How to connect TV to your computer

We live in a very interesting time: some 20 years ago the phrase "flat TV" denoted a device with a flat kinescope. Now, this means literally a TV that can be hung on the wall. Switching the signal from analog to digital made it possible to easily connect different devices to each other. By connecting the TV to the computer, you can completely stop depending on the common antenna, now it is possible even without WI-FI wires. In addition to directly playing videos, you can watch digital TV, which many providers provide together with the Internet. Moreover, this connection does not limit the use of the monitor in any way. The power of the computer is enough for a comfortable work, and for broadcasting the signal to the TV.

Someone can quite reasonably notice that modern "boxes" are equipped with USB-ports, to which you can connect a disk with pre-recorded movies. This is true. But this solution has a drawback - every time when something needs to be written down to the hard drive, for example, the next series of the television series, the disk has to be removed, connected to the computer, uploaded files and again "hooked" to the TV.

The operation, of course, is not complicated, but at times quite tedious. If you think the same, then I suggest several ways to turn your TV into a real multimedia center, controlled from a computer, or drawing information from the Internet. To do this is not always difficult, and in some cases, you do not even have to buy additional cables or devices.

How to connect the TV to the computer?

There are three main ways to distinguish:

• 1. Connecting the cable of the connectors of the video card and TV - HDMI, DisplayPort (DP), DVI or VGA (D-Sub);
• 2. Connection via Wi-Fi via a router (router) or an additional adapter. Not all TVs have the built-in ability to receive such a signal, for some you need to buy the corresponding module;
• 3. connection via RJ-45 (LAN) connectors using an Ethernet cable. The connection is made via the appropriate port on the computer case (at the back of the system unit, at the laptop - behind or on the side), or through the router.

Connection via HDMI or DisplayPort:

Two competing interfaces. Both allow you to transfer image and sound. The connection cable is selected based on the available connectors: either it's HDMI, or DisplayPort. If, for example, there is only DP on the video card, and HDMI on the TV, it's okay too, you can see such cables with adapters on sale.

Connection via VGA or DVI:

Despite the fact that DVI (Digital Visual Interface) is considered a digital interface, it has several varieties:

• - DVI-A - analog signal;
• - DVI-D - digital signal;
• - DVI-I - integrated (analog and digital) signal.

Based on the design features, the DVI-D port can be connected only with the same or with DVI-I using a DVI-D cable. It is desirable to combine the analog and integrated connectors with a DVI-A cable, as the holes for the "digital" pins are most likely not drilled at the socket to which the connector is connected.

VGA is an analog interface. Therefore, you need to connect it through analog sockets. If there is no D-Sub connector on the video card, you can use an adapter or a DVI-A (or DVI-I) → VGA cable. As far as I know, there are no adapters for converting a digital signal to an analog (DVI-D-VGA). But it's easy to explain - double conversion (from the digit to the analogue and back) will lead to a decrease in image quality. But for digital interfaces there are almost all types of adapters: DVI-D / DVI-I ↔ HDMI and DisplayPort ↔ DVI-D / DVI-I.

Connection via Wi-Fi:

The best option in this case is to buy a router. After all, in addition to the TV, you can connect a lot of other devices to the router, for example, a computer, a tablet, a phone, etc. But the charm of the router is primarily caused by the connection to the Internet wire, then going online it will be possible from all the devices. However, you must first configure everything to work on WI-Fi.

First, an Internet cable is connected to the router (for this purpose there is a special connector that differs in color from the others). Via one of the LAN or USB ports (depending on the model), the router connects to the computer. To enter the control panel of the router, the browser dials 192.168.0.1 (192.168.1.1 or other, this is written in the manual). In the appeared window enter login / password (can be admin / admin, in the instruction it is specified precisely). Next, the panel is configured in accordance with the requisites that the provider issued. After that, the computer will automatically detect the external network and will use it to access the Internet. For a TV, this operation is usually carried out manually (through settings, with no IP and other indication is not required - the router itself will provide the required data upon request). Everything, we connected via WI-FI.

LAN connection:

This option is similar to the previous one, with the difference that the connection is made using an Ethernet cable. The drawback of this method is one - you need to pull the wire from the TV to the router. But everything else - solid advantages: this connection is more stable and faster, since the wires are isolated and the transmitted signal is not affected by the presence of interference or obstructions.

