Using a TV as a Monitor

Hello!  There are several ways you can connect a TV monitor to your computer.  First off, you need to know what ports your computer has on board for you to work with.  In the back of your computer, if it has an HDMI port, you can connect a standard HDMI cable from the computer to the monitor with no problems.  If it is missing this port, see if it has a DVI port.  This port will look white.  This port is digital like HDMI and will provide an excellent picture, with one small problem.  Most TV's do NOT come with a DVI connection anymore since HDMI took over, but there is an easy fix.  Go to your electronics store (best buy, maybe walmart, etc.) and ask for an HDMI to DVI cable to use as the connection.  If for some reason your computer does not have either HDMI or DVI, it will have a VGA output that is blue and looks like an elongated 'D'.  Most TV's will accept a VGA cable and you can connect the screen to the computer that way.  Please note however that VGA is an old standard that does not provide the best picture.  I personally have noticed the difference between VGA and other formats mentioned above, however if you do not want to buy a new monitor (or use a different one), that may be your only option.  Please also note, that some TV's will have a small issue with the screen resolution.  If the screen looks too big or small or off to one side or another, you can try adjusting the properties in the TV's own menu to match the screen resolution your computer is putting out.  You can even adjust the properties in the monitors control panel in windows.

Thank you-we do have a HDMI on the TV and computer.

CarolF!

Hi CarolF1,

You should be able to simply connect the PC to the TV using an HDMI cable without having to do anything else. If you don't see a picture, just hit the windows key, type display, then look for "connect to an external display".