How to Hook Up a Computer to a TV with VGA
By Chris Moore
A big advantage of HDTV sets is their compliance and connectivity with computers. You can use your HD TV as a computer monitor. Most computers require a Video Graphics Array (VGA) cable to connect its video output to, but most TVs today will accept this. Even if your TV doesn't have a connection port for a VGA cable, you can use its HDMI port to connect the 2 with the right converter.
Look for a VGA input port on the back of the TV set. Most HDTV sets will have a VGA port available. Look for the trapezoid-shaped port with 15 pinholes within it and a screw hole on each side--just like the port on the back of a computer monitor.
Use a VGA-to-HDMI converter if the VGA port is not available on the TV. This device looks like 2 curved boxes on top of each other with a VGA port on 1 piece and an HDMI port on the other. An HDMI port looks like a rectangle with the 2 bottom corners cut off.
Connect the computer's video output to whichever device has the available VGA input port--the TV set or the converter--using a VGA cable. If you are using the converter, connect it to the TV using an HDMI cable. Make sure the converter's AC adapter plug is also plugged in.
Turn on both the computer and the TV set. Go to the Input screen on the TV using the Input button on either the side of the TV or the remote control. Using either the remote arrow buttons or manual channel buttons, select the input source that you connected to the TV--VGA or HDMI. The computer video image will appear on the TV screen.
References
Warnings
- The computer's audio is separate from the video, so it is connected separately. If the TV has a PC Audio In port, connect the computer's audio output to that with a stereo cable. Otherwise, connect it to external speakers with stereo or RCA cables.
Writer Bio
Chris Moore has been contributing to eHow since 2007 and is a member of the DFW Writers' Workshop. He received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Texas-Arlington.