I know there’s just a setting someplace, but I can’t find what it is or where. I have a VGA cable connecting my hp 6735b to the PC input of the tv. But I can’t figure out how to send the PC signal to the tv. (The tv just sits there telling me “no signal.” These things are designed to be used with projectors, etc., but I’ll be damned if I can find out how to do it. And I know there’s a simple answer. Any help, dopers? thanks. CC
On my TV, there is a button on the remote called “input” or something like that. Pressing it brings up a menu with various options, like “Video 1”, “Video 2”, etc. The manual for the TV might tell you which option corresponds to which device, but a few minutes of trial and error should let you sort it out as well…
Depending on the TV, you may need a NTSC composite video signal. Most laptops don’t provide it. Get a VGA to NTSC video converter ($20). You can connect your headphone output to the TV for audio, as long as the TV has an audio input. An adapter might be necessary.
A friend just bought a new, large TV, and it accepts a VGA cable without needing a conversion. Then all you need is a VGA to VGA cable of the right gender at each end. And to select the desired input, as Oakminster says.
You can get all this stuff at Radio Shack (pricey) or monoprice.com (cheap, but you’ll have to wait for shipment).
I have a dedicated VGA dock in the back of my tv that’s marked pc in, and which the tv’s manual tells me is where I hook up the pc. And I have a VGA cable (from Best Buy) that has the 15 pin plug on both ends so the other end is plugged in to the PC’s VGA out (to monitor) dock. I think I have the hardware set up correctly. So what am I now missing? Is there a “switch” where I can tell the computer to send the signal out through the cable instead of (or in addition to) on to the screen?
If you’re already plugged in, and you’re just not getting a signal, here’s what you can try:
Often there is a function key that looks like a laptop, a line, and a rectangle with curvy corners representing an external monitor. Press it, and with luck it will start outputting the signal.
Try rebooting with the external monitor (your TV) already plugged in. Most of the time, if your computer doesn’t automatically output the signal when you plug a monitor in, it will recognize it on reboot.
Go to control panel --> display settings, or right-click the desktop (or some such depending on your OS) and tweak the numbers on your external monitor. Sometimes your computer is set on “single display” by default, or sometimes the external monitor is set on an incompatible resolution. This is also where you go to switch from “clone displays” to “extended desktop”.
Also, beware that on a lot of Windows installations have competing display programs. For instance, there might be an Nvidia control panel in addition to the basic Windows display settings. These could be set up to do different things, and could cause trouble with setting up your external display.
Ah, as it turns out, the reboot was the answer. Thanks. But since I fooled around first with the display settings, now my pc screen looks goofy so I now have to go back to that setting and fix that. But my original problem is solved, thanks again to the fine minds at the SDMB. xo, C.