Windows 7: Wish to use my HD tv as a monitor for my laptop, possible??

How would I connect my Dell laptop to the tv and use it as a monitor. I'll need to use the same configuration when I buy the 24" monitor I'm looking at. It's really impossible to edit my photos on this 15" screen.

I'd like to play my music collection through the tv receiver too. I would think that this would require a different set-up since it would essentialy by-pass the tv.


thanks

What kind of output do you have on your laptop VGA, DVI, HDMI?
Post make and model of your laptop.

Jerry

If your tv and laptop both have vga or dvi or hdmi then those connections will make it work. So say you got hdmi on your laptop then just connect it with hdmi to the tv and it should work. Same thing applies to the other connections. Then just switch your tv to the input used for the connector you used for example to hdmi1 or hdmi2 or hdmi 3 depending on how many ports your tv has. Mine has 3 ports so it shows up like that.

Hey, thanks for the info. I do have HDMI on the Dell 1525 and 3 inputs on the tv so I'll hook it up and see what happens. Now, concerning playing my audio files through the stereo system would I run the HDMI cable to one of the inputs on the receiver? Seems logical but I'd like to check anyway.

thanks

If you have a AV receiver you might be able to hook up the laptop to the receiver then from the receiver to the TV. If that does not work then you may need to use the headphone jack on the laptop to the receiver for sound.

Jerry

I do have an AV rcvr so I'll try hooking up with HDMI and see what I get. I don't "think" it could cause any damage to either the laptop or the rcvr. The issue with connecting the headphone jack to the rcvr is an impedance mismatch which actually could cause some damage.