PC Video to TV

[ramosis]

What is the simplest and cheapest way of playing the videos from my PC's Internal HDD on my TV set?

Many Thanks

Ramosis

[yoda313]

Use a video out from your video card to the input on your tv.

If standard def its probably svideo assuming you have an svideo input on your tv - but they do have svideo to rca adapters.

If high def either component or hdmi.

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Now if you are talking about playing it WITHOUT the pc then you have some other options.

Make a dvd with avstodvd and burn with imgburn.

Get a settop media player like a wdtv and copy the files to a harddrive and play on your tv.

You'll have to be more specific about your real end game here. Plus what your source files usually are and whether or not you'd like to do internet streaming - they have settop boxes designed for internet streaming.

[oldfart13]

What kind of TV do you have? Both my 2+ year old RCA and my brand new Sony Bravia BX450 have PC inputs that go directly from the compuer video and audio card outputs. Most HDTVs have them. Cheap cables (VGA and audio) can be had from pretty well any electronics supply store, Wal-Mart, etc.

[usually_quiet]

Are you going to play the video using your PC? If so, for newer TVs, HDMI works well if the PC and TV both support it otherwise VGA plus an appropriate audio cable (3.5mm male on both ends, or 3.5mm male to 2 RCA stereo audio male, depending on the TV.) For an older or analog TV, the video connection become mores difficult. Composite, component, and S-Video output are no longer common on recent video cards. You would need a powered video converter box to go from VGA or HDMI to something the TV has. Simple cables and passive adapters with VGA on one end and component, composite, or S-Video on the other end will not work.

[jagabo]

If your TV doesn't have HDMI, DVI, or VGA inputs, and your computer doesn't have s-video or composite outputs, get a standalone media player. They play most of the common video codecs and containers. They can play from network shares via Ethernet or WiFi, USB thumb drives, external USB drives, etc. Prices start around US$30.

http://www.iboum.com/net-media-players.php

Go to Amazon.com and search for "media player".

[ramosis]

Thanks very much everyone for all the input.
Presently I'm using the PC motherboard's video chip. Looks like I'll have to invest in a video card!

[vidyarathne]

or you have to buy vga to tv converter
http://www.folders.co.nz/Pics/6585/1to4.jpg

[ramosis]

Any idea what I can expect to pay for a converter?

[yoda313]

Any idea what I can expect to pay for a converter?

Quality is one biggie you'll pay for.

It would be much better in terms of quality to buy an inexpensive video card that has the right outputs that will fit your computer. Check if you need pci or agp or if you can handle the newer pci-e format.

Also check to see they should have at LEAST an svideo out for decent quality - assuming you have svideo in on your set. Rca is OK but the bottom of the barrel of the quality spectrum and the lowest for standard def - svideo is the best you can do for standard def.

You still haven't mentioned what you can use for inputs on your tv.

If its a relatively recent hdtv you might have a vga input on it and all you'd need is a vga cable and audio cables to hook up your computer.

For high def you'll need either component or hdmi outputs on your card. Take note component seems to be getting harder to find on newer hdtvs though I haven't checked all that hard so I may not be correct on that.

[ramosis]

The tv hs all the standard connections, svideo, RCA etc.

[yoda313]

The tv hs all the standard connections, svideo, RCA etc.

By standard do you mean standard definition? Than you can buy a really cheap video card that has an svideo out and use a svideo cable and you are all set. Just get a headphone to rca adapter to connect the audio from your soundcard output to the input on the tv and you are good to go.

Now if you need to have h264 decoding on the card you'll need to research that to make sure the card will do the work to ease the load off your cpu. But those should still be inexpensive these days. You won't likely find any new agp cards as I think agp has been completely phased out. You can still buy used agp if you must use agp of course.

[ramosis]

Yes, standard definition.

[yoda313]

Yes, standard definition.

Ok then just set yourself a budget and go online to find the type of video card that will suit your needs.

Just checking you have installed a video or sound card before right? If not you could ask somebody to help or go online for tutorials - and videos are available via youtube of course.

You might be able to get away with some kind of usb to rca video output device. However personally I'd stay away from that as most likely being either unreliable (playback issues) or low quality - or likely both. A video card is the way to go.

[ramosis]

Great stuff, many thanks, will check out the video card angle.

[yoda313]

Great stuff, many thanks, will check out the video card angle.

You're welcome.

Should you have specific questions regarding a video card you are looking to get you should start a new thread in the computer forum here on this website. We'll be happy to help when we have some time.

Edit - this is the link you'd use:

https://forum.videohelp.com/forums/37-Computer

Once there you'd click on post new thread and type away

[jagabo]

or you have to buy vga to tv converter
http://www.folders.co.nz/Pics/6585/1to4.jpg

That is not a VGA to TV converter. That is a cable with a D15 shell at one end and s-video, composite video, and RCA audio connectors at the other. It is for devices that already have those signals on a D15 connector. It will not convert a computer's VGA output to TV compatible signals. Devices that really convert VGA to s-video/composite start around US$20. But quality is low.

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/283861-VGA-to-S-video?p=1756748&viewfull=1#post1756748

A video card with s-video or composite output will look a little better, but not much. It's adequate for watching standard definition video but you won't want to use it as a computer. Normal Windows text is barely legible. That's just the nature of standard definition video.