Marrying my laptop to my LCD TV

September 15, 2007 9:01 PM

New-fangled technology question: how do I connect the video-out on my laptop to my LCD TV?

I'm not as up on gizmos as I used to be. Please don't tell my guy friends, as I'm maintaining a pretty solid front on this. But here I am. I've got this new LCD TV, and I've got my laptop, and I'd like to be able to watch web content on my TV (specifically, the post-season 2 webisodes of Battlestar Galactica, but that's neither here nor there).

My tv has S-video and HDMI inputs and my laptop has a standard video out (as if to hook into a monitor) and a firewire connection.

What kind of cable do I need to make this matrimony happen?

posted by CRM114 to technology (14 comments total)

Does the video out port look like this?

If so, that's a standard VGA out that really can only hook up to a compatible monitor with a simple cable. To convert this, you'll need either a VGA -> TV encoder (Check your local computer store, although they are a BEAR to find, I have only seen one on a computer store shelf in the past 5 years of casual searching), or you'll have to build your own (ridiculously difficult if you're at this point, forget about it :-).

Unfortunately, you have a laptop, which means there's no other way you'll get TV out out of it that I can think of. The only realistic option with a standard PC is to replace the video card with one that supports TV out (or buy the addon module). While you can replace the video card in many modern laptops, you probably won't be able to access the TV out without soldering. There might be a PCMCIA framebuffer out there that has TV out, but good luck ever finding it! I suppose USB 2.0 has enough juice to do this, but again, I've never heard of a USB TV out box (just TV in).

Now, if your video out port looks like the opposite end of this, you might be in luck. But probably not. I'll let someone else tell you which one is likely, since I don't deal with DVI -> HDMI/HDCP/whatever due to the latter being a nasty encrypted standard with features where playing a video can permanently stop the encryption working on your TV. Yuck!
posted by shepd at 9:27 PM on September 15, 2007

Oooo, firewire... there's probably a VERY expensive TV out solution if you have that. One that will be ridiculously difficult to use, have the word "prosumer" and will empty your wallet faster than a foreclosure in LA. I'd look, but we're almost certainly talking more expensive than your laptop is worth at this point.
posted by shepd at 9:30 PM on September 15, 2007

A lot of laptops these days have S-video outputs. Did you check thoroughly?

If not, your options are limited, as shepd points out.
posted by zixyer at 9:33 PM on September 15, 2007

Look for one of these somewhere on your laptop.

Many people mistake these for ps/2 ports.

If you have this, you're all set - grab an s-video cable and go.
posted by davey_darling at 9:52 PM on September 15, 2007

If it's a iBook, Macbook or MacBook Pro you can get a special cable (US$ 19 at the Apple store) that does S-Video out. But then you have DVI out and not a VGA out. So probably it's not a Mac and your options are limited.
posted by maremare at 10:00 PM on September 15, 2007

What specific model is your computer? As maremare stated many of the Apple's have an output that can do S-Video with the adapter. But the better way is to just get a DVI to HDMI cable since the recent Apple's output DVI (may need to buy the mini-DVI to DVI adapter, also available from Apple). Generally the MacBooks don't include the adapters but I assume the MacBook Pro does because they came with my PowerBook.

If you truly only have VGA out your two options are a VGA to S-Video converter or a VGA to HDMI converter. Prices for the former on a quick search turned up models under $70, prices on the latter maybe start at under $200. I have no idea if they provide satisfactory picture quality. The last time I looked into VGA to HDMI converters they seemed very expensive and somewhat troublesome so it would be wise to research before you buy.
posted by 6550 at 12:25 AM on September 16, 2007

If you have a Mac, it would be a first-generation PowerBook G4 Titanium, based on the ports you list.

If you don't have S-Video or composite output on the back of your laptop, you'll want to look into a PC Card graphics adapter which has a DVI-D output.

From there, you would connect a standard HDMI to DVI cable of sufficient length.

It has to be DVI-I or DVD-D to provide a digital video connection. An analog DVD-A connection will not work with HDMI.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 12:56 AM on September 16, 2007

Hmmm. Thanks to you all for the great answers so far. I appear to be outta luck here, though.

The laptop is indeed not a Mac; it's a Sony VAIO PCG-7D2L. My only connector of note is a standard VGA as in shepd's picture. My girlfriend also has a laptop, but in a once-cute and now disappointing turn of fate, hers is an identical Sony VAIO.

Looks like Battlestar is going to be watched curled up in front of the 1280x800. Thanks everybody!
posted by CRM114 at 6:28 AM on September 16, 2007

You might be able to use a PC to TV wireless video sender? Try googling that combination of terms (I can find in UK, but not US)

Your LCD doesn't have a PC connector?
posted by A189Nut at 7:58 AM on September 16, 2007

Umm... you could get a VGA to DVI converter box....
It's a bit pricy though ($1,000 +) (DVI to HDMI is a simple plug, cheap)
http://www.future-micro.ca/db/product.php?productid=1257
There are some firewire - video boxes as well..
http://www.synthetic-ap.com/tips/firewireconverters.html
and finally, a PCMCIA to video out (DVI of course)
http://www.realtimesoft.com/multimon/products.asp#MultiMonLaptops

I don't see anything here that is cheaper than a few hundred bucks. For that price I would get a mac mini with dvi -> hdmi (cheap!) converter and run that as your TV box.
posted by defcom1 at 10:01 AM on September 16, 2007

Would this work? VGA to s-video?

The boyfriend, says, "Go to Radio Shack."
posted by youngergirl44 at 10:21 AM on September 16, 2007

The above VGA to s-video looks perfect. And you can always return it if it doesn't work I guess.

I used to use this. It works like a charm. Cost me EUR50. Haven't been able to find one on a US web site yet though.
posted by NailsTheCat at 1:05 PM on September 16, 2007

Hey, youngergirl44, that looks perfect. I'll see if I can find one of those at Radio Shack.
posted by CRM114 at 1:41 PM on September 16, 2007

I don't think that above cable will work unless one already came with the laptop and you lost it... it likely just hooks up unused pins on the VGA port to those video connectors. But give it a try if you like, I don't think it'll hurt anything.

A VGA -> Svideo box will look like, well... a box. :-) Here's an example (I have no idea if they're scammers or not, up to you... however, my personal experience is that [sadly] shippers from Hong Kong are FAR, FAR, FAR more honest than shippers from the US. Something to do with shipping from Hong Kong normally being under 1/10th the price of shipping from the US [funny how that works].)

Most VGA -> TV units will only work at 640x480 @ 60 Hz BTW, and the output won't be stellar. But, it's better than the other choice (nothing!) and they always work--something I've not always found with TV out video cards...

Best of luck!
posted by shepd at 7:58 PM on September 18, 2007