Video from laptop to TV

[Hubie]

I've got a dell inspiron 700m, I have downloaded some cool movies and TV shows, and of course watch DVDs on it. But I also have a big 37" LCD TV, which would be much more fun to watch on than my 12.1" laptop screen.

How can I get video and audio going from my laptop to my tv?

[zetachi]

Dell also packs in a modular DVD+RW burner, which you can substitute for a plain-vanilla DVD player or a CD-RW/DVD combo drive. The Inspiron 700m, in addition to its modem and wired LAN, comes with a Broadcom-based 802.11b/g wireless radio that remained online 95 feet from our test router--an average distance for comparable systems. Like many new machines, however, this laptop lacks an infrared receiver, and adding Bluetooth to the system requires using the system's only PC Card slot--a hassle if you want to use a cell-phone wireless modem, which are available only in PC Card format. Otherwise, this laptop offers the right connections, including ports for audio, FireWire, external monitor, and S-Video out, as well as a pair of USB 2.0 ports along the sides. Also present is a Secure Digital flash-card slot for digital photos, music, or plain old data.

[John C]

The s-vid will look pretty crappy though, being limited to 480i. The Dell should have a VGA output on the back, and most if not all large LCD's have a VGA input. I would go that route.

[Hubie]

Nope, no VGA. But the laptop and TV have S-video. Quick question though...

What do I do after I plug the S-Video in from the laptop to the TV?
Do I need to do anything on the laptop to get it to the TV? (I assume I have to switch the input choice on the TV also)

[Mjölnir]

You should check to see if the LCD has RGB component jacks and whether the laptop supports VGA to YUV (RGB component). If so, then get a VGA to YUV cable. They're pretty cheap. It'll look a whole lot better than S-Video too.

If you run the TV through a DVD player or home theatre amp, check if that'll accept RGB component input.

Does the LCD have DVI?