Smart TV Setup:

This technology is, in fact, an analogue of the Apple Store or Google Play. With its help, with the Internet, you can install programs, watch movies, listen to music and do other useful things. The best thing in this process is that no settings are required - the user just press the Smart TV button on the remote. It should be noted that this technology is different for different manufacturers - Samsung, LG, Sony, etc. - is different, because TVs have different operating systems and components.

If the provider provides IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) for free, access to it can be obtained by installing special programs. For TVs of different firms, they may differ. For LG is most convenient SS IPTV, for Samsung - Peers.TV. Even on both platforms, the Vintera program is presented - a good thing, albeit with an outdated interface.

How to connect a computer to a TV as a monitor?

If the connection is made via a video card, it is enough to select the appropriate input on the TV (usually in the menu it is indicated: HDMI, DVI, VGA, etc.). In this case, if a monitor is connected to the computer, you can specify how to display the image: duplicate or expand. In the first case, the two screens will have the same content, in the second - when you move the mouse to the edge of the desktop and then the cursor does not fit into the corner, but it "gets out" on the second screen, that is, it uses 2 independent desktops, for example, "take out" a video player with a movie on the TV and deploy it on the whole screen, while the main display can be used for your needs, for example, to walk through your favorite sites.

You can set the display mode in the screen resolution settings (via right click on the desktop) or, in Windows 8+, by pressing the Win + P key combination (where Win is the lower key, between Ctrl and Alt).

If nothing is displayed on the TV, the resolution is probably incorrect. In this case, simply set the number of points corresponding to the device. Less often - the cable disconnected: if the HDMI is kept fairly tightly, then for VGA, especially if the design does not provide the ability to screw the connector to the socket, it is quite an ordinary case.

If the sound does not play, the most likely reason is that the player does not "output" the sound to the TV. In the player settings → Audio, select the output to the desired device; usually there is a device with the name of the manufacturer, for example: LG TV-C (NVIDIA High Definition Auto).

Connecting a computer as a data store:

For such a case, there are programs that can broadcast in the standard DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance), which allow different devices to exchange content, primarily - videos and music. Naturally, the TV should support this technology.

One of the easiest programs for "broadcasting" (in fact, not broadcasting, but quite the opposite: the TV itself requests the contents of directories, and this can be videos, music, images, etc.) Home Media Server. After starting the program go to the settings, click Add, find the desired folders and click OK.

If necessary, the list is supplemented in the same way with other directories. Make sure that the circles for the "Movies" column are marked and click the Scan button, then click OK, and start the server by clicking the corresponding button. Now turn on the TV. In some cases, he can "pick up" the new device himself and offer to start viewing from it. But not all models offer similar, so in this situation, you need to switch the playback source (the default is the antenna). On LG TVs, the Smart TV button is pressed and the Input item is selected. In this menu, all currently found sources of playback and / or broadcast (HDD, in the case of a connected hard drive, HDMI, etc.) will be displayed. Samsung has a special Source button that switches sources for playback.

Results:

Here we have considered several cases, how using a computer to make plasma a real multimedia entertainment center. Of course, with some types of connection, some things may not seem very comfortable, but a large screen screen, a good sound and a favorite couch or chair more than compensate for possible inconveniences.

If you are just preparing to purchase a modern plasma, be sure to see what connectors are on it. Smart TV technology will also be a huge plus, but you need to take into account that the largest set of programs is presented by Samsung and LG corporations. For Sony, the available extensions are not much less.

The most omnivorous are LG TVs: it can even play virtual / horizontal stereopairs (video in 3D, designed for an "active" matrix, primarily Samsung).

DLNA support will not allow you to purchase an additional multimedia set-top box for your TV (in fact, it's the same computer, only smaller) and do not bother with hard disks.

But the presence of a VGA port is not mandatory. Even more, in 2015, it is planned to abandon it altogether. But the presence of several HDMI will be a big plus - suddenly you decide to connect, in addition to a stationary computer, anything else? The resolution of Ultra HD at the moment is clearly redundant: look at the screen, with a width of 55 inches, from a close distance is not comfortable, but most importantly, the video files take up a huge amount of information (a terabyte hard drive will be enough to accommodate 3-4 movies at such a high quality.).

And the most interesting is that you do not have to connect only one way. If you wanted to relax and watch a movie, DLNA will allow you to select the one you need using the remote control. And the possibility of outputting any information on the second desktop (on the TV) is very useful, for example, it is convenient to run another lesson on one screen, and at the same time try to repeat in another.

