Total Newb-Help with video to TV

[jeff7602]

I have an MLB.TV subscription which enables me to watch baseball games live on my computer. I would like to hook my computer up to my TV so that I can watch them in the living room on my HDTV. I only have about $75 to spend on this project right now, but I don't even know where to start.

First, how do I check what video card is currently on my computer?

Second, is VGA going to make me lose much quality? or do I need to go DVI/HDMI?

The video card I currently have only has one output, will I need a new one, or can I get a splitter?

Any help would be great, and I'm not sure if I'm even asking the right questions...

[Baldrick]

How far away is the computer from the TV?
Do you have a PS3 or a Xbox 360? Then you might be able to stream the live video directly to them.

I would probably find a new "cheap" video card with dual dvi or vga and dvi outputs.

[jeff7602]

I do have a xbox, but I spent most of the season last year trying to find a way to do it. Since it is password protected I can't find a way to stream it to the 360. Right now the TV is about 40 feet from the computer. I will be moving sometime in the coming months though and don't know how far it will be in the future.

What would I be looking for in a "cheap" video card, and where would I look?

[Krispy Kritter]

You will first need to determine which type of video card your computer is using. It could be onboard video, PCI-E, or AGP based. If it's onboard, you will have to determine if you have an available slot to add a video card. You also have to determine what type of inputs your TV supports.

[jman98]

First, how do I check what video card is currently on my computer?

If you have a tech savvy friend, it'd be easier to just ask him to tell you than to write lengthy instructions on how to do it when, bluntly put, if you have to ask this kind of question, I'm not sure you'd understand how to do it anyway. I'm not criticizing you, but that's just how it is.

Second, is VGA going to make me lose much quality? or do I need to go DVI/HDMI?

I don't have MLB.tv, but there is no chance that you are getting even standard definition video from this. At best it's probably something like 640x480 - at best. Maybe even less. Thus, you would be wasting your money to worry about DVI/HDMI and in your price range, you can do neither. VGA is OK for your needs.

The video card I currently have only has one output, will I need a new one, or can I get a splitter?

Any help would be great, and I'm not sure if I'm even asking the right questions...

If your HDTV allows VGA input (many do), it should be a piece of cake to just connect your PC to it, use the TV as a monitor, and watch your games that way. You may be trying to make this a lot harder than it needs to be.