Using a Flat Screen Television as a Computer Monitor

Why buy a larger monitor for your Personal Computer when you can use your flat screen television to watch movies stored in your computer, browse and multitask by splitting the screen, play games and much more. There are different ways through which the TV-PC connection can be made.
 

Flat screen televisions are no longer as luxurious as they once were as prices continue to fall almost every home now has one or two units. The compatibility of home equipments keeps on increasing, with the smart televisions, smart refrigerators all linked to the internet.

To connect your television to your PC, first know the ports available at the back of the television. All flat screen televisions come with HDMI (High Definition Media Interface) while some flat screen televisions come fitted with VGA (Video Graphics Array) port and can be connected directly with the PC without any need for driver downloads or upgrades.

If you want to connect your computer to your television using the HDMI port and your computer does not have one present, there are VGA to HDMI converters, Graphics cards (PCI and USB) that come along with HDMI ports that will enable the connection to be made.

Another way that the TV-PC connection can be made is by getting a video card with a TV-out. The television can be connected through HDMI or through the DVI (Digital Video Interface) port. An advantage of getting a video card is that you can also capture video from your camcorder directly unto your PC.

Another way to connect your television to your computer is through a PC to TV converter. 

The advantage a PC to TV converter has is that it does not need you to upgrade your video card and can be used with a laptop that does not have a video card. The connection is made through the VGA port on your computer to the converter. A wireless PC to television converter can also be used allowing greater flexibility, in that it can be used from a greater distance or another room. Most converters don’t support audio transfer from computer to television, but this is a minor problem that can easily be fixed. The computer can be connected to a home theatre system to give a rich surround sound or a 3.5mm audio jack can be connected to the computer with an RCA output to the television. If you want better sound output getting a high end sound card improves sound output.

The advantages of connecting your television to your computer are numerous as it saves money that could have been used to buy a bigger monitor, you get to multitask, and you can also watch television with a press of your televisions remote or have a TV card installed. The TV card allows you receive television signals on your computer and this can be though a USB or with a PCI card. There are limitations to the TV-PC connection, such as the cost of hard ware, increased RAM usage of your computer resulting in slower processing.

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