How to Connect your Laptop to a TV

There are several options to connect your laptop to a TV. In most cases, you’ll be able to connect one of these four options directly to your TV: S-Video, VGA, DVI or HDMI. For sound, you’ll need a 3.5mm audio RCA cable (the ones that have a red and white output at one end). Sometimes you’re able to connect directly from your laptop to the television using HDMI, but in most cases you’ll need one of the following adapter/cable combinations.

Older laptops usually have an S-Video port that allows you to connect your laptop directly to the TV. These cables are round, with either four or seven pins, and are available as an S-Video to VGA adapter. The VGA end of the cable will have red, white and yellow cables.

Depending on your laptop, one option is a DVI to VGA adapter, however, this will only handle the video signal. A VGA cable usually has a red, white and yellow cable.

To connect the audio, use a 3.5mm RCA cable, which will connect your headphone output on the computer and the audio input on the back of the television.

Most new HDTVs and laptop computers have DVI ports, so to connect them you’ll want to either purchase a DVI Male to Male Cable or DVI to HDMI Adapter Cable. The DVI to HDMI cable can be used when your HDTV doesn’t have a DVI port but does support HDMI.

In most cases, your laptop won’t have an HDMI output, so you’ll have to get a converter to go from the 15 pin DVI cable to HDMI. Plug the HDMI cable directly into your TV, and the DVI converter into your laptop-monitor output.