After my previous thread in here my main computer is now using the TV as a second screen through DVI-to-HDMI. However, as the network setup is becoming more and more clear I am now looking into connecting my broken laptop (no screen) to the TV, to use as a dedicated interface to control whatever plays there over the network. The laptop doesn't have a DVI socket, it only has VGA and S-Video (like this one). The TV has sockets like these, of which one is labeled "video" (yellow) and the others are audio (white and red). From looking up stuff I assume all I need is a cable like this one (S-Video RCA)? This would run the video to the TV, and the audio would be provided through the headphone jack of the laptop with a conversion cable already in my possession. When I look up "cable s-video rca" on Amazon I find a lot, but not what I need. I'd need the cable in the image above: one side for the S-Video port on the laptop, the other to go in the yellow "headphone jack-like" opening in the TV. I thought the name for that was "RCA" but from the results I get I would be wrong. A trusty website is http://www.son-video.com/Rayons/Cables/EspaceCable/CablesV_Svideo.html , but from their pictures or even descriptions it's hard to tell whether what I'm ordering is exactly what I need. I'm thinking I should drop them a line and see what they say, but I thought that in the meantime I could get some more advice on here. Experience counts for more than salesmanship, after all [edit: great, no e-mail address on their website!] So, have I gone terribly wrong in my assumptions or am I close to the truth? Thanks in advance.
I'd assume it IS an S-Video to RCA adapter you're after are you sure there isn't an S-Video socket on your TV? just making sure because mine is on the top (no, I don't know why either) and yours might be in an obscure place as well
I searched the TV with a torch but nothing. The manual doesn't mention any S-video ports either; all it says about S-video is that I should select "EXT1" in the menu if using it. I guess they were too obsessed with HDMI when writing the thing I had another look online after reading your post, and I think I would be able to make it with a combination of this S-video to female RCA cable and this male-to-male RCA cable? It seems to make sense, anyway. The laptop takes the male S-video, the male RCA plugs into the TV with the other end in the first cable's female end (no double entrendres intended, if any). As with just about anything else in my life, I may be incredibly wrong about this though
you seem to have the right idea. Svideo isn't much different than RCA other than it splitting the video signal into 2 parts (luminance and colour). You just combine them back together (I'm over simplifying this) and bang, you have an RCA signal.
The odd thing is, it shouldn't be hard for you to find the cable you're on about. I have at home a s-video to RCA cable as in the linked picture, and they should be widely available. Try your nearest computer or TV or AV shop and see what they've got in there, it could just be that they're not widely available on the 'net. No need to go tearing apart other cables and joining them together! Also, if your laptop has a Function button with a computer screen as the icon, you may need to press that to set it to display on external/secondary display. E.g., on mine it is Function + f12. However you can also configure it as a second display, displaying another Windows desktop side by side (theoretically).
do you have a SCART input. I use an S-video output on my HTPC to a SCART input on my TV. This requires a S-Video to SCART adapter, the SCART adapter also carries the sound from your laptop down the cable you already have. This is what I mean. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SCART-ADAPTER...14&_trkparms=72:1301|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318 Otherwise, the yellow socket on your TV is commonly known as 'composite' not to be confused with 'component' and you could use an adapter like this... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Composite-to-...14&_trkparms=72:1301|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318 with a cable like this... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PRO-Composite...photoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262 Hope that helps.
Seems every one has pretty much said the same stuff. i was going to suggest this. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812196063 And if you wanted to have audio from ur laptop to the tv oen of these, or simular would work. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882203024
Thanks for all the replies, they've been very helpful. I've got a good idea of what to go for/do now without ending up with crap I don't need!
if you want to do svideo cheap.. just buy a cheap run of standard cat cable and make your own- it will have just enough twisted pairs inside to run the video and stereo audio the svideo to composite is what your looking for.. the adapters are everywhere as was mentioned.. I have like 3 of em
I wouldn't personally run audio over twisted pair cat 5... I have found svideo to our TV at home to be rather low quality - not helped by my old laptop not having any widescreen resolutions of less that 720P which doesn't play so nicely with svideo it seems. Fine for iplayer, but not for web surfing.
Standard definition CRT widescreen televisions in the UK can use a resolution of 1024 x 576. It will not be available in your graphics settings. However if your driver allows you to, you may be able to create a custom resolution. This is what I did for my HTPC which is based on an integrated nvidia 6150 chipset.
It is a 32" 720P HDTV but if you use the VGA input you can't get sound through it too. And the graphics card is an ATI Mobility Radeon 9700
Haven't really read through all replies (yet ), but I can tell you the following. Even though your notebook has what is an S-Video Out connector it's actually a combination of S-Video/Composite Out. The type of connector you have on your TV is called Cinch. The yellow connector usually denotes a *Composite* video input. The cable you linked to first should do the trick. However, you must select the video output on the PC side as "Composite". Otherwise you'll end up with a black and white image. This is because, as stated by play_boy_2000 above, S-Video signals are split into luminance (black and white) and colour. EDIT: Could you please inform us of the exact make and model of your TV? This would help making sure you get the best possible connection as composite video provides the lowest video quality of the lot.
I can tell you from personal experience (with both of the aforementioned) up to 1280x1024 on VGA works, I've never tested any higher though
1280x1024 is a 4:3 format (well, actually 5:4 but who's counting). Unless there are some widescreen resolutions available the image will look pretty odd, to say the least.
Sorry about the major thread hijack, I shouldn't have mentioned it. Anyway, I know I can get a picture to the TV using VGA, this works well, but I can't seem to get audio with it, so I am using the composite connection which has two RCAs for audio. right - enabled overscan and that has helped. please return to original thread.
svideo is good over long distances.. composite is pretty crappy and as stated- the worst of the lot.. the problem with hdmi is over 15-16 feet you tend to get sparkleys on the screen- I've personally run them all- and to tell you the truth.. svideo isn't bad at all and it can be run over cat cable with audio without ground loops or any major interference (used mainly for long distances) dvi is exactly the same quality as hdmi minus the audio- I just can't believe how much they charge for the hdmi cables.. guess there's alot of suckers buying- actually I've spliced into a svid 4 pin to composite adapter a long time ago- it was (from what I remember) the 2 inner pins to the inside rca hope it helps
