I was wondering what I would need and what it would cost me to be able to hook up a laptop to my TV. Thing is we watch a lot of movies online through Netflix so it gets old starrng at a tiny computer to watch this. I know I've seen it before, but I don't have a clue what is needed, if the computer would be good enough ( lstandard MacBook), if the TV would be good enough (some HD Vizio, 32 inches or so), or how much it would cost. Any help out there?

It depends on both your TV and your laptop. Assuming both are new(er), you'll probably just need an S-video cable. If both your laptop and TV have DVI terminals, then you can use a DVI cable instead to upgrade to HD. If they are not compatible i'm pretty sure you're getting into cards that convert.

So first thing is to check your input/output on your TV and Laptop and go from there.

EDIT: BTW, i think you have to change your monitor in your computer settings. I know how to do that for Windows but not for an Apple.

Gotcha. They're both less then a year old so hopefully not. I don't recall ever seeing an S-Inout option with this TV though, and do recall seeing it on others.

Not sure what type of macbook you have but you need to check your connections first. The most common type of connections that you can use to hook up your laptop to your TV is either an S-video or VGA output, both analog connections.

If your video card has a DVI output (HD quality), you can just buy a DVI to HDMI cable.

If your laptop has an S-Video out, use an S-Video cable but remember that you'll need audio cables as well.

If it has a VGA port, you'll need a VGA to TV converter.

PM me if you have any specific questions

Gotcha, thanks guys. I will have to wait till I get home so I can look. I know I will have more questions though.

HDMI cable, but I'm sure that's been said

FWIW, using an S-Video cable still means that the sound comes from the laptop. I hook up my laptop to my tv all the time with an S-video cable to watch my netflix movies as well.

which is ok if you have decent speakers hooked to the laptop. If not, audio cables will do just fine.

Idk about MacBooks but even the cheapest Windows laptops and HDTVs have at least a VGA output and input respectively so its usually as simple as buying a Male-Male VGA cable and most HDTVs also accept 3.5mm headphone jack so a Male-Male 3.5mm will get you your sound.

My Vizio doesn't have S-Video input and my HP laptop doesn't have S-Video output so you will just have to check with your TV and Laptop which inputs and outputs you have or if u will have to do some converting.

Any guesses how to figure out what kind of input is on the computer side? It really doesn't label anything...Looks like the TV only has HDMI, AV, COMP, and RGB. There really wouldn't be much point in doing it if we couldn't get the sound out of the TV though, so would def have to do that part.

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn35/k3...147851_Full.jpg
Far left (blue) is VGA output / Middle White long port is DVI (rare on PCs, I have no idea on Macs) / Far Right round is S-Video

Your TVs RGB input is your VGA input. That is your built in VGA controller. It should have a 3.5mm input jack on the back too if it has the RGB connector, you will just have to hunt it down.

I don't recall the MacBook having any of those built into it, and basically just a USB, earphone, and microphone.

Here is what their site says about there outputs...

DVI output using Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter
VGA output using Mini-DVI to VGA Adapter

Also says this...

MagSafe power port
Gigabit Ethernet port
Mini-DVI port
FireWire 400 port (up to 400 Mbps)
Two USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps)
Audio line in
Audio line out
Kensington lock slot

Your MacBook might have came with that little do-hicky below or you will have to order it separately, probably the latter knowing Apple. Then you will simply need an extension VGA cable. Then you will need to locate the 3.5mm jack on your TV and buy a male-male cable for that to link sound from laptop to TV.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/M9320G/A

You could do the Mini-DVI to DVI and then buy a DVI-HDMI cable but then you have no way to input sound into the TV as the 3.5mm jack on your TV will only work along side the RGB (VGA) input. This would give you better video quality as it would be all digital BUT like I said, all sound would have to be outputted from your laptop, which isn't practical. VGA is more than capable of handling the resolutions your MacBook can output so I wouldn't worry too much. FYI: MacBook should be able to handle 720p content pretty easily but native 1080p will usually take a fairly powerful graphics card which just isn't available on most laptops.

So to break it down...
$20 for that Mini-DVI-to-VGA adapter
$30 for VGA extension cable
$5 for 3.5mm extension cable

This is the same set-up i used for a year or so before purchasing my Popcorn-Hour, which may I add is a brilliant bit of kit.

EDIT: This is the back of a typical Vizio. If it has RGB it will have a 3.5mm jack nearby.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn35/k3...1-440-330-1.jpg

What's this Popcorn Hour thing you speak of?

http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/ind...noption=catalog
I have the A110. The C200 is new and may have some issues initially but I am sure they will all be straightened out with regular Firmware updates. C200 seems like just a dolled up A110 but I haven't looked into it much anyways because it wasn't available when I bought mine.

