How to turn your laptop screen into a simple TV at home

How to turn a laptop screen into a TV is an easy operation, anyone can do it at home, all you need is a connection cable, HDMI or VGA cable, depending on the way to convert the screen to TV you use. In this article, TipsMake will learn how to turn a laptop screen into a simple TV. 

Prepare the equipment to turn your laptop screen into a TV

For TVs that support Wifi Direct, you will be able to turn your laptop screen into a TV directly without any additional accessories. However, for TVs that do not support Wifi Direct, you will need to connect via wire and prepare the following items:

HDMI to VGA/DVI converter and connection cable

For TVs or laptops that do not have the same receiver/television, you will need a converter port to connect the devices together.

HDMI to VGA signal converter is a television conversion device extracted from the HDMI interface on television entertainment devices such as high-definition receivers, TV boxes, etc. into a VGA interface and then can display images on the computer screen.  

There are many types of converters like this on the market, most of which only convert video and audio signals and do not convert audio. Many of the more expensive and high-end ones have a standard 3.5mm audio jack port on the converter port so you can get audio from your speakers.

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Android TV Box

The device can help you watch TV on your computer screen, its task is to use signals via the Internet, support decoding of output audio signals and images displayed on TV.

Small computer speakers or Bluetooth speakers

Watching TV also requires sound. Therefore, to be able to watch TV on a computer screen, you need a small computer speaker that can play sound, because LCD screens usually do not have speakers.

Users connect speakers to the AV interface on the TV box so that the sound from the box can be output to the speakers. At this time, watching TV on the computer screen has both image and sound.

The user has the necessary equipment to pair the computer monitor with the TV to watch the show.

Turn your laptop screen into a TV

Turn laptop screen into TV via Wifi Direct

The TV is equipped with Wifi Direct, the TV can also broadcast wifi, no need to connect to the network. When the laptop is connected, it can transfer data directly between the laptop and the TV without needing the internet.

Note that if your laptop is connected to the TV's Wi-Fi Direct, you will not be able to read newspapers, watch movies, surf the web, . like normal Wifi. Because Wi-Fi Direct is only set up to connect between devices.

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If you don't have internet, you can still capture the Wi-Fi Direct that your TV emits to use the ability to project the TV screen to your laptop or vice versa.

Similarly, Wi-Fi Direct can also support image sharing via Internet TV, photo sharing on Android TV, and also streaming images and audio from laptop to TV via DLNA.

Steps to connect computer to TV via Wi-Fi Direct:

Step 1: Go to Settings

Step 2: Select network and turn on Wi-Fi Direct 

Step 3: The TV will display the Wi-Fi names that can be connected and the password that needs to be entered. You need to connect your phone or laptop using this Wi-Fi.

Step 4: After successfully connecting your computer to the TV, you can use the image and audio data transmission functions provided by Wi-Fi Direct.

Turn laptop screen into TV via cable connection

Step 1: Identify the computer's connection ports. Usually there will be a total of 3 main connection ports:

HDMI - The standard for connecting to today's high-definition devices. HDMI looks like a long USB port. HDMI can carry both audio and video signals.

DVI - Digital connection using pins. The rectangular DVI port contains 24 pins, divided into 3 rows. DVI only transmits video signals.

VGA - Old standard for connecting display devices. Straight connector consists of 15 pins arranged in 3 rows and is usually blue. VGA quality is low, only transmits image signals, cannot display high definition.

Step 2: Identify the supported TV connection ports.

New HDTVs have multiple HDMI ports. HDMI supports both audio and video signals over a single cable.

DVI is commonly found in HDTVs or regular TVs, but is not used as often anymore.

VGA is commonly found in regular TVs.

Step 3: Choose the right cable type. If the connection ports on your computer and TV don't match, you'll need an adapter. 

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Step 4: Select the input to connect to the computer by selecting the Source button on the TV remote.

Step 5: Select the appropriate display mode on your computer.

Press the Display/Fn key on your computer keyboard to switch between display connections.

Press Windows key + P to open the project menu to switch between visible connections.

Right click on the desktop -> click Screen Resolution/Properties to choose between different display modes.

Step 6: Adjust the screen resolution.

In the Screen Resolution/Properties window, adjust the Resolution slider to adjust the screen resolution accordingly. Users should select the recommended resolution.

Some other ways to turn your laptop screen into a TV

In addition to the above methods, there are a few other methods to turn your laptop screen into a TV that you can refer to such as:

1. Using Miracast: This is a wireless technology that allows you to connect your TV to your laptop without using a cable. To use Miracast, both your laptop and TV must support Miracast. You can then enable Miracast on both your laptop and TV and select your laptop as the output device on your TV.
2. Turn your laptop screen into a TV with Chromecast: Chromecast is a small device that allows you to stream content from your laptop to your TV. To use Chromecast, simply plug your Chromecast into the HDMI port on your TV and connect your Chromecast to your laptop using Wi-Fi. You can then stream content from your laptop to your TV using Chromecast-enabled apps.

Some notes when turning laptop screen into TV

To ensure the process of turning a laptop screen into a TV is quick and successful, users can choose the appropriate option by first checking to see which connection ports their TV and computer support. 

If the connection is successful but the laptop screen does not display anything, check the connections. Disconnect the device, then reconnect it. If there is no connection message, the cause may be a problem with the computer or TV.

When you encounter these errors, you can seek the support of home computer repair services. 

Conclude:

This article guides users to easily turn their laptop screen into a TV . Hopefully, the article has brought readers useful and interesting knowledge. For any technical assistance needs, readers can visit TipsMake branches or contact the hotline 1900 1903 for the most dedicated and detailed support.

Samuel Daniel

Update 16 January 2025