VGA to TV cable?

[gavstar]

Is there such a thing to connect from VGA output on laptop to the 3 coloured inputs on a TV? If so, is the quality OK?
Cheers!

[T350Chunder]

Hi,

That doesn't sound right basically... You CAN get a cable that converts a standard VGA port to separated RGB channels (however, these generally are seen on older monitors). It requires 5 x inputs though, Red, Green and Blue cables plus a Horizontal Sync and an HV Sync as well...

Can you not use S-Video instead? Probably more widely used in this scenario...

[Plotloss]

The three coloured inputs are not usually RGB but Component (YUV)

To use Component inputs what you need is an RGB to YUV converter, they arent expensive as the calculation to convert is simple comparatively speaking.

Easiest option is probably a USB TV Out card that will present either Composite or S-Video

[gavstar]

The TV also has S-video input, and when I say VGA, I mean the standard monitor connection on a laptop that is less than 3 years old. Is that SVGA? Does this change things?

[gavstar]

Btw the reason I am thinking of doing this is that I have a load of avi files that I want to burn to DVD in a format my DVD player will recognise, but Roxio won't accept the avi's as suitable files. I downloaded a codec pack which fixed the first problem which was that neither WMP nor PowerDVD would play them, but I guess it's still missing something else....any ideas on that would be appreciated.

[malman]

AFAIK tmpgenc will convert most things to most things. haven't used it in a long while but with patience it did everything pretty much.

[gavstar]

Hmm, tried tmpgenc and still getting unsupported format on all the avi's i'm trying to convert...how can I troubleshoot what the actual problem is with these files?

[malman]

www.headbands.com/gspot/

this should show you what codec was used to encode the file as I believe AVI is just a container file

[gavstar]

Thanks for that - useful little tool. However, it says I have the relevant codecs installed, and indeed, Win Media Player will play the movies, but when I try and load them up in Roxio or tmpgenc to convert to DVD, both apps say unsupported file format...weird.

[_dobbo_]

Can your DVD not play AVI files straight off a data disk? Many DVD players can, and ones that do are available for very little money, probably less than your time is worth messing about with Roxio!

here's one for 40 notes

Edit to add - your problem is likely to be that whilst you have the codec required to watch the files, that's not the same as being able to reconvert them into another format. You probably have to buy an addon for Roxio, or possibly a copy of Nero to be able to convert something like a DivX encoded file onto a DVD. Both almost certainly more expensive than a new DVD player.

Check your laptop hasn't got a single yellow RCA output on it. If it has that will be video out, and will plug straight into your TV. otherwise you might have an S Video output as mentioned - what is the latptop brand/model?

Edited by _dobbo_ on Sunday 31st December 11:32

[luca brazzi]

slightly off topic, but not totally

I've just got a Topfield Freeview box with hard drive...but rather than have the output going to a TV, I want it to go to my 17" TFT monitor (ie my PC monitor), which is no longer connected to a PC.

The monitor has a DVI port and an analogue VGA port.
The Topfield has various... SCART, S Video, Component (ie yello, red and white) and an SP-DIF connector.

Any suggestions if its possible to connect them?

Happy to start another thread if this causes a problem.

Cheers peeps,
Luca

[Plotloss]

If its a DVI-I or DVI-A out then you are good to go with a DVI>VGA converter

If its DVI-D then you need a converter box.

[luca brazzi]

Plotloss said:

If its a DVI-I or DVI-A out then you are good to go with a DVI>VGA converter

If its DVI-D then you need a converter box.

Matt, lol, like I know what you are talking about

My computer monitor is a Samsung 172T 17" TFT, about 4 years old. No idea what kind of DVI it is, other than I connect my PC to it

Equally, why would I want a VGA - DVI converter? I'm going from the Topfield into the monitor.


Any thoughts?

LB

[gavstar]

_dobbo_ said:

Can your DVD not play AVI files straight off a data disk? Many DVD players can, and ones that do are available for very little money, probably less than your time is worth messing about with Roxio!

here's one for 40 notes

Edit to add - your problem is likely to be that whilst you have the codec required to watch the files, that's not the same as being able to reconvert them into another format. You probably have to buy an addon for Roxio, or possibly a copy of Nero to be able to convert something like a DivX encoded file onto a DVD. Both almost certainly more expensive than a new DVD player.

Check your laptop hasn't got a single yellow RCA output on it. If it has that will be video out, and will plug straight into your TV. otherwise you might have an S Video output as mentioned - what is the latptop brand/model?

Edited by _dobbo_ on Sunday 31st December 11:32

The thing is, my DVD player is an all-in-one DVD and surround sound unit, so to replace it would mean having to shell out for a new amp as well. Anyway, my problems have now been solved as I re-posted my query about xvid conversions and found the software I need and it has worked 100% a treat. Big thanks again to the good folk of PH for their ever-present help. Happy New Year everyone