Computer to TV adapter

[BF Bobb]

Fooled me once:
I bought a USB to VGA adapter from BestBuy. I can now use my 22” TV as a second monitor. The problem comes when I try to view a MP4 videos from the computer to the second monitor (TV). The audio I not in sync with the video. If I view it on the regular computer monitor it works fine.
I’m not at that computer I cant check the make/ model of the adapter. I am pretty sure the USB port is a 2 not a 3.
Would adding a newer USB 3 card help this problem? Or is it something else?

Fool me twice:
Before I do it again.. . . . I have gotten a hold of an old Acer Veriton slim desktop. I want to attach it to my main big screen TV (not a smart TV) . I want to use it to watch DVDs, MP4s, and stream videos. I have done this before using an old laptop to stream through the HDMI.
I haven't set it up yet, but its supposed to Win 7 pro. Probably USB 2. It only has VGA.
What the best way to wire this to the TV? VGA will only to video, not audio. I don’t know anything about DVI. My TV only has input for HDMI, VGA and Coax.
I’m guessing HDMI would be best. Should I get a USB to HDMI adapter? Will it need USB 3? Should I get a USB 3 internal card? I searched Amazon for a internal HDMI card but didn’t find one that is just HDMI. They have all 3 video types on it. I need one that will fit in a slim case.

Any advice or links to produces would be great.

Thanks
Bobb

[usually_quiet]

Fooled me once:
I bought a USB to VGA adapter from BestBuy. I can now use my 22” TV as a second monitor. The problem comes when I try to view a MP4 videos from the computer to the second monitor (TV). The audio I not in sync with the video. If I view it on the regular computer monitor it works fine.
I’m not at that computer I cant check the make/ model of the adapter. I am pretty sure the USB port is a 2 not a 3.
Would adding a newer USB 3 card help this problem? Or is it something else?

Fool me twice:
Before I do it again.. . . . I have gotten a hold of an old Acer Veriton slim desktop. I want to attach it to my main big screen TV (not a smart TV) . I want to use it to watch DVDs, MP4s, and stream videos. I have done this before using an old laptop to stream through the HDMI.
I haven't set it up yet, but its supposed to Win 7 pro. Probably USB 2. It only has VGA.
What the best way to wire this to the TV? VGA will only to video, not audio. I don’t know anything about DVI. My TV only has input for HDMI, VGA and Coax.
I’m guessing HDMI would be best. Should I get a USB to HDMI adapter? Will it need USB 3? Should I get a USB 3 internal card? I searched Amazon for a internal HDMI card but didn’t find one that is just HDMI. They have all 3 video types on it. I need one that will fit in a slim case.

Any advice or links to produces would be great.

Thanks
Bobb

HDMI is best if someone wants a connection supporting both video and audio. There are also streaming services which require an HDCP compliant connection, for which VGA won't work. Otherwise, VGA + stereo audio will be fine. (If your TV has a VGA connection, it surely has a plug for a PC speaker jack.)

If you want a new video card for HDMI and your desktop has an open expansion slot for installing a low-profile single-slot video card, there are models which provide an interchangeable low-profile bracket. Below are two examples with low power requirements and HDMI:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125972
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814137139

You will probably not find a video card with just one video connection.

[Edit] It would probably help if you provided the model number for the Acer Veriton slim desktop, just in case it does not support installing expansion cards of any kind.

[pandy]

I would personally avoid any USB (even USB3) based graphic adapters - they are usually highly limited and not suitable for 1080i/p resolutions (1920x1080p24 @ 4:2:0 require at least 570Mbps sustained bitrate, adding audio, some control data this is at least 600Mbps, USB3 is capable to provide over 2.5(5)Gbps but it may be not able to provide stable throughput in line with other high CPU load tasks).

[jagabo]

unusually_quiet is right, any TV with VGA input will also have an analog audio input to go along with it. So use a VGA cable and the appropriate audio cable. Probably something like:

https://www.amazon.com/C2G-Cables-Go-27411-Stereo/dp/B000234HVS

or

https://www.amazon.com/Choseal-3-5mm-Audio-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00A7J1ANA

[lingyi]

Rather than spending the time and money on your PC (which seems rather old to have VGA only), why not get a dedicated media player or an Android Box. You could stream your videos (you'd probably have to rip your DVDs and put the files (.mkv, .iso, etc.) on a hard drive). If you get an Android Box, you could install Kodi and have multiple streaming options.

[BF Bobb]

I just got around to working on this system a little.
Unusually_Quiet: thanks for the info and the links, that's just what I was looking for. However as it worked out, I didn't need the HDMI. I tried your suggestion (and Jagabo's) to just use the VGA and audio, and it works fine. I didn't know the TV had PC-audio-in. I figured I would have to run the PC audio to a different source, and unplug it every time I wanted regular TV audio.
It is a model X4618G. It has two slots in it, one is very short. I had gotten a used wireless card for free, I looks like it should fit in the longer slot, but its just a little different. So I bought a new wireless adapter and its working fine.

Lingyi: Thanks for the suggestion to try Kodi. It has an impressive and professional look, but in reality its not as user friendly as I would hope. I'll keep playing with it and watching tutorials on youtube. I can get youtube through Kodi, right? I think I saw that somewhere. There is probably Kodi info on this forum.

My original post contained two questions, you guys really helped with the second (most important) part.
My other problem (maybe should have been in a separate post). . . .
On a different computer I bought a USB to VGA adapter from BestBuy. So I can use my 22” TV as a second monitor. The problem comes when I try to view a MP4 video from the computer to the second monitor (TV). The audio is not in sync with the video. I think the USB port is a 2 not a 3. Would adding a newer USB 3 card help this problem? Or is it something else?
Any ideas?

Thanks
Bobb

[jagabo]

USB 2.0 video adapters suck for video -- not enough bandwidth. I don't know if the 3.0 versions work any better.