TV Connections Explained
Once you bring home your TV you have to connect your TV to your TV signal from either the cable TV or DTH (direct to home) Satellite Television Box or STB (set top box) or as is becoming increasingly popular to connect laptop to TV. It is important that you use good quality cables. Also one important note, you have spent a lot of money on your TV, make sure that you get good TV signals from a good source to view. TV signal source is very important. Remember the famous quote by Mr. George Fueschel (who was a programmer with IBM) "Garbage in, garbage out."
The back of the TV where you have to connect the wires look something like the picture you see below. You will see HDMI connections which are the best way to connect TV to any source. HDMI connects both the Video and Audio and is the best connection possible between a TV signal source and the TV. The next best connection for Video is the component cables which has three ports for the Red, Green and Blue video signals. The next best connection for Video is 'S-Video' which is a single cable with just one plug but it has separate connections for the RGB color components. Lastly you have the composite connection for Video, which is the least preferred connection for Video. Newer TVs coming to the market now does not provide for the Composite Video signal.
What is HDMI
HDMI stands for "High-Definition Multimedia Interface" connection is the best connection available so far, for HDTV content. The HDMI connection connects the TV to both the digital video signal and the digital sound source with a single wire. To quote from the HDMI.org site "HDMI technology is the global standard for connecting high-definition products: the uncompressed, all-digital interface that delivers both dazzling quality and unmatched ease of use. Over 1,000 manufacturers now incorporate HDMI connectivity into a growing list of consumer products: HDTVs, Blu-ray Disc players, multimedia PCs, gaming systems, digital cameras and camcorders, mobile devices and more. It’s the one cable that transmits digital video, digital audio, and control data through a single high-speed link, making it the best and easiest way to turn your TV into a home entertainment powerhouse."
HDMI cables new standard is 1.4. Older HDMI cables standard of 1.3 works fine with most equipments but for 3D TV you must use an HDMI 1.4 cable.
How to connect Laptop to TV HDMI
One of the most common questions we come across these days is about connecting laptop to TV HDMI. Common Questions are "how to connect Computer to TV" or "how to connect Laptop to TV". This is because of the growing Video content available online and which can be downloaded into you computer or laptop. Most of the newer Laptop with HDMI out has no problem at all connecting to a TV with HDMI in connection. For a Laptop with HDMI Out it is a simple one wire connection from the Laptop HDMI Out to the TV HDMI In port.
How to connect Laptop without HDMI to TV
If there is no laptop HDMI present then it may be possible to change to a HDMI Video Card with a laptop HDMI port. The Laptop HDMI Out enables easy one wire connection to the TV for both Video and Sound signals.
If your laptop does not have an HDMI out port but only has the older VGA video out and a separate audio out, then the best option to get HDMI out is to get a VGA to HDMI converter.
Laptop VGA to HDMI converter
A VGA to HDMI converter turns the VGA output, which is analog, into a digital HDMI signal. The VGA - HDMI Converter also has an audio in port to take in the audio out from the laptop and convert the audio signals and adds the required audio signal to the digital HDMI.
If using other video connections like component, S-Video or Composite, then you have to provide for a separate Audio connection. The best Digital Sound connection is with HDMI cable. The next best audio connection is with the Optical Audio cable which is sometimes called a TOSLINK. After this the next best audio connection is the coaxial digital cable connection. Last and the least preferred audio connection is with twin stereo RCA composite cable.
See the the picture belo, and the videos below the picture for a full explanation of TV connections.