To do this, inspect the connectors available on the device. If you can not determine the types of ports by eye, find the description in the documentation for your computer. Depending on the model of the device, you can see the connectors of the following varieties:

• HDMI is a digital interface that is present on most modern computers. It transmits both audio and video, and therefore is optimally suited for outputting a multimedia signal to the TV.
• DVI is another digital port widely used in the market. It transmits only video, without sound.
• VGA is a popular analog connector. Like the previous type of port, displays only the video signal.

• Mini DisplayPort , Thunderbolt 2 , USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C)  - Digital interfaces that are present in Apple computers. All of them transmit video and sound. In addition, the Mac can be equipped with an ordinary HDMI-connector.

There are other types of connectors. But we listed the most popular ones. Surely one or more of them are equipped with your device.

2. Determine which connectors to receive the signal on the TV

Inspect the ports of the TV. Most modern models have HDMI and VGA connectors. The older ones are equipped with RCA ports, the plugs for which are called tulips:

3. Select the cable according to the available connectors

If you have an HDMI-TV

If both the TV and computer have an HDMI connector, then everything is elementary: you can connect the devices using an HDMI cable. This option will be optimal.

To connect a computer that does not have an HDMI port to the HDMI-TV, you will need a special signal converter together with an HDMI cable. Which one depends on the available connector on the computer. It can be DVI → HDMI , VGA → HDMI  or other adapters on HDMI.

In addition to the HDMI cable, it is often possible to connect an additional audio cable to these converters, the other end of which is inserted into the computer. This allows you to transmit audio bypassing the limitations of DVI and VGA. The audio cable is often sold complete with a converter.

To connect to a HDMI TV with a Thunderbolt 2 or Mini DisplayPort connector, you will need an adapter with the HDMI cable Mini DisplayPort → HDMI  . In order for it to transmit sound, ask in the store such an adapter with audio support.

If you have a VGA-TV

For VGA-TV, the order of actions will be similar. Only you need a converter HDMI → VGA , DVI → VGA  or another, depending on the computer port. The main thing is that it converts the signal to VGA.

If you have a TV with RCA connector

If you have at your disposal an old model of TV with tulips, then converters like HDMI → RCA , VGA → RCA  and others, which give an RCA signal at the output.

In order not to make mistakes when buying a cable or a converter, you can tell the seller the types of connectors on your TV and computer: he will pick up the appropriate option for you or check the compatibility made by you choice.

4. Connect devices via cable

Turn the computer and TV off for safety first. Next, connect the devices using a cable (and, if necessary, a converter). Only then turn on the devices. If the TV does not automatically detect the computer as the source of the signal, then do it yourself in the TV settings.

5. Set up the picture on your TV using your computer

If the image is blurred, open the system settings on the computer and locate the section responsible for the monitor. Here you can set the resolution that corresponds to the TV, and, if necessary, change the display mode of the video.

How to connect your computer to your TV via Wi-Fi

Modern smart TVs can be connected to computers wirelessly through a local Wi-Fi network. Technologies like DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct allow you to broadcast video, music and other content on a TV screen or completely duplicate an image from a computer on your TV, turning it into a wireless monitor. And in the case of Wi-Fi Direct, you do not even need a router for this.

For example, on LG devices for such functions there is a service. And Samsung TVs offer similar features within the service AllShare.

The wireless settings may vary depending on the manufacturer and model of the TV. Some devices establish a connection in a semi-automatic mode. Others require the installation of additional software on the connected computer.

Therefore, it is difficult to formulate a universal instruction that will suit all users. If you want to connect your TV to your computer via Wi-Fi, you will find the information you need in the paper manual or on the official website of the manufacturer along with the software you need.

Quite often, users are connecting the TV to the computer. Of course, we are talking about LCD TVs that have the necessary digital connectors: HDMI, DVI and VGA.

The connectors for connecting the TV: HDMI and DVI, look different, but they can be combined with a special adapter, because their digital video signals are identical. You can use various cables and adapters, depending on the interface you want to use on the PC or the back of the TV. Below you will find all kinds of cables for connecting the TV to the computer, as well as adapters and adapters:

Connecting the LCD TV to the computer will give you not only the ability to watch movies on the big screen, but also will give your TV the functionality of Smart TV. And to realize this, you only need to connect both devices correctly.

What kind of connection or interface is better to use?

