How to Connect PC to your HDTV

September 20th, 2011

Omar Khan | Print this Article

Enjoy the true High Definition Experience

There are countless ways in which one can enjoy movies and TV shows these days but nothing beats watching them on a high definition screen with crisp picture quality at 720 or 1080p resolution. However, getting your hands on a hi-def TV with a decent sound system can set you back a few hundred dollars. Fortunately, there are other ways to enjoy the same experience at a lower cost by connecting your PC to your HDMI TV.

1	The first thing you need to do is check your desktop for the right ports. Every PC comes with a 15-pin VGA port and if you have a graphic card installed, you might have a 29-pin DVI or HDMI port. For the best experience, an HDMI port is recommended
2	Chose which port you want to use. For best output, an HDMI port is ideal. If you computer has an HDMI port, life’s good and you can simply attach the HDMI cable to your TV. If your PC has a single video output and you will be using it besides the TV, then you might have to spend a little money and get a new graphic card. If you’re going to buy one, I would recommend getting one with an HDMI output though a DVI slot would do as well. Most new cards have the HDMI port. You might need special converters depending on the choice you make. It would be better to get a card with HDMI output but if you go for one with DVI output, an inexpensive DVI to HDMI converter can be purchased for HDMI input to your TV
3	The next step will further explain why I recommended the HDMI port. If you’re not using a HDMI output, you will need to connect your sound card out to your HDMI adapter . HDMI is ideal because it carries both audio and video signals.
4	Once you’ve got the cables connected and everything is set, its time to boot up your PC and change a few settings. Remember, this will vary from person to person. Its time to configure your display settings, Go into the “Control Panel” and find the “Display” settings tab. High end graphic cards support quite a few resolutions and the HDTV manual will list all available resolutions also. Skim through a few to see which suits you best. Standard resolutions at 480p is 704×480, 720p is 1280×720, 1080p is 1920×1080 pixels.
5	All HDTV’s have an HDMI mode which supports DVD Players, PCs and other various inputs. Graphic cards have a few options of its own like “Duplicate Screen, Single Output and Extended Desktop”. If there is more than one screen attached, Duplicate Screen shows the same content on both screens, Single Output shows the content on the primary screen and the Extended Desktop will have each monitor acting independently.
	Its recommended that you get a wireless keyboard and mouse when connecting your PC to your HDTV.