Connecting Laptop to LCD TV Using VGA

Expand your computer and viewing pleasure by connecting a laptop computer to a LCD TV. Hooking up that laptop to a brand new or older model LCD TV is actually quite easy. After making the connections it is possible to watch all your computing on a larger screen, watch videos, stream movies, display photographs, display video chats, view emails, surf the Internet. Most new computers are equipped with a DVI, S-Video, HDMI, USB, and VGA connection. DVI and HDMI display the best picture quality. Many own an older model computer and television that are not equipped with DVI or HDMI connections. Consequently, their only option is to use the VGA or S-Video connections. The VGA (Video Graphics Array) shows a fair to a good quality picture but no sound. So you have to use the laptop's audio system for sound. Here is how to hook up the laptop to the VGA connection on your LCD TV.

Items Needed to Connect Laptop to TV

Here are the items needed to make the connections.

VGA Cable/Male Connections
Laptop with VGA Connection
Television with VGA Connection

Look on the side of the laptop and find the VGA connection. It is a female port with 15 pin holes. Now take a look at your television. The VGA port is usually in the back and clearly marked. It is also a port with 15 female pinholes.

Connecting the Laptop to VGA

Step One - Take the VGA cable with male connectors and attach one end to your laptop's VGA port. Take the other end of the VGA cable and connect it to the VGA port on the LCD television. Turn on the television and laptop. The television should have special channels to display VGA, DVI, S-Video, Components. Take the television's remote and place the LCD television on the VGA display channel.

Step Two - In order to make the laptop display on the television you might need to go into the graphics properties on the laptop. Right click the desktop, scrawl down to graphics properties and click. This brings up the graphics properties display box. Select multiple display. Click clone or second desktop/apply. And close the box.

Step Three - Now, check the televison. No display? Go back to the laptop. On many laptops you have to click FN + F5 to send the video display to the LCD television. Look on the laptop keys. You should see a key with two monitors. After that action get ready to start computing using the LCD TV as a monitor.

VGA cables are inexpensive and readily available online at many computer retailers. A six-foot cable is available for less than ten bucks. Visit sites like Walmart, Amazon, Compusa for more information on VGA cables.