Naturally, to connect a PC or laptop to a TV, digital video outputs are best suited, such as:

• HDMI is the best choice, because a modern flat screen TV has several HDMI connectors.
• DVI - is similar to the HDMI connector, since it transmits the same video signals. Using a special adapter or cable, you can connect the computer (DVI output) to the HDMI input on the TV.
• VGA - the old computer, as a rule, does not have digital video outputs. Thus, the best image quality is provided by the VGA connector. If your TV does not have a VGA input, you can use an adapter for the YUV input.
• YUV - not all computer graphics cards have a YUV output. It should be noted that it can transmit high-resolution signals - up to 1920x1080 pixels, but the image quality is noticeably worse than when transmitting video signal through the VGA output or digital video output.
• Classic video connectors - Scart, Video or S-Video is not recommended for connecting a TV with a large diagonal and a computer. The quality of the signal transmitted by them is quite low, which turns into a blurred picture on the LCD TV screen.

What should I look for when I connect the TV to a PC via HDMI?

If you do not have an additional monitor connected to your computer, but only the TV through the HDMI output, after the OS is launched, its Desktop automatically appears on the TV screen. There may be problems, as for most video cards the HDMI output is configured for a display with a resolution of 1280x720 or 1920x1080 pixels. If the TV has a resolution, for example, 1400x900 pixels, then the screen may turn black.

You can avoid this by additionally connecting a computer monitor to the system unit via a VGA or DVI output. It will show the image in any case, and this will allow you to set the correct resolution for the connected TV in the video card driver.

Connecting a TV to a PC via a DVI connector?

Initially, DVI was designed exclusively for connection to a PC monitor and did not have a purpose for sound transmission. Now video cards (from the time of models GPU series Radeon HD 2000 from AMD) can send a sound signal to the data stream of the DVI output. The adapter that comes with the DVI to HDMI adapter transfer image and sound to the TV.

You can also purchase adapters that connect the DVI output with the HDMI input on the TV. In this option of connecting the TV to a PC  The audio signal from the sound card must be fed through a separate cable. Image and sound can not be input to the TV synchronously. This defect can be corrected with the help of an additional utility (for example Reclock).

The DVI output must be equipped with copy protection HDCP - this is necessary for playing Blu-ray discs. HDTVs will not work if they receive a signal from the DVI output without HDCP. Verify whether the DVI output is protected by the CyberLink BD / HD Advisor software, but as a rule all modern outputs are already protected.

Connecting a TV to a computer using the VGA interface?

Some TV models are unable to correctly display an image with a 16: 9 aspect ratio, which they receive via the VGA output. Instead of a full-length picture, you can see an image with black margins on the right and left. Correction of the aspect ratio can be performed with the help of the corresponding utility included in the driver of the video card. It is able to stretch the image on the TV screen both vertically and horizontally.

It is worth noting that most TVs do not use the maximum resolution when transmitting an image via a VGA output. Even modern TVs from the possible 1920x1080 points often give out only 1360x768. The reason is that they do not "inform" the computer about their higher resolution. Configure the required resolution using the PowerStrip 3 program, but this method does not always work well, because the program can change the settings of the video card so that the TV stops sending the image. Only the restart of Windows in safe mode and the subsequent uninstallation of the PowerStrip program can restore the picture.

How to get and get the best sound?

In order not to be content with a mediocre sound from the speakers of a laptop or PC, use connecting your computer to your TV using HDMI, this cable will transmit and sound signal. True surround sound can only be played by a home theater, so you must connect an HDMI cable from the computer to it, and from the home theater another HDMI cable will transfer the image to the TV.

If the connection with HDMI is not possible, the PC must transmit the audio signals via a separate cable - best via a digital output (SPDIF or Optical).

Incorrect image scaling on TV

The TV should receive an image according to its resolution. LCD TVs most often have 1920x1080 pixels. A configured PC resolution does not at all mean that the TV will display a similar number of points. Only modern LCD TVs (LED, LCD and Plasma) are able to display the picture without distortion on the entire surface, including the edges. Some TVs use Overscan technology: the image is enlarged and cut off at the sides. It is necessary that liquid crystal and plasma TVs show the same part of the image as the CRT. As a result, the number of pixels of the video card and the screen does not always match, hence the sharpness of the image deteriorates.

Most TVs allow you to disable this option. Other names for the Overscan function are Underscan, Only Scan, or Pixel for Pixel. Occasionally, the Overscan function is always active when connected via HDMI and DVI. Many video cards smooth this by reducing the overall image. In this case, the entire Windows desktop fits on the screen, but, unfortunately, the exact pixel transfer is impossible.