How do I connect my laptop to TV?

[Joppy]

My laptop has radeon hd 2600 card with HDMI and Vga port. My TV only recieves svideo and composite. I was thinking of buying an adapter like this:
http://www.amazon.com/NEW-CONVERTER-S-VIDEO-CABLE-ADAPTER/dp/B000S675JU/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1220717940&sr=8-1

The reviews on that page says that your card needs to have tv output option, but I can locate that option anywhere even in catalyst. The closest I can finds is an option to detect display, which I don't know whether it will work. Anyone knows? thx

[Earthborn]

It is very likely that connector will not work. It will only work if the videocard has TV Out and sends the TV Out signal through the VGA connector, which is in itself a rather peculiar way of doing things. It is much more common for a videocard with TV Out to have a seperate TV Out or S-Video connector.

[Dan O.]

I saw this exact same question come up on another forum and the solution was to use the DHMI input under the hidden panel on the front of the TV :)

The adaptor probably won't work for most graphics cards since it is just connectors and wire and doesn't contain the active electronics to convert component VGA signals into the composite video signal.

The converter you want will be in the $30-$300 price range depending on the resolution and quality you need. Another option is to add a second video card that already has s-video out. Since the TV will be a poor display for text, having 2 video displays will let you have both a sharp monitor for text and the large TV for movies/games.


ETA: Are you sure there is no S-video output on your graphics card? I'm seeing both the PRO (http://products.amd.com/en-us/GraphicCardDetail.aspx?id=142) and XT (http://products.amd.com/en-us/GraphicCardDetail.aspx?id=143) models all have DVI/HDMI, component, S-video and composite outputs (but interestingly, no VGA).

[Yalius]

Something like this might do the trick.

http://www.svideo.com/vga2video.html

[GodMark2]

ETA: Are you sure there is no S-video output on your graphics card? I'm seeing both the PRO (http://products.amd.com/en-us/GraphicCardDetail.aspx?id=142) and XT (http://products.amd.com/en-us/GraphicCardDetail.aspx?id=143) models all have DVI/HDMI, component, S-video and composite outputs (but interestingly, no VGA).

ATI's DVI/HDMI implementation allows for VGA (and TV) analog signals to be output on the digital connector; they often provide an adapter with the card. The same adapter may work for the laptop chipset.

I used one of these (http://ati.amd.com/products/hdtvadapter/index.html) (until I rebuilt my media system to use an NVIDIA card with direct TV outputs)

[Dan O.]

Ah, I was looking at the PCI cards and didn't see the Mobility product line. It doesn't look like the Mobility products support composite or S-video. This seems strange since I would think one would be more likely to want to connect a laptop to a TV.

The composite/VGA signals are defined on the DVI connector (that's the 4 pins around the ground tab) and the adaptor to a VGA connector is usually included as you say. Converting to component video is just as simple but not as common. Component will generally give better video only because the VGA connector is poorly suited for handling the analog signals.

Converting component video to a compost signal (one wire carrying all color and sync information) or S-video (2 wires with separated color and luminance) requires some tricky timing circuits and may also require an external power supply. That is why the converters will be more expensive than the simple adaptors.

[Joppy]

Thanks for the replies everyone.
The converter its a bit above my budget, so I would prefer a cheaper alternative.
I just took a look at the product page again:
http://ati.amd.com/products/mobilityradeonhd2600/specs.html

This part says:

Integrated AMD Xilleon™ HDTV encoder

* Provides high quality analog TV output (component/S-video/composite)
* Supports SDTV and HDTV resolutions
* Underscan and overscan compensation

I am not good at the technical speak, so would the adapter from the amazon link in the op work?

[Dan O.]

The devil is in the fine print:

ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 2000 Series (http://ati.amd.com/products/hdseriesmob.html)
ATI Radeon™ HD graphics chips have numerous features integrated into the processor itself (e.g., HDCP, HDMI, etc.). Third parties manufacturing products based on, or incorporating ATI Radeon HD graphics chips, may choose to enable some or all of these features. If a particular feature is important to you, please inquire of the manufacturer if a particular product supports this feature. In addition, some features or technologies may require you to purchase additional components in order to make full use of them (e.g. a Blu-Ray or HD-DVD drive, HDCP-ready monitor, etc.).


You need to check the owners manual for your laptop to make sure.

[Kopji]

You'll spend a lot of money and hate the results. Your TV has about half the resolution of a bad computer display.

Money better spent on an LCD TV with a 15 pin VGA input.

[Joppy]

I guess I'll just have to wait till I get a HDTV.

[Rob Lister]

I guess I'll just have to wait till I get a HDTV.

It's a good idea. Just do your homework first.

Primary considerations (in optimal order) are:

*Size (base it upon typical viewing distance using the formula DISTANCE IN INCHES / 3)
*Technology (LCD or Plasma: each has advantages and disadvantages)
*Resolution (1080 or 720: this is primarily dependent on size)
*Contrast Ratio (Picture 'depth': this is primarily dependent on technology)
*Scan Type (Interlace or Progressive: P is a no brainer but if you can still find an I, get it cheap)
*Scan Rate (typically 60Hz or 120Hz: you gets what you pay for but if you can't tell the diff, don't spend more)
*Options (Recommend at least 3 hdmi, 2 component, 2 composite, 1 SVGA, maybe an S-v)
*Branding (BMW, Honda Accord, Chevy Chevete or Yogo?)

There are many other considerations as well. I just listed what I think are most important.

Visit CNET and check their best picks. Visit Consumer Reports and take their recommendations seriously (but you'll have to pay for it).

ETA: The one I'm buying next month for our bedroom (for my wife) is a ~$800 Visio 42" Plasma 720P, 60Hz...and I WILL get the extended warranty for ~$100 (one of the very few things for which I'll get an extended warranty).

[Walk The Line]

I've got a question the Tech savvy out there. My wife recently bought a new laptop that has an HDMI port on the side. Shortly after, we bought a cheap HDMI cable to see if it would connect our HDTV. The first time we plugged it it, it worked, and we were able to watch part of a Netflix movie on the bigger TV.

We went on Christmas vacation, and when tried to do the same hook-up when we got back, it wouldn't work. I've tried it several times since then, and it just doesn't want to work. Do you think I might have a bad HDMI cable?