Can I use my TV as a computer monitor?

With the prices of TV's going down, you can get a great LCD TV and use it as a computer monitor in addition to your regular television viewing. In order to use your TV as a computer monitor, you will need to follow these steps:

Step # 1 - TV input

The first thing you need to do is to find out what your TV input connection is. There will be 3 different input connections, the RCA input (yellow, red, and white inputs), the S video connector, and the coaxial cable.

Step # 2 - TV output

The old TV's have built-in S-video connectors that you can use to link your TV to your computer. The new LCD TV's have an HD function that you can use to link your computer to your TV.

Your computer needs to have the S-Video port or else you won't be able to connect the two devices together.

Step # 3 - Adapter

Now that you know the TV has all the right inputs and outputs, you need to purchase the right adapters. You need to know your TV specifications along with the computer specifications to find the right adapter. Most adapters will have a USB output for the computer and a S-video connector for the TV.

You will need to purchase a video card as this will be used to display images from the computer on the computer monitor.

Step # 4 - Toggling

The computer needs to recognize the new screen so you must click on Properties and then Settings, then click on Advanced. Once you are here, change around the display settings so the images appear appropriately.

Once everything is hooked up you can easily use your TV as a computer monitor. With online videos and television shows becoming available for free, you can finally watch shows that you can't access unless you have satellite or cable television. Its also a great way to get your work done with a larger screen versus the small 15-19 inch screens that are standard computer monitor sizes.

The one thing you do need to know is that the TV monitors and computers use different video signals so the images may not be as crisp and clean as they are for traditional computer monitors. The difference is a computer reads in resolution while videos read in pixels. While this may not be noticeable to most people, if you are a big video gamer, it can alter the way your game looks. If you have an HDTV, you need to make sure you get an HDTV adapter so it will display the images at a higher resolution.

So even with the minor frustrations that come when you hook up a computer to a TV monitor, the benefits are substantial. For one thing, you can purchase a great TV for a fairly decent price and you have several sizes to choose from. Computer monitors normally come in about 3 sizes, 15 inch, 19 inch, and 24 inch-widescreen. So if you want a larger screen, an LCD TV is the way to go. Even if you don't want to run out and buy a new TV for your computer, you can take your old 32 inch CRT TV and convert it into a new computer monitor. You just need to make sure you have a large desk that can hold it along with enough room for your mouse, keyboard, and console.

The other great thing about using a TV monitor for your computer is that you can quickly unhook it from the computer so you can watch traditional TV if you don't want to play games or browse the internet.