Laptop to TV?

[mattizzle]

I've got a new Sony VGN-FE31H laptop, and I noticed a port to plug something in on the side saying 'S Video' 'Output'. I know I could plug the laptop into a desktop computer screen.....But im wondering if there's a cable available to plug the laptop straight into my tv?

 

[The_Other_One]

An Svideo cable Or an Svideo to RCA converter if your TV doesn't have Svideo.

 

[mattizzle]

D'oh, simple as that is it? Nothing else I should know before I buy 1?

 

[The_Other_One]

Eh, just don't expect awesome quality. Converting from your computer's screen to the low res RCA/SVHS connection, you loose a good bit of quality.

 

[mattizzle]

Are we talking un-watchable quality though? Give me an idea of how good the quality is percentage wise?

 

[The_Other_One]

Well... A standard def. TV runs at 720x480, compared to whatever your monitor runs at(perhaps 1024x768, probably higher...) A TV also uses an interlaced image(basically two images displaying at once) where a computer displays every image. This conversion process drops the quality even more.

Typically, if you run your screen at 640x480, the output is pretty decent. Most text will be readable and all... But of course, many things are made for much larger resolutions.

 

[-gunut-]

Quality is ok. I got a cable Svid to standard TV connection and I would use it to watch videos and stuff. It is nice to have. Also fun to play video games on a big screen .

 

[kgordon]

get an s-video.......also get an video splitter. plugs into your headphone jack then you have the red and white rca to plug into the tv.......allowing the sound to come from the tv rather than the computer. I got mine at radio shack. Thats all you need.

 

[mattsprattuk]

basically... tv pixels are bigger than laptop pixels, so your going to lose a bit...
running a game that you usually play in 1024x768 in 800x600 will simulate the quality drop

 

[heyman421]

i played trackmania united on my 1989 sony tv all weekend, and it looked great

when you hook up your tv, it should unlock a setting for 640x480, which is what you want.

 

[Fr33d0m]

S-Video has never been a great quality. Newer TVs now have a VGA input like I do on my plasma. Works a ton better! there may very well be a box that converts a VGA monitor output to an RCA. Not sure though.

 

[heyman421]

that'd be a waste of time considering converting vga to rca is goign to give you absolutely no advantage over running the rca directly out of your video card, and will probably actually degrade the quality more.

that's like buying an album on cassette vs. buying the album on a cd and then recording it onto a cassette thinking it's going to improve quality.

 

[Fr33d0m]

Yeah, you're exactly right. I wasn't thinkign clearly when I typed that obviously.