Laptop to Television

I was going to ask this question in the Technical forum, but at first glance it seemed to deal with ECCIE issues.

So here is my question. If I download a show from my computer, am I able to connect my computer to my television and watch? I need an answer pretty quick. I have pizza being delivered and a pint of ice cream in the freezer.

I was going to ask this question in the Technical forum, but at first glance it seemed to deal with ECCIE issues.

So here is my question. If I download a show from my computer, am I able to connect my computer to my television and watch? I need an answer pretty quick. I have pizza being delivered and a pint of ice cream in the freezer. Originally Posted by Ansley

It depends on your t.v. I have a t.v. that connects to my laptop via a 15 prong cable. But, my t.v. is also a large monitor. If I lived closer, I would come set it up for you. My friends always have me hook up all their electronics. You would be surprised, even the cable guy doesn't always pick the best way to route everything and that's his job.

Well I looked in my 'cable and wire box' and nothing has 15 prongs. Is there a plan B?

Thanks though.

With the right cable yes, but based on your question I suspect you'd have to go out and buy one. Which doesn't suit the pizza guy's schedule

If your tv is a couple of years old it might not be possible.

If your tv is a couple of years old it might not be possible. Originally Posted by pyramider

Nah, several years ago, Radio Shack carried a gadget that transferred laptop image to TV and it cost about $99. I used it on a regular basis.

However, the gadget is probably obsolete.

I'm not up on this end of tech to give advice. However, if you have a Mac there is a Mac TV gadget. I think it works a lot like a hard drive, but you can download movies to it and run it on the TV.

These days, I think the tech is so advanced that you have to pair the generations of the items together. At work, we have a 54" LCD HD TV. It is brand new. But we run a cable from the laptop to the TV to show the laptop image to the room. On the laptop side, it plugs into the serial port. On the TV side, I don't really know if there is a serial port, or it converts to the coaxial cable...just don't know. I can look on Monday and send you a PM. Then, you run speakers out of the laptop. I purchased a portable speaker that plugs into my USB port because I travel so much. If you have a more permanent setup, you may want compatible speakers that are more permanent.

If you have a TV and a laptop of different tech generations, there may be no way to bridge the gap.

[BTW, I don't use either service, but you might want to check Blockbuster and Netflix for downloading of movies.]

As I said at the beginning, I'm not versed in this, but those are my general thoughts.

Yeah, I don't know if you're familiar with Apple products, but if you look up Apple TV, that's similar to the device you're going to need. It's going to provide, say, a USB port from the pc to the video and audio ports that you use to connect your DVD to the TV.

Ansley,

If you give me the brands and model numbers for your computer and TV, then I can tell you what kind of cable to buy.

You know I'm a Geeky Tuxedo for Hire. I'd be happy to work a deal with you. I know you've got something I like, and I'll bet I can get your computer displaying on your TV in exchange....

There is probably an S-Video input on the TV. The question is whether there is an S-Video out on the laptop. As noted legacy systems for the most part.

Since I am replying so late, I hope you enjoyed the movie (regardless of monitor), the pizza, and ice cream. What were all the flavors?

Won't help you this time but I subscribe to Netflix and they advertise a devise that adapts your TV to pick up wireless internet so you can watch livestreaming movies on your TV. Also some of the WiFi and other game consoles supposedly can be used to facilitate a connection.

Thanks everybody. I have it all figured out and will be going to Best Buy in the next day or two. I was riding with my son the other day and he had his Iphone connected to his car. So I will be buying the same thing for my car.

If you gave the model of your laptop it would be a lot easier to give the correct answer. That way everyone isn't just guessing what video output options you have.

Glad you figured it out! Here is what I was going to say.
it would all depend on what connections are on your laptop/tv (hdmi, dvi, s-video). If your laptop has a hdmi output and you tv has the input, that would be your best bet. I personally use a dvi to hdmi cable, my laptop is a few years olds so no hdmi out. I haven't used it in a while though, now I use an external hard drive hooked up to my ps3 and use that as my media center.

.

If you gave the model of your laptop it would be a lot easier to give the correct answer. That way everyone isn't just guessing what video output options you have. Originally Posted by randomuser

Thanks everybody. I have it all figured out Originally Posted by Ansley

These days, I think the tech is so advanced that you have to pair the generations of the items together. At work, we have a 54" LCD HD TV. It is brand new. But we run a cable from the laptop to the TV to show the laptop image to the room. On the laptop side, it plugs into the serial port. On the TV side, I don't really know if there is a serial port, or it converts to the coaxial cable...just don't know. I can look on Monday and send you a PM. Then, you run speakers out of the laptop. I purchased a portable speaker that plugs into my USB port because I travel so much. If you have a more permanent setup, you may want compatible speakers that are more permanent. Originally Posted by charlestudor2005

Checked the setup at work for you today, Ansley. Both the laptop and the TV have serial ports, and a cable is run between them. You still need to plug speakers into the laptop. However, when you go to BB, you might ask about a more professional setup that would provide something akin to surround sound, if you want a very good sound quality.