If you are completely clueless about connecting a laptop to HDMI TV, you’ve landed on the right page. Here, I will guide you through the right procedure for connecting laptops to an HDMI TV for using it as your computer screen.
With advances in electronics, the boundaries between different media are slowly blurring. Due to the development of wireless communication and digital interfaces, capable of bridging gaps between different electronic devices, data sharing has been substantially simplified. One such electronic interface, designed for sharing digital data is High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI). Thanks to this technology, connecting your laptop computer with a television, without compromising on picture or audio quality, is actually possible.
Prior to the introduction of HDMI ports and cables for high-definition audio and video transmission, there were several alternatives you could use like S-Video, VGA or radio frequency coaxial cables for connecting computers and devices like DVD players with television sets.
However, with the creation of high-definition televisions (HDTVs), an interface, which could transmit high quality uncompressed digital audio and video signals between different devices became necessary. That was the motivation behind the creation of HDMI technology.
About HDMI
Developed by a consortium of electronic companies including Philips, Hitachi, Sony, Matsushita and Toshiba, HDMI connectors are now used in most high-definition television sets, game consoles, DVD players and other electronic devices, including laptop computers. What sets apart the HDMI cables and interfaces from other types, is their ability to transmit high-definition video and audio simultaneously.
These interfaces can provide a maximum bitrate of 10.2 Gbit/second using Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) technology. Most of the latest laptops come with an HDMI port for connection with television sets and other devices. Let us now see how to make a connection between laptop and a TV, using an HDMI cable.
Connecting a Laptop to HDMI TV
Before you begin, you must ensure that both your laptop and TV have HDMI ports, without which the connection won’t be possible. Check out the backside of your LCD or LED TV for ports labeled as ‘HDMI’. Also, make sure that your laptop has a 19 pin HDMI port.
Step 1
Once you have checked out and made sure that both laptop and television have a HDMI port, the next step is to buy a high quality and high speed HDMI cable that is compatible with the connectors. You should be able to buy such a cable from any electronics store.
Step 2
With the cable purchased, you are ready to connect the two devices. Switch on your laptop and put it’s sound on the headphones or speaker mode. Locate the HDMI ports on the backside of your television set.
Step 3
Switch on your television, connect the HDMI cable with the laptop’s HDMI port on one side and the television port on the other side. Put your television into HDMI channel mode using the TV remote.
Step 4
As soon as you make the connection between laptop and monitor, you should see a window popping up on your laptop, when it detects the new hardware that’s connected. Choose the appropriate resolution of your television and apply changes. You should immediately start seeing the laptop output on the television screen. Play your favorite movies and they will be directly displayed on the television screen. This is the point where you sit back and enjoy!
As you must have realized, connecting a laptop computer to an HDMI TV is extremely easy when you have HDMI ports at both ends. It is just a matter of finding the right HDMI cable and connecting the two devices together. Once you have chosen the right resolution for the television, you are ready to enjoy your laptop stored movies on the big LCD or LED screen.