Hooking Up my Laptop to my Plasma

G

ghammerle

Enthusiast
What are my options from best to worst for hooking up my laptop to my plasma? Cand I do it wireless? I am basically wanting to watch movies from my PC/ laptop in NETFlix via internet. Thanks.
 
Hi Ho

Hi Ho

Audioholic Samurai
We need a bit more information first.

1. What is the brand/model of your plasma TV?

2. What type of laptop do you have?

3. What display outputs does it have?

How you connect your laptop really depends on what connections the laptop has. I am going to assume that the TV has HDMI and/or DVI. If your laptop has a DVI output then you're set and ready to go. You can use a DVI > HDMI adapter if your set does not have a DVI input.

If your laptop does not have a DVI output but rather a VGA output then the chances of getting the best picture from it are diminished. If your TV has a VGA input (some do) then you're all set. If not, then you're left with two options; if you're really lucky your laptop would work with an adapter like THIS. If you're not so lucky then you're left with the lowly S-Video connection which is most likely found on the laptop (most have it). This connection will work but it won't look terribly good and it is often a hassle just to get the screen size right.

I was in the same position as you. I have an inexpensive laptop that only has a VGA and S-Video output. My Panasonic plasma does not have a VGA input. I had to resort to the S-Video output and the results were unimpressive. Now that Netflix streaming is available on the Xbox that is the only way I do it (stuff is in HD too).
 
Nemo128

Nemo128

Audioholic Field Marshall
Well said Hi Ho.

ghammerle, wireless, your options are limited and defly not going to give you HD quality transmission. More info about both your TV and your laptop would yield specific and better options.
 
G

ghammerle

Enthusiast
Sorry I have been busy

I currently have a dell Inspiron 1501 laptop, with a pioneer Elite 50" plasma (maybe one or two years old) and a Yamaha RXV-663 amp. I run my laptop wirelessly right now. I also have a Dish SAT with NO HD channels yet(I know I am STUPID....wife won't let me) I would like the option of just watching a few movies especially for the kids via Netflix.
 
V

vinaykagarwal

Audiophyte
A lot of laptops, like the one I am using to type this response, come with a HDMI connector where you can just a cable to the plasma.
 
lsiberian

lsiberian

Audioholic Overlord
If your tv has a vga input you can use that. Otherwise you will need to use S-Video.

I don't think that laptop has hdmi or DVI
 
G

ghammerle

Enthusiast
What is best?

I have inputs in the back of my amp which I then run one RGB up to the tv. Should I do the same with the laptop? Can I have something in my video cabinet that I could just turn my laptop on and then it would basically appear on the tv wirelessly? Should I use a PC to TV converter so I don't need to plug my pc in everytime? How much do they run and how good are they at picture quality and sound quality.
 
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