Anyways, it is what is referred to as a Network Media Tank. It's sole purpose and processing power is to play video playback up to full 1080p. It will recognize any codec I have ever came across and has the ability to stream live from your PC through your router or you can install a HDD and unlock even more features. Basically, anything you have on a HDD it can recognize and play remotely. Here is my current setup for reference sake and to show you why this is so brilliant. I have my Popcorn Hour sitting underneath my TV with only an ethernet cable running from it to my router. Then I have another ethernet cable running from my main desktop to the same router. From the PopcornHour's User Interface I can access any media file and even word documents from my Desktop computer straight on to my TV without anything but streaming straight from the computer through my router. This is the main way I use it but you can also install a HDD inside the Popcorn Hour and use a torrent sharing program to download your content straight onto the HDD in the Popcorn Hour. So it will take the computer part completely out of the equation and at that point you will simply be using that thing as a little computer devoted to playing and downloading all of your media.

I hope I explained that well enough...its still early for me.

I don't think I'm ready for all that, hah. Will go with the prvious option.

Where would The best place to pick all this stuff up? Will I have toget the converter at an Apple store, or would Best Buy have a cheaper one?

All 3 pieces should be able to be picked up at Best Buy. Best buy will probably carry the Apple brand converter that is marked up a few bucks and then they will have an off-brand one (probably Dynex) that is a just under $20. The other 2 cables will be able to had for sure at Best Buy. VGA Cable will be in the computer section next to the Ethernet Cables. The 3.5mm cable may be with the Home Theater section if I remember correctly. Just make sure before you go shopping you take note of what connectors you need. I am thinking both VGA and 3.5mm will be Male-to-Male but you need to double check.

As for the Popcorn Hour, it really isn't that difficult and I probably made it sound a lot more difficult than it could have been explained. The initial cost is surely worth it in the long run and I think this is where our Media is headed but I will let you get tired of hooking up your laptop for a few months every time you want to watch a movie for a few months. How much longer until discs are obsolete and you will go rent Flash Drives and come home and plug them into a little bitty playback box?

That is something I will def keep in mind, but don't feel like dishing out that much quite yet. Anyway you could make me like a list of what you think would be best? I have both an Apple and Best Buy within a foot of each other on my way home.

That is some crazy shit about the flash drives, bit it really is just a matter of time. Compared to a disk it makes much more sense and would be way more convienent. When you think we might see something that resembles it?

I would just stop by BestBuy and get everything there. They should have it all in stock. I might dish out the extra few bucks for the Apple brand converter unless its like $10 then I might opt for the cheaper one if they have one. Dynex brand is fine for the VGA adapter, pretty sure that is the brand cable I bought and it works perfect. Make sure you get a long enough one, I think I bought a 15ft one. Then the 3.5mm cable just get whatever they have in the appropriate length (may need to buy 2 of them and link together), I think the longest one I could find was 8ft.

Believe it or not it is the 50+ age group that is really holding back technology in a lot of different ways with their stubborn stuck in the past way, afraid of change, way of thought. They hold a lot of influence because they are the ones with all of the disposable income so the technology side of the world has to be careful of how fast them move.

But none-the-less, LED and Laser TVs are moving in to take the place of LCD and Plasma along with the introduction of 1440p to mainstream media. Storage space needed to offer full native 1440p will eventually just move discs, even Blu-Ray discs, to the side because it just isn't practical to keep putting content on disc formats. A 1080p movie after it has been compressed takes up 10+gigs of space, 1440p I would imagine could take close to 20gigs before being compressed, that doesn't take into account an increase in audio quality. It just doesn't seem practical to keep putting crap on discs when it is cheaper to make a Solid State Drives (Flash Drive).

Not to mention a movement of 3D content and Televisions being available to the average consumer as soon as a year or 2 down the road. Yes, Panasonic has already developed a 3D TV system for the average consumer that will soon hit markets.

I definitely see a huge switch over to completely solid state storage in the next 6-7 years. It wasn't too long ago when they said a 256MB module of RAM was the most any personal computer would ever need. Now, our personal computer's operating systems don't even run to maximum efficiency without 3+GBs of RAM.

I wont say any names....


Don't forget the way they drive!

Don't get me started! There are streets that I won't even drive down during certain parts of the day because a Jo-Ann Fabrics or a Craft store sits on that road. The best thing is the mods have no reason to delete any posts about old people because everyone knows they couldn't possibly access this site to find it offensive, let alone figure out how to respond to it.

