Need help using a TV as a PC monitor

[Neto Magnus]

my monitor was crapping out for awhile now so i threw it away. I had a cheap non HD flat screen TV that I was saving for when I build my arcade cabinet. Now I hooked it up to my PC but there seems to be some minor problems.

First, it seems I can only get 800x600 resolution, which is fine for video games or watching movies but its bad for using the internet or photoshopping. Everything is huge and pixelated. Can this be changed?

Second, the speakers on the TV don't work when its for PC use. How can I change that? Do I need some kind of cable for audio as well?

 

[Malice]

Play with your video card settings...that is where any of these changes would be made.

 

[Neto Magnus]

Play with your video card settings...that is where any of these changes would be made.

Yea I tried that but I can only select Analog Monitor and I selected monitor speakers and still nothing.

 

[Ugfugly]

Yes you need speakers for audio if you are only connecting through the VGA.

As far as pixels, have you tried changing your resolution on your desktop? Right click anywhere, click Properties and then Settings.

The higher you put it the less pixelated you'll get.

 

[Neto Magnus]

Yes you need speakers for audio if you are only connecting through the VGA.

As far as pixels, have you tried changing your resolution on your desktop? Right click anywhere, click Properties and then Settings.

The higher you put it the less pixelated you'll get.

theres a VGA Audio port on the tv as well. Could I get a cable and connect that to the audio Line In on the PC?

I may be from Jersey but I'm not that stupid. Theres only one option in the Settings and its 800x600.

 

[Dave McFly]

theres a VGA Audio port on the tv as well. Could I get a cable and connect that to the audio Line In on the PC?

I may be from Jersey but I'm not that stupid. Theres only one option in the Settings and its 800x600.

yup, just get a 1/8" cable with a male plug on both ends, one goes into the output of your tv below VGA and other goes into the line in on your tower.

 

[Neto Magnus]

yup, just get a 1/8" cable with a male plug on both ends, one goes into the output of your tv below VGA and other goes into the line in on your tower.

ok I solved the speaker issue. Thanks McFly.



But I still can't change the screen res. Is there another way to change it besides in the settings?

 

[RyanJ]

You're not going to get anything higher than 800x600 on a standard television. If I remember right most standard tv's are 640x480. You can bump your video card settings as high as they'll go but the tv will only show you the highest resolution it's capable of displaying. That's why it's a standard tv and the new ones are HD that go up to 1920x1080.

 

[Mixairian]

Depending your graphics card and television you may have to do a few things. First things first. What Operating System are you running and what is the official resolution your TV can handle according the manufacturer's specs?

 

[Dave McFly]

when i hook my PC up to the tv i get 1024x768 on the 32" sony and 800x600 when hooked to my older 27" toshiba from the 90s.

 

[Mixairian]

Ouch. Damn.

First things first. On the computer, right click, properties, pick the tab that says settings. Do this with your TV on and connected. See what resolution options it offers you to set it to. Make sure that if there is a drop down option, that it's set to generic TV or something like that. If that fails, click advanced and perhaps dig around through your GPU options.

Second thing to do is play around with your TV. Options/Menu/Source, whatever, see what display settings your TV can be adjusted to.

 

[Neto Magnus]

My computer is like 8 years old running on WinXP service pack 3. The highest setting I can get on my old monitor was 1600x1200.

I tried hooking it up to my 42" LG HDTV and it only gets 1024x768 but I couldn't get it in widescreen. and on teh 'Device Selection' tab I can only select 'Analog Monitor. I see the option for Digital Flat Panel and TV but I can't select those.

I'm just gonna get a whole new comp all together.

But I'm just curious, do most new widescreen monitors have a tv tuner in them? Cuz I want to save space and just have all my office entertainment needs all on my desk.

 

[Mixairian]

Some 'monitors' have built in tuners for RCA/coaxial connections, some do not. 95% of most modern high definition LCD/Plasma televisions function as both TV and monitor seemlessly.

It can be done with XP or Vista, though, I'll admit, owning both systems, I've found it easier to tinker with on Vista.

Out of curiosity, what type of cable do you use to connect your TV to your old computer. Is it VGA (normal monitor cable), DVI (like VGA but bigger), RCA (red, white, yellow), HDMI (elongated USB looking connection.)

Another solution may be to go to your TV's manufacturer site, or google your TV's model number with the word "driver" next to it. I recently had a monitor that would not function with my computer until I manually installed the driver. It's a possibility.

Keep in mind, if you're seeing the "flat panel tv" option in the drop down area and it's greyed out, you may want to try plugging your TV in the same time as your monitor and make sure it's turned on when tinkering with the settings. Your computer may think your TV is a generic old monitor from the sounds of it.

 

[Neto Magnus]

Some 'monitors' have built in tuners for RCA/coaxial connections, some do not. 95% of most modern high definition LCD/Plasma televisions function as both TV and monitor seemlessly.

It can be done with XP or Vista, though, I'll admit, owning both systems, I've found it easier to tinker with on Vista.

Out of curiosity, what type of cable do you use to connect your TV to your old computer. Is it VGA (normal monitor cable), DVI (like VGA but bigger), RCA (red, white, yellow), HDMI (elongated USB looking connection.)

Another solution may be to go to your TV's manufacturer site, or google your TV's model number with the word "driver" next to it. I recently had a monitor that would not function with my computer until I manually installed the driver. It's a possibility.

Keep in mind, if you're seeing the "flat panel tv" option in the drop down area and it's greyed out, you may want to try plugging your TV in the same time as your monitor and make sure it's turned on when tinkering with the settings. Your computer may think your TV is a generic old monitor from the sounds of it.

It's a VGA (15 pin) cable.

The TV is some **** called Norcent. I never even heard of that company. Anyway, I went to the website and found the driver but the dl is no longer available.

what do u mean plug it in teh same time as the monitor?

 

[Mixairian]

What I used to do when I had trouble setting a TV's resolution was to connect my monitor via DVI and my television via VGA. Basically one computer, two displays. I'd then tinker with the settings from there.

I reread your initial post. I missed the tidbit about the monitor being tossed.

 

[Neto Magnus]

aight thanks for the help guys. I'm just gonna buy a new computer all together.



but on a side note. I'm gonna finally get cable soon. And I was wondering if theres a difference between HD cable and standard cable. I ask cuz I'm planning on just getting one cable box for the HDTV in the living room and then later split it to my other 2 analog TVs. Could that be done or do I have to order 2 cable boxes?