Need Help: displaying laptop resolution converted to 1080p on lcdtv

narukthul · 10-04-2009, 09:38 PM

Hi I have a scarlet ~40" LG lcdtv 1080p and I want to display what I'm doing on my lenovo T61 laptop on my tv. I have been able to do this with a regular old VGA cable however the highest resolution I can display it in is 1280x1024 because my laptop cannot itself display 1920x1080, which is the next higher up resolution accepted by my tv.

From my research I have found items such as the Mega-Cool: Review: XCM 1080p Mega Cool VGA Box - DCEmu Forums:: The Homebrew & Gaming Network :: and the VGA to hdtv component video converter:http://www.allaboutadapters.com/pcvgtohdcovi.html :: that say they can convert your laptop resolution output to a 1080p input displayed on your tv. First, does this work hooking a laptop up to a tv display. Second, does the input resolution matter (will it be lower quality output on the tv if I use a lower input resolution on my laptop)? Third, does the quality of the VGA cable hookups for it or other types of cables have an impact on the quality of the output display (what is the ideal cable to use)? Fourth, is the converter necessary at all? When I googled VGA cables some were called 1080p VGA cables. Does that mean they convert the signal to 1080 automatically or that that is the best possible output that the cable can provide?

Here is a picture of the back panel hookups for my tv:

I see that there are additional hookups besides VGA. would any of these others be compatible with my laptop and its hookups (like a splitter cable with vga one end and component on the other...etc.)?

Here is a picture of the side panel hookups for my tv:

Here is a picture of the hookups for my Lenovo T61 XP laptop:

So in summary:

Is the Mega-Cool or the VGA to hdtv component video converter what I need to display my laptop output on my tv and convert the input signal to 1080p?
What cables do I need (do i have the right hookups on my laptop and tv [and what is the best and most reasonable cable in terms of quality and price])?

Thank You in advance for you help. Any and all input is appreciated. Sorry for the lengthy post I just wanted to make sure I put in all the needed info.

P.S. I'm not trying to force my laptop to display 1080p on my laptop screen I know that isn't possible. I'm trying to convert the output resolution signal to a 1080p input resolution signal when it is displayed on my tv!

Dogg · 10-16-2009, 04:20 PM

The TV is already performing the conversion to the native resolution of LCD panel. In other words, if the TV has a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, then the TV is converting your 1280 x 1024 input from the laptop to 1920 x 1080 for display. No other cables or converters are needed. So you may ask why it doesn't look like other 1920 x 1080 content? That's because it's not, it is 1280 x 1024 converted to fit the screen. Nothing you can do will make it look better. If you want true 1920 x 1080 video on the TV, then you need a PC/laptop that can output that resolution.

As an example, think of it as when you are watching videos on your laptop. They open in a player window much smaller than your desktop size and they may look ok in a window, but then you play them back full screen and they look blocky or blurred. In that case, your video player is taking the original resolution of the video and converting into your full screen desktop resolution.

10-04-2009, 09:38 PM	#1 (permalink)
narukthul Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 1 OS: xp	Need Help: displaying laptop resolution converted to 1080p on lcdtv Hi I have a scarlet ~40" LG lcdtv 1080p and I want to display what I'm doing on my lenovo T61 laptop on my tv. I have been able to do this with a regular old VGA cable however the highest resolution I can display it in is 1280x1024 because my laptop cannot itself display 1920x1080, which is the next higher up resolution accepted by my tv. From my research I have found items such as the Mega-Cool: Review: XCM 1080p Mega Cool VGA Box - DCEmu Forums:: The Homebrew & Gaming Network :: and the VGA to hdtv component video converter:http://www.allaboutadapters.com/pcvgtohdcovi.html :: that say they can convert your laptop resolution output to a 1080p input displayed on your tv. First, does this work hooking a laptop up to a tv display. Second, does the input resolution matter (will it be lower quality output on the tv if I use a lower input resolution on my laptop)? Third, does the quality of the VGA cable hookups for it or other types of cables have an impact on the quality of the output display (what is the ideal cable to use)? Fourth, is the converter necessary at all? When I googled VGA cables some were called 1080p VGA cables. Does that mean they convert the signal to 1080 automatically or that that is the best possible output that the cable can provide? Here is a picture of the back panel hookups for my tv: I see that there are additional hookups besides VGA. would any of these others be compatible with my laptop and its hookups (like a splitter cable with vga one end and component on the other...etc.)? Here is a picture of the side panel hookups for my tv: Here is a picture of the hookups for my Lenovo T61 XP laptop: So in summary: Is the Mega-Cool or the VGA to hdtv component video converter what I need to display my laptop output on my tv and convert the input signal to 1080p? What cables do I need (do i have the right hookups on my laptop and tv [and what is the best and most reasonable cable in terms of quality and price])? Thank You in advance for you help. Any and all input is appreciated. Sorry for the lengthy post I just wanted to make sure I put in all the needed info. P.S. I'm not trying to force my laptop to display 1080p on my laptop screen I know that isn't possible. I'm trying to convert the output resolution signal to a 1080p input resolution signal when it is displayed on my tv!

10-16-2009, 04:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
Dogg Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: St Louis, MO Posts: 2,064 OS: XP sp3	Re: Need Help: displaying laptop resolution converted to 1080p on lcdtv The TV is already performing the conversion to the native resolution of LCD panel. In other words, if the TV has a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, then the TV is converting your 1280 x 1024 input from the laptop to 1920 x 1080 for display. No other cables or converters are needed. So you may ask why it doesn't look like other 1920 x 1080 content? That's because it's not, it is 1280 x 1024 converted to fit the screen. Nothing you can do will make it look better. If you want true 1920 x 1080 video on the TV, then you need a PC/laptop that can output that resolution. As an example, think of it as when you are watching videos on your laptop. They open in a player window much smaller than your desktop size and they may look ok in a window, but then you play them back full screen and they look blocky or blurred. In that case, your video player is taking the original resolution of the video and converting into your full screen desktop resolution. __________________ Google is your friend !