Connecting laptop up to HDTV? laptop has VGA connector..

[do_ob]

Hi guys, this is my first post and I know absolutely nada about these kind of things so be nice please!

So here's the deal: I've got a Dell inspiron 1720 and its only output port apart from s-video seems to be a VGA port (My friend told me it was a VGA port and I'm pretty sure it is) And my tv is a 32" Samsung. I looked on the back and it supports scart, hdmi, a blue connection thing that reminds me of a computer monitor thing, and s-video. I've been using s-video for a while but it really isn't clear enough for me to basically use my laptop as a "tower" kinda thing.

So I'm hoping you nice folks here will give me some answers as to how I might be able to connect the laptop up to the TV with as clear as possible picture! I won't get my hopes up, but it'd be a nice surprise if it worked

Oh and on another note, my friend also told me to try out a vga -> hdmi cable, but before dropping cash I thought I'd hand it over to you guys

Thanks much in advance!

[ows90]

Welcome to the forums,

The model number of the TV is important, as Samsung has made many 32" sets, but going on your description, the blue connector on the back is very likely to be a VGA socket, and a straight VGA-VGA cable will do the job, and should significantly improve the image.

You may need to enable output from the VGA socket though, by pressing the Function key (Fn) + F8 to toggle the video output. Also, you'll need to set the correct secondary display resolution (i.e., your TV's resolution) in the graphics card's configuration options in Control Panel to get the best picture.

RE: VGA-HDMI cables -- do not get one of these; just because they may physically connect the two sockets together, does not mean that the signals are compatible. The cables are designed for *rare* occasions where the VGA socket has been fudged to output a digital signal.

[Simon Kemp]

Dear do-ob,
LAPTOP COMPUTER TO HD TELEVISION CONNECTIONS
My Tiny Powerite C780 laptop computer has the same analogue video "Out" connections as your laptop has, and I faced the same problem as you face a few years ago.
I think you will find that the "blue connector thingy that looks like a computer connector" on the back of your television set is, indeed, a Video Graphics Array ("VGA") port identical to the one on your laptop. Therefore a VGA to VGA cable with a male D-sub 15 pin plug on each end should allow you to connect your computer to your television and watch the resultant analogue high-definition picture. You will also need Left/Right audio leads to carry the stereo soundtrack to your TV set as the VGA port is video-only.
I'm suprised that you get an inferior picture on your television when using an S-Video connection. Is the port on your laptop able to accept a male connector with four pins or with seven? You might just be watching a composite video stream as opposed to the better-quality S-Video signal, where the colour and brightness signals each have their own pin. For me, an S-Video connection produces a very good picture on my television screen.
Check in the User's Manual for your TV set that the blue-coloured port on your TV is, indeed, designed for use with computers. If, as I suspect, this is the case, then buy a cheapVGA to VGA lead on E-Bay and your problem is sorted.
Hope this helps. You could also buy a (more expensive) VGA to HDMI signal converter box from Keene Electronics if the the VGA to VGA solution doesn't work. Let me know if you require further advice and support.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Kemp
S. KEMP

[do_ob]

Thanks for the responses guys!

As for the S-video, it's not exactly inferior... I can watch movies on it, but if I wanted to (for example) play a game or use it as an actual monitor, the picture just isn't clear enough and I can't really read the text...

As for the cable itself... it's got 4 pins and that's the only one the TV takes as well..

The TV is a Samsung LE32R88BD 32".

I'll try a VGA to VGA cable and see if that makes it any better... would love to be able to just use the TV as my main monitor!

[Simon Kemp]

Dear do-ob,
If your Separated Video cable has four pins on the connectors then you are certainly not watching a low-quality, composite video picture. My laptop has a seven pin mini-DIN connector which outputs composite video and separated video - if you switch from one to the other the difference in picture quality is obvious.
A VGA to VGA cable should give a more detailed and vibrant picture because each colour (Red, Green and Blue) is carried on a separate pin at full bandwidth, whilst with S-Video all the colour information is combined on a single pin.
Otherwise, check out the cost and availability of a VGA to HDMI converter box. They need their own power supply and there will be a slight loss of picture quality during the analogue to digital conversion. Perhaps someone who already owns one of these could brief us on their advantages and disadvantages?
Alternatively, has anyone managed to make a working VGA to SCART connector from spare parts on the kitchen table, as it were?
Regards and best wishes,
Simon Kemp
S. KEMP

[do_ob]

Thanks again for the reply!

Well I've just ordered a vga-vga 15 pin cable from ebay so gonna wait for that to come and see how it does. Wish me luck and I'll report back when I've tested it out!

[do_ob]

Hey guys I'm back.

Well I got the cable today and plugged it in... and now I seem to be getting what seems to be a common problem with Samsung HDTVs and VGA... the PC input option is grayed out :/

I've googled this for a while now and tried the various fixes but none of it is getting me anywhere...

Any suggestions?

[ows90]

Did you try what I suggested, RE: enabling the VGA output using the function keys, and then setting the correct secondary display resolution? (1360×768 for your TV). A greyed out option on the TV suggests the laptop isn't even outputting a signal.

[do_ob]

Originally Posted by ows90

Did you try what I suggested, RE: enabling the VGA output using the function keys, and then setting the correct secondary display resolution? (1360×768 for your TV). A greyed out option on the TV suggests the laptop isn't even outputting a signal.

Hmmm well I've tried that but to no avail... the TV seems to flicker when I press Fn+F8 (switching between outputs on my laptop) but it's still grayed out. I read a bit about it and it appears to be something to do with pin 10 on the 15 pin VGA cable... no idea what that means.

[Chris Muriel]

I assume you have the owners manual and service manual (both downloadable from Documentation )

I am wondering if there are some additional video or display setup options in the BIOS ( also called "System Setup" ) that need to be correctly set.

Chris Muriel, Manchester

[ows90]

Originally Posted by do_ob

Hmmm well I've tried that but to no avail... the TV seems to flicker when I press Fn+F8 (switching between outputs on my laptop) but it's still grayed out.

What about the second part? did you check the Display Settings in Control Panel (Appearance and Personalization) to see what the secondary screen resolution is set to? (you can also right-click the desktop and click Graphics Properties).

(Also some graphics troubleshooting advice from Intel: Graphics - Supported display modes and resolutions)

[do_ob]

Oh wow... I've been without the internet for the longest time (at least not properly!!)

So uhhh I came back to find the 2 posts above, thanks but I can't find anything wrong with these settings :/

Thinkin I should just **** it and get a media center PC... lol

[JimBobVFR400]

From a personal perspective I've found the FN+ F8 key combination on my laptop to also not actually work correctly. The display flickers and then returns to displaying on the laptop.

My laptop however works perfectly if you use the display properties to enable the 2nd moniter for displaying on my TV. I also have a tray icon I can right click on and choose output to.

My Samsung 32 LCD also greys out the PC option if not connected or not enabled properly just like yours does so I defenitely think sorting the settings in the graphics properties will sort it.

[do_ob]

Originally Posted by JimBobVFR400

From a personal perspective I've found the FN+ F8 key combination on my laptop to also not actually work correctly. The display flickers and then returns to displaying on the laptop.

My laptop however works perfectly if you use the display properties to enable the 2nd moniter for displaying on my TV. I also have a tray icon I can right click on and choose output to.

My Samsung 32 LCD also greys out the PC option if not connected or not enabled properly just like yours does so I defenitely think sorting the settings in the graphics properties will sort it.

Hmmmm I see! Well I've been fiddling about with it to no avail... it's still grayed out no matter what I do