It seems to be unclear why connect a laptop to a TV? The answer is simple: it’s much nicer to watch your favorite movie, sing karaoke on the big screen, and play some game. Moreover, modern technology has all the capabilities to realize this idea. An HDMI cable is the “connecting link” to connect two modern media devices.
What is HDMI?
HDMI technology is a way to stream digitized video and audio information between multiple devices. The advantage of this format is the fact that HDMI supports interconnection with all known devices that are equipped with a corresponding connector.
At the same time, transferring pictures and sound to an enlarged projector / screen is not the only advantage. The main thing - with resizing, the original quality is preserved, which is important when watching movies or in computer games.
Required Components
Actually, it’s not at all difficult to figure out how to connect a laptop to a TV via HDMI. It is only necessary to have some components:
With the help of this cord, the devices are connected, and after small settings and preparations, you can enjoy the image on the big TV screen.
The HDMI cable itself, in theory, should be sold complete with a TV. If it is not, then in any store of computer equipment and accessories it can be inexpensively purchased.
The advantage of this cord is that it fully preserves the original video quality, as well as sound settings.
The only thing that is important is to strictly follow the step-by-step instructions and perform the necessary actions in a certain sequence.
Preparations for connection
So, the first step is preparing for the connection.
First you need to inspect the laptop and find on it an input for inserting an HDMI cable. It can be found next to the USB connectors, on the left or right side of the bottom cover of the device.
Similarly, you need to look at the TV. Usually, the desired connector is on the back of the TV, but it can also be on the front panel. The latest models of technology are equipped with several inputs, so you need to remember the number before connecting the laptop to the TV via HDMI.
In principle, that's all the preparations, now you can proceed to the second step - connecting the devices to each other. You need to insert an HDMI cable into the above connectors on the TV and laptop. At the same time, gadgets should be turned off.
TV setup
The next step is to set up the TV to receive signal from the laptop. To turn it on, you need to set the desired signal source, namely HDMI, from the TV remote control. Depending on the model of technology, the inclusion of the desired mode can be carried out in different ways.
The main types of buttons are “Source”, “TV / AV”.
If the laptop is connected to the TV via HDMI in one of several connectors on the TV, then in the list you need to select the option with the corresponding number.
If everything is done correctly, then the laptop desktop or the current window open on the laptop should appear on the TV screen.
Laptop settings
Well, you can proceed to the next configuration step. Now we need to make sure that the picture from the laptop to the TV via HDMI is of high quality and clearly fits into the frame of the TV screen. Such a setting needs to be done only once, during the first connection, and with further use it will be automatically tuned.
So, you must perform the following procedures:
- RMB click on the laptop desktop;
- in the menu that appears, select “Screen” - “Screen Resolution”;
- Manual selection requires you to choose the best resolution. In this case, you should look at the quality of the image, since it can become sharper or more blurry.
In addition, you need to pay attention to other available options, namely:
- duplication of screens (this means that the same picture will be displayed on the TV and on the laptop);
- expansion of the work area;
- monitor display 1 - broadcast will go only on the laptop screen;
- display of monitor 2 - the laptop screen goes blank, the video goes only on TV.
Actually, this stage, describing how to connect the laptop to the TV via HDMI, is completed. But you need to remember about small nuances. In particular, we are talking about the load on the laptop equipment when used in certain playback modes. If the picture goes to both devices at the same time, the intensity of the video card will increase significantly. Therefore, you should not abuse it.
Problems with sound on the TV
Now it’s worth voicing all the possible problems that the user may encounter. And if you figure out how to connect the laptop to the TV via HDMI, it’s quite simple, then you won’t be able to eliminate the problem without additional help. The most difficult situation is the lack of sound in the TV speakers. More precisely, the sound comes from the speakers of the laptop, and the picture is shown on TV.
To restore audio, you need to open the audio mixer panel on the laptop. In the lower right corner of the screen, click RMB on the speaker icon. In the menu that opens, click on the item “Playback devices”.
If the HDMI cable is connected correctly, then the TV should be in the list of devices. You need to select it and set the value to "Use by default." After that, the sound should normalize.
The main problems when connecting an HDMI cable
Sound problems are far from the only problem that can await the user on the way to high-quality viewing of your favorite movies on the big screen.
The following problems are possible:
- Inconvenience may occur when setting the optimal resolution of the TV screen. In particular, the mismatch between the TV screen and the laptop. The solution to this problem is to select the “Monitor 2” option in the laptop settings. The system selects the best image to the maximum.
- Graphics card malfunctions. This is just an assumption, but in order to make sure that everything is in order with the equipment, its status should be checked. To do this, go to the control panel, select the "Device Manager", select the video card in the list and check. There should be a message “The device is connected and working normally”. If this is not the case, you can try reinstalling the drivers or restarting the laptop.
- The laptop does not see the TV via HDMI. There can be only one reason - the HDMI cable itself is faulty. This happens if somewhere on the cable there is an excess, the product quality is poor, or (which is unlikely) there is no compatibility with this TV model. To eliminate the malfunction, it is necessary to act empirically. For example, try using another cord, connect another laptop, or another TV. A solution will certainly be found.
Conclusion
Thus, there is nothing complicated in connecting two devices with each other using an HDMI cable. But the benefit of such actions is obvious - a pleasant viewing or gameplay on the big screen looks more realistic than on a laptop. It is logical that 38-40 inches at least look more impressive than 14-17.
By the way, playing games in this mode for too long is not recommended, as this affects vision very much.
And even if the laptop does not connect via HDMI to the TV, you do not need to immediately despair and give up. The list of possible malfunctions is not so great, therefore, by trial and error, you can find the root of the problem and eliminate it.