Using Your Television As A Computer Monitor

Using your Television as a Computer Monitor by Bob Rankin at AskBobRankin.com.

The CRT screen is falling by the wayside, as small-footprint LCD screens with HDTV and low power consumption are taking over. The complexity and less-than-stellar results make it advisable to forget about connecting a CRT screen; let's talk about LCD.

To use a TV as a computer monitor, your computer will have to meet certain hardware requirements. A notebook will have to have composite (RCA) or S-Video (TV-Out) output. For a desktop, you can choose from a  variety of  video cards with different video outputs. "For example, ATI's Radeon X1950 PRO video card includes composite, s-video, and component video connections for analog signals."

Computer/TV connection will also depend on what inputs your television can accept:

Connecting your video card to the big screen, though, depends on what inputs your television can accept. If it has multiple input ports, remember that there is a hierarchy in terms of signal quality among the three typical types of connections, which, from lowest to highest, is composite, S-Video, then component video. So opt for the highest quality connection supported by both devices. Many older or more basic televisions may only have a coaxial cable connection. In this case, there are video cards with coax outputs and scan converters that will pass the signal through a coaxial cable directly to your television. Oh, and remember that you'll also need to connect your sound card's LINE-OUT connector to the TV for sound.

Once you have determined your computer and TV hardware capabilities, you'll have to find a cord configuration that will accommodate both.

Even the lower echelons of HD televisions offer a multitude of both analog and digital video input connections. And many come equipped with VGA and DVI inputs, allowing for direct connections to your computer's video output. Video card manufacturers have quickly responded to the demand for HD by including dual DVI outputs to support more than one display, as well as HDMI connections for uncompressed digital video and audio transmission.