TV as Computer Monitor - Comments Page 8

I have a Dell laptop has VGA and my DLP HDTV has DVI, I bought a vga cable and a vga to dvi connector. After I hooked them up, I still couldn't see anything display on my tv. Is there any thing I need to set up on my laptop?

EDITOR'S NOTE: You might need to change the input on your TV. Look for a button the remote for that.

im using a compaq laptop and it has a vga port on it so does my 37" lcd tv when i plug both ends in and turn the television to vga im not getting a picture. my question is that is there something on my laptop that needs to be done in order to make this work.

EDITOR'S NOTE: You probably need to switch the TV to the correct Input.

since my old set recently blew up I'm on the verge of purchasing a new hdtv. I also have a computer that uses 1900 by 1200 for some applications. how much worse would the picture be if I went with a 720 p set and is it even a good idea? I'm not sure how much more horsepower running such a big set would take or would it make any difference? I wish the stores would put these new sets on display as monitors to give us some idea if it's even worth the extra cash. otherwise I don't see the benefits of 1080P.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Remember that HD is 1920x1080. I've always assumed that the 720p sets were lower quality and will not be around much longer...

Dear Bob, Please tell me how can I use more than one monitor(or T.V. as monitor) to share the tasks between them. Many thanks in advance.

EDITOR'S NOTE: See http://askbobrankin.com/dual_monitors.html

Bob, I have a 1080p 37" Sharp Aquos that has HDMI(obviously) and S-Video. My Computer has DVI and S-Video. which would be the better hookup? going DVI to HDMI or going S-Video?

I dont need to worry about sound because both the TV and my computer have optical audio and that is what i am going to use. My question is which will give me a better picture and will my video card support a 1920x1080 resolution? It's an ATI Radeon Pro X1600 512mb and I'm not sure how to find out. I don't want to hook up my computer and realize the whole picture is stretched. Thank You for the Help Bob

EDITOR'S NOTE: The picture quality will probably be the same either way. If you have an S-video cable, use it. A DVI-HDMI adapter cost me $20 at Radio Shack. Check the ATI website for specs on your card.

Dear Bob, My TREO records videos in real player format. How do I convert them into windows media player format?

EDITOR'S NOTE: Search for "convert RM to wmv" and you'll find quite a few options.

i have an rca tv that is a 26in lcd model-l26wd12 and when hook my computer up to the tv it comes up to the loading vista part and then goes black after that is there a specific setting i should use to hook my computer up to it. I am hooking it up with a regular monitor/vga cable.

Useful article there, Bob. Many Thanks. My TV=Hitachi HDTV: ...no DVI invput available......HDMI=Yes. S-video=yes.

Dell Computer: 2 DVI outputs.....S-video output=Yes.......RCA video output=no

Looks like I may be able to produce an HD signal on the Hitachi (from the Dell) via the S-video route, or perhaps I can skin this cat using a DVI to HDMI cable and use the audio output (on dell) to audio input (on Hitachi). Pretty new at this.....at the base of the learning curve.

I have a similar problem to th e post above. I was just given a 30" Philips HDTV, Model# 30PW8520. I noticed the VGA port on the back and immediately thought of using it for a computer monitor.
When I plug it in and turn it on, the DELL splash page and Windows XP loading page pop up, but then the television starts showing flickering lines and bars in all different colors.
Thanks for any advice.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sounds like you may need a software driver for this TV/monitor. Check at the Philips website first.

I have a Dell Laptop And a 56 inch HDTV. I bought the VGA Cable hooked it up. See everything from Laptop on my television. But can't get the sound to come from the tv. How do I do this? without installing anything to the laptop.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The VGA cable carries only a video signal. You'll need to connect your PC sound card to the audio inputs of the TV.