quick computer question??

[mrz28M6]

i would like to know what cable or cables i need to convert my computer to hook up to my LCD tv? how much will it usually cost me and where can i find this?

[nismodave]

http://www.ehow.com/how_4780700_hook-up-computer-lcd-tv.html

Radio Shack

[Holeshot]

Does it have HDMI DVI on the laptop and whats on the TV. My Apple has both. You may need DVI to VGA for video and RCA or the 1/8 stereo male to male connector for audio. My Samsung has a VGA port and a 1/8 stereo jack on the back.

[BR3W CITY]

agreed. it depends on the computer. I had to use dvi->hdmi converter to get it to work on my tv. Some newer computers (especially anything that came as a "media center" etc) will have a regular hdmi out. You may only have vga out; some tvs have a vga in, but its more likely you would need a vga->hmdi cable.
If you are unsure of what you have; hdmi is just the slot looking connection, same thing the tv will have. DVI is usually a white or black rectangle, with square pins. VGA is the blue trapezoid.
The WORST option would be just to use an RCA connection (if its an older computer), but you really can't take advantage of the high res you would want.

[05caddyext]

SVGA cable gives you the best picture if your computer doesn't have a hdmi out, which it probably doesn't. I have a 7 year old Toshiba laptop hooked up to my 1080 samsung tv with a svga cable and the picture quality is excellent.

[mrz28M6]

thanks guys i have an hdmi slot and so does my newer LCD tv. so what exactly do i need? just a simple hdmi cable?

[03Seville]

yup just your everyday HDMI cable. your computer should sync right up to the tv after you plug it in. It may ask if you would like to use it as a secondary display or just a primary but that it up to you. An HDMI cable is all you need to get it on your TV.

[deuceWI]

HDMI is ideal too since you can get audio across at the same time on the same cable.

Makes life simple.

Also, don't fall for the $40+ cable scams at best buy, order a cable online for $10 and save some cash. Digital is digital, it either works or it doesn't. An overpriced monster cable isn't going to get you any better picture.

[mrz28M6]

ok i got a hdmi cable and hooked it up from the computer to the tv and selected hdmi from the imput button on my tv remote and nothing will show up. anyone have any ideas?

[FoxStang]

Make sure you're on the right HDMI input, most TV's have more than one. Also make sure your video card is set to output to HDMI, and for sound the playback needs to be set to digital output in your audio controller devices.

[GTSLOW]

Check to see if your computer is recognizing the second monitor(lcd) or if you have it selected to output thru the HDMI. Another thing some laptops and computers may not have HDMI sound either. I think the early ones only did video.

[Crawlin]

and sometimes even though the motherboard or video card HAS an HDMI output, it's not gonna work. had that issue with my media center Myles built up. Got the DVI to HDMI cable and worked flawlessly. Now I bought a better video card and the HDMI to HDMI works great since it's made specifically for this purpose