what's the best way (if it's possible without being a pita) to connect a laptop that currently has no video outputs to a t.v.? laptop in question is a dell inspiron b130.

8/28/2006 7:38:10 PM

first off- "Google" is a good start.... But if not, is the TV LCD? Your laptop has an external monitor slot on it. If you have lcd then you hook it up as if the LCD tv was another monitor. If not, go to radioshack and get the converter. runs about $40

[Edited on August 28, 2006 at 8:04 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2006 8:04:28 PM

S-video - just about all laptops have it.

[Edited on August 28, 2006 at 9:12 PM. Reason : ?]

8/28/2006 9:12:30 PM

some don't though (the t series thinkpads for example)

a lot of new laptops are ditching the s-video connector in favor of just a vga connector or a dvi connector. this is what most projectors will take anways.

back on topic though, there are vga to svideo converters but they are EXPENSIVE, as in 50-150 bucks.

8/28/2006 9:20:40 PM

If your tv or dvd player has rca connectors, you could get a VGA to RCA cable

8/28/2006 9:50:45 PM

Doesn't the video card still have to support that though?

8/28/2006 9:51:42 PM

wow. I love how none of you are giving him any useful advice.

The b130 ONLY has a VGA output.

If he has an LCD/HDTV with vga/dvi, use the adapter (as ncemt_03 pointed out)

otherwise your ONLY alternative is a scanline converter. There is no such thing as a "vga to rca" cable. A scanline converter isn't cheap, looking at 30-100 bucks for a basic one, and you aren't going to get very good quality out of it.

Basically, it's going to be a PITA and relatively expensive. You'd be better off just eventually getting a new tv.

(And just for the haters, you can get component to vga, but it doesnt work in reverse, or the ATI dvi to component, which only works on certain ATI cards, requires DVI and is expensive)

[Edited on August 28, 2006 at 9:57 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2006 9:55:25 PM

Pretty much everything you said could be pulled from a previous post.

8/28/2006 10:08:48 PM

^^thanks, i was hoping you or someone else with a clue would chime in. i had considered the vga option, but wasn't aware such converters existed and i don't have a compatable tv. where would i find one of the cheaper converters? i highly doubt i'll notice much quality difference, i've been transferring to an ancient desktop that has an rca video out. i plan on upgrading to a decent HDTV when i refinance my house, then i can worry about quality.

[Edited on August 28, 2006 at 10:19 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2006 10:18:19 PM

You can google around for cheaper converters. A lot of the searching will turn up cable adapters meant for specific video cards. I wouldn't order anything too cheap from somewhere that didn't have a generous return policy.

Places that make/sell cheap stuff like that:

Cablestogo.com
Startech.com
cnaweb.com

I've ordered some things from those places before. They can be pretty shitty if you go for cheap, but they're at least accurate about what they label everything.

[Edited on August 28, 2006 at 10:27 PM. Reason : ]

8/28/2006 10:22:47 PM

Quote :

"otherwise your ONLY alternative is a scanline converter. There is no such thing as a "vga to rca" cable. A scanline converter isn't cheap, looking at 30-100 bucks for a basic one, and you aren't going to get very good quality out of it."

This page says otherwise:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=OPVGATRCAC5M&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=353576
Page with (small) picture:
http://www.nextag.com/Optoma-Technology-VGA-to-84846727/prices-html

Quote :

"wow. I love how none of you are giving him any useful advice."

Useless advice:

Quote :

"There is no such thing as a "vga to rca" cable"

[Edited on August 28, 2006 at 11:05 PM. Reason : k]

8/28/2006 10:59:28 PM

Now, Noen's an ass but he's usually right about a lot of things. Are you sure those VGA-RCA cables don't require cards that support them? I know they didn't work on my dad's laptop, but it was pretty shitty.

8/28/2006 11:10:54 PM

^^ Did you even fucking read my post?

I even EDITED because I KNEW one of you idiots would try to say EXACTLY what you just did.

Those links are for a "VGA to Component RCA" VGA TO COMPONENT, YPbPr video. Not a goddamn Video/Left/Right RCA cable set. And it WONT WORK. VGA to Component cables only work ONE WAY and they are proprietary (effectively) for projectors. They allow to use a component source as the input into a VGA capable projector.

^Yes, some special video chipsets and some laptops support TV out through VGA, but its VERY rare, and I havent heard of it on a new laptop in quite a while.


BigBlue, Ill find you a cheap scanline converter.

[Edited on August 29, 2006 at 12:55 AM. Reason : .]

8/29/2006 12:49:25 AM

http://cgi.ebay.com/Focus-Enhansments-TView-GOLD-PC-to-TV-Video-Converter_W0QQitemZ230021619115QQihZ013QQcategoryZ3759QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

theres one for about 40 bucks shipped.

If you search ebay for "vga to tv scan converter" and check to look in titles and descriptions you will get about a hundred auctions. Not worth payin more than about 50 shipped for anything, but you can sometimes get a used one for about 20 bucks.

8/29/2006 12:58:18 AM