suspect that is the problem in this case.
No amount of pressing keys on the computer will yield an image
if the TV is trying to receive channel 4 from the antenna.
M.L.
I decided to buy the $59 WD TV Mini Media Player. It doesn't need a
computer to connect to a TV, and it plays a multitude of video files
directly from a USB input source. All I should have to do is connect
the component or composite jacks to the TV and select the AUX button
on the TV remote.