How to connect my laptop to TV through VCR?

How To Watch Laptop on TV?

• I want to connect my laptop to my TV to watch movies (I don`t have a vcr so is this possible?) I`ve heard about an S-connection wire and audio wires but how does it all work?

• Answer:

  It's going to depend on your laptop, so check your laptop's manual for details... Most laptops have a TV-video out port. Some support composite video or s-video. If your TV and laptop can use S-video, use that because it'll give you a better picture. Some laptops allow you to just connect the s-video cable to them directly, but others, like my Dell, have an adapter. Again, check your manual for details. (if you need an adapter, but can't find yours, call the laptop's manufacturer - they're pretty cheap.) You will also need an audio cable. Specifically, something that will plug into your laptop's headphone jack on one end, and has those red and white connectors on the other end. Radio Shack has a cable or adapter like this. Be sure your cables are long enough! 6 foot is standard, but if possible, go for 10 or 12 foot cables. You won't lose any signal strength, and the cost difference is minimal. Connect your laptop to your TV as if you were connecting a VCR - keeping the video and audio cables together in the same "input port". Set your TV to use that input. On your laptop, you will need to add your TV as a 2nd monitor and set it to be the primary one. Go to a blank spot on your laptop's desktop, and click the right mouse button. Choose "Properties." Then choose the Settings tab. If everything is setup properly, you will see a small rectangle representing your laptop, and another rectangle that looks like a small TV. Now all you need to do is click on the TV, and then click the checkbox that says "Use this device as the primary monitor." (for some reason, DVDs will only play on your "primary monitor" - very stupid.) By this time, you should see a picture of your laptop's desktop on your TV. Fire up your DVD software, and you should see and hear the movie playing on your TV. You may want to set the DVD player to play in "full screen" mode, as well as adjust the volume controls on your laptop/TV. That's about all there is to it. When you're finished, and disconnect the laptop from your TV, you'll want to tell the laptop that its screen is the primary display first, and then readjust the screen resolution so it looks good on your laptop (TVs don't have the same resolution settings as your laptop.)