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Connecting a Laptop to a TV
I have a relativity new (2007) LCD HD Mitsubishi TV that has many inputs available. I just bought a Dell Vostro 1520 laptop that does not have a lot of inputs. I want to connect the two together to view movies that are on my laptop on my TV in the best quality possible. Both have IEEE1394 connections. Dell advises that just connecting the two will not work. They said to buy a USB to RCA cable to do what I want to do. I now have many, many cables to connect all kinds of devices but of course I don't have that one. Can anyone tell me what the best and least expensive way to do this is? I want the best quality audio and video I can get. Thanks for any help.
Thanks to those who responded.
As a follow up can I use a USB to RCA cable to do what I want to do. Again thanks.
ieee488
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December 15th, 2009 15:00
Dell is right, you can't use the IEEE1394 aka Firewire for your connection.
The only video out you have is VGA and the only audio out you have is the Headphone jack. If your intention was to connect to your TV, then you should have chosen a laptop with HDMI out.
There are converters around for converting VGA to another type of video signal. They aren't cheap. Oh, and another thing you can't just buy a cable for a few bucks to do this.
Agent_99
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December 15th, 2009 15:00
Hello FrankBra,
I did a quick search and found converter boxes from $39 to $350 and cables starting at $30. I also found a simple guide Here. The advice looks sound but it does not give specific product recommedations. I would suggest follow the advice in the guide and take info to a Boutique( High End) shop. Maybe it might be a good idea to bring your laptop along and see if they will help you test cables on your laptop.
Just a thought.
Peace.
ejn63
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December 15th, 2009 16:00
You'll get the best possible video (but not HD; the notebook can't handle that) with S-video. You'll need an S-video cable and an audio cable to run from the headphone jack to the RCA jacks on the TV.
There are VGA to S-video converters but the quality won't be as good, and the converters run upward of $100 (as noted, you cannot use a simple VGA to S-video cable).
FrankBra
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December 15th, 2009 16:00
Thanks for the help. Can I use a USB to RCA cable to do what I want to do?
ejn63
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December 15th, 2009 17:00
No. The USB output will not handle video.