How to Turn Your TV Into an Extra Computer Monitor
Technology is beginning to merge devices more and more. Phones began by adding cameras. Computers have become portable and wireless. Smartphones have pretty much merged every possible device into a single handheld gadget. Now we've realized that a TV has all the properties of a monitor. Why not incorporate it into the computing world?
Connecting Your Computer to a Television
A standard VGA cable, used for hooking up computer monitors or other video equipment. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If you're fortunate to have one of the new LCD or plasma televisions they make the conversion process easy. They already come equipped with the basic computer monitor connections you will need. Look to the back of the television and locate the VGA connection. It resembles the connection you are used to using when you plug in your regular computer monitor.
On the computer itself you'll want to check the back for the blue VGA connection. Most graphics cards have this connection. Check and see if you have two of these ports on the back of your computer. If you have only one you probably have a lower-end computer in which the graphics card is integrated into the mother board. But more and more computers have two VGA ports, which you'll be able to detect because they are blue.
Input and Graphic Card Settings
Now you use the monitor cable to connect the video card to the VGA port in the back of your LCD or plasma television. It is important to remember for this connection to work you have to verify that you have set your television to the input that corresponds to the VGA outlet. You might have to cycle through various inputs like HDMI and others until you locate the VGA.
Now you may still not get the desired effect of two working monitors even though you have followed all these steps to the letter. That is because you must still tell the computer that you have two displays. You need to go into your settings and then find your graphics card settings. If you can't find what you are looking for you may need to go out to the website that supports your graphics card and download the necessary components.
Clone or Dual
In most cases you will follow this same pattern. Find the display settings. Find the horizontal span and from there you can either clone or have the monitor mimicked. If you clone it then what you do on the computer will appear on both screens. This might be handy if you are watching a movie on your computer but want to see it on the bigger LCD or plasma television.
You can also select the dual option. This will essentially widen the canvas of your screen. Once you select this setting the screen may flicker at first and the graphics settings will ask if you want to keep these settings. Hit yes. At this point you should have both monitor and television screen acting as a large canvas screen which you can move back and forth between.
Posted by admin on April 12th, 2011 :: Filed under Did you know
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