PC to TV Methods

With sites like Hulu.com, YouTube, and Netflix where you can easily access tons of video and media on your computer, more and more people want to put their PC on their TV.

There are increasingly more and more ways to connect your PC to your TV because there are so many different types of PC ports and TV ports.  So the first question becomes, which solution do I want?  I'm going to go in order of lowest quality video result to highest quality.

PC to TV Option 1: VGA to Composite (yellow RCA)

We recommend Sewell's PC to TV

Last seen for: $34.95

I've seen dozens of versions of this simple converter, and I'd say this one has the best value for the dollar. Top notche composite video to VGA conversion.

One thing you'll soon realize for this style of conversion is that you won't be able to enjoy the same chrystal clear video that you see directly on your PC. With the active VGA to composite conversion, there will be quality loss. To demonstrate the quality loss, here is a photo of a TV screen (since software screenshots can't replicate quality on a composite TV), next to a photo of a monitor getting the VGA signal straight (for an apples to apples comparison):

PC to TV Photo:

Straight VGA Photo:

As you can see, with print, small fonts are harder to read. But if all you want to do is look at images or video, the degradation isn't nearly as noticeable:

PC to TV Photo:

Straight VGA Photo:

PC to TV Option 2: PC to HDTV (VGA to Component)

Last Seen For: $179.95

On the next rung up on the quality ladder, there is the PC to HDTV, or in other words VGA to Component converter. Component, like composite in the example above, is an analog signal but instead of just one RCA connection, there are at least 3: Red, Green, and Blue RCA. This essentially increases video bandwidth by 3 times, allowing more video info to be processed, and allowing for high definition TV.

If you're wanting to view text in small fonts and are wanting to see more detail, but you don't have a digital video port on your HDTV (such as a DVI or HDMI port), then we'd recommend this model. As you can see from the below comparisons, the text and picture quality is quite improved from above's PC to TV using the yellow composite port:

PC to HDTV Photo:

Straight VGA Photo:

PC to HDTV Photo:

Straight VGA Photo:

PC to TV Option 3: USB to HDMI (and USB to DVI)

We recommend Atlona's USB to HDMI

Last seen for: $148.95

This solution is almost a perfect representation of what you see on your PC, put on an HDMI screen. You can also check out USB to DVI if that's the available interface your HDTV has. The main drawback to USB to video solutions is that gaming doesn't typically work well at all (anything that requires 3D simulation usually is a fail). Image and video quality, however, is outstanding; essentially the exact replica of what comes straight out of your computer's VGA port.

PC to TV Option 4: VGA to HDMI Converter

VGA to HDMI that scales to 720p (recommended for 37 inch HDTV or lower), last seen for $89.95.

Atlona's VGA to HDMI scales to 1080p, last seen for $197.10

In terms of quality, this one and the last one (option 3) are a toss up. Option 3 is a virtually perfect representation of your PC on your TV, is easy to adjust resolutions, but doesn't support advanced gaming. VGA to HDMI is also a very good representation of your PC on your TV (maybe not quite as good as option 3), but the resolution is a little more difficult to adjust, but it works well for gaming (performance will be just as good as your video card can perform).

PC to TV Option 5: DVI to HDMI cable (The Best Option)

DVI to HDMI Cable last seen for $14.95 (for a 10 ft. cable)

In terms of quality, it's by far the best, and it's also the cheapest. The only thing is that your computer has to have a DVI output, and your TV has to have an HDMI input. also noteworthy is you have to get a 3.5mm to dual RCA audio cable with this if you also want to pass audio to your HDTV.