They'd have to turn the computer on first. then then find that damned "any key"

Ok, so in short this is all I need, with a possible extension if I want a longer cord...

$20 for that Mini-DVI-to-VGA adapter
$30 for VGA extension cable
$5 for 3.5mm extension cable


... right?


Those bastards stole our SSD acronym!! That is some good info though, might have to look a little more into it when I get home.

LOL. Ever see someone who isn't familiar with computers trying to maneuver the cursor around with a mouse. It's like watching a dog chase it's tail.

Yes, that will be what you need and I am almost positive you will need both cables in Male-Male fashion.

Yeah, look into it man. I am a nerd at heart but technology is starting to get exciting and very interesting. SSDs used to be insanely expensive and didn't come in sizes over a couple gigs. Now they are just plain expensive. I think you can pick up a 30gig for under $100. Completely silent, insanely fast, vibration resistant, and nearly unkillable because they don't create much heat due to no moving parts. Perfect for laptops, gamers, and my soon to be new project, a carputer.

So I take it they won't all be male-male fashion then? How do I figure out which ones I need for sure?

I know for a fact your 3.5mm jacks on TV and Macbook will both be female which means you need both ends of the cable to be male. They just don't make male end jacks, so check that one off. I should have just said that from the beginning instead of confusing you.

So that is a Male to Male 3.5mm cable. http://www.daydeal.com/files/images5/3-5mm_mtomcable.jpg

As for the VGA extension cable, I know one will need to be Male because it plugs into that Apple converter you are going to buy. The other side is going to plug into the TV, which I am almost positive will also accept a Male end cable. (I have only seen a Male VGA jack on rare occasion, which in that case you would need a Male-Female Cable but this should NOT be the case).

And that is a Male to Male VGA extension cable. Both sides should look like this... http://www.gshop.com.au/images/vga_gender_changer_ff.jpg

Female is this for reference sake... http://www.1freeaday.com/pda1/images/10001908/image.jpg Remember, the Female always lets the Male in.

Is there any possibly way if you have the time you can pull up exact models of what I need on like Best Buys site? This is getting more and more confusing by he post haha. I really do appreciate all the help.

Best Buys website isn't showing many options and I know they have a larger selection on-site, but here I will link what you need so you have an idea what to look for.

This is the VGA cable you need though you may want to find a longer one. Ignore the High-Integrity one, it's a lot of extra money for nothing. This is a 6 footer, Male - Male. As you can see from the packaging and description, it clearly states that it is a Male to Male cable.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1099391933657

This is the 3.5mm cable. This one is easy. If you need longer than the length available, just know you can find a Female-Male cable to extend the Male-Male cable to make one long Male-Male cable. Gawd, it sounds so confusing when I type it but its not, just use your common sense.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1218062425992

And this is the Apple converter cable you need. Mini-DVI to VGA.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?sk...d=1153999682331

Trust me...Everything will be clearly marked on the packages and once you see the actual ends in your hand, it will all just be common sense. Just remember, you need Male ends! No matter how many cables you link together, they must end up being Male on both ends. I couldn't even type that with a straight face.

And it is my pleasure to help. BTW: You check out the trade I made in FTDL. How bad did i get ripped off?

Ok so I'm good if I get all 3 ofthose? I'd be fine with getting those, just want to make sure you don't forsee any problems with those 3.

Yeah, I will in a few. Although, I still really don't know jack about hockey haha.

Those should be exactly what you need if they are long enough. Brilliant part about utilizing your TVs RGB is that the processor in your TV will automatically adjust the display and it has supported controllers for great quality. A lot of the converter cables that take S-Video and convert it to Components or whatever the case may be, all the conversion is done in the wiring so you end up with a crappy display that isn't auto adjusted to yout TVs format.

With this set-up, the only thing you will need to figure out is how to run multiple displays with your MacOS as I have no idea because I am a Windows guy.

Yeah i dunno anything about Hockey either but it isn't stopping me from making trades for people I have never seen play. LOL. It will be interesting when we start doing this draft especially for the minors because i couldn't name more than 2 players in the minors and both play for the Blackhawks.

Sweet, that's awesome.

The OS thing won't really be an issue as we will just load what we need, start it, and not touch the comp after that.

The only guys in the minors I knew ate both out, Oshie and B. Ryan.

I want Oshie on my squad...but Gary is hoarding him.

Don't bother, I'm going to kill him out of spite for Gary.

LOL. I heard he got you pretty bad. In fact, he was bragging about it quite heavily.

ray got budaj....stud