Connecting Notebook to TV

I would like to use a HDTV for a monitor... the main idea is to be able to use the notebook as a dvd player but if good enough quality can be achieved for viewing text and internet pages, that would be great... unfortunately my notebook is an Inspiron 1318 and my only available ports are VGA, USB, Firewire and ExpressCard. Is there a converter for any of those that I can use to connect my HDTV. Apparently S-video connector can't handle the details well and the text would look crappy, so I'd leave that as a last preference - I'm not sure about the detail of the composite av3 connectors, but I'm going to trust you on that one if you say it's sufficient. I tried to find a converter but everything I found was usb capture devices, and I want to output and not capture. I suppose an ExpressCard device for outputing on tv would be the best case scenario, but again, I couldn't find anything.

Links to actual products would be greately appreciated.

 

If the graphics card doesnt have HDMI out, getting hdmi through your laptop might be a problem, the converters and cost would most likely prove to be a headache. From my knowedlge i think for your best bet is to use svideo and 3.5mm jack for audio.

 

Or VGA an 3.5mm audio. Though he didn't say what connections his tv accepts, his computer doesn't have any digital out signals to send.

 

Just a little warning: a mate at work blew both his hdmi ports on his Panasonic TV while connecting his desktop to the TV. He thinks it happened because the tv is grounded through the central antenna while the deskop is grounded through the ac.

 

If you're TV can accept DVI-A or DVI-I, you could get an in-line converter for VGA to DVI. You can also get in-lines for VGA to component if memory serves. Both would provide better image quality than s-vid. s-vid is only slightly better than composite. But yeah, you will have to pipe in audio seperately, and getting the signal converted to any sort of digital signal is going to be expensive.

 

New laptop?

 

I use to connect my Notebook with the TV quite often.
I never had any problems with it but after reading what stefanp67 said I'm really concerned

 

Its all designed to work together, HDMI is HDMI is HDMI doesnt matter what device it comes to or from.

Besides there is nearly no electrical power in HDMI 5v is the max it could supply and so any device should be designed to cope with the spec max without issue.

If your mate really did damage his TV due to his PC connection it was due to faulty equipment or some kind of short, not due to the fact it was a PC connected to a TV.

 

get yourself a cheap USB-connect video 'card' with HDMI.

For 'safeties sake' run it all through a good quality HDMI switch that provides some level of input isolation to avoid potential problems caused by constant plugging and unplugging of cables.

 

I call BS on this one.

 

It's not BS it happened. The simplest way to see if you are in the danger zone is to measure the voltage between the antenna ground and the ground pin in the ac jack. A high voltage between those means that you have to turn off both tv and computer before connecting.

The central antenna ground wire can have a very long way before it connects to common ground and a long antenna wire gives it higher resistance which in turn causes a higher voltage between antenna ground and ac ground.

 

I think you're looking for a VGA to Component Out cable. Can you tell us a little bit more about the TV like model number for example ? Also if you can determine what graphic card you use that'd help also. Thank you!