#How to extend laptop screen to tv how to#
#How to extend laptop screen to tv full#

So youвЂ™ve got your cable and youвЂ™ve connected it up. If youвЂ™re at all unsure, look for cables that are USB-IF certified (though many perfectly good ones donвЂ™t carry this certification). In the early days, a number of manufacturers produced cables that didnвЂ™t comply with the specifications and caused serious damage to machines. As well as carrying power and connecting accessories, the USB-C standards include both DisplayPort and HDMI, so youвЂ™ll want either a USB-C to HDMI/DisplayPort or, if you have a very new monitor, USB-C to USB-C.ДЄ quick warning: USB-C cables vary dramatically. If your monitor uses Displayport, but you only have HDMI on your laptop, thatвЂ™s no problem, as thereвЂ™s a cable for that.ДЇinally, USB-C is the newest kid on the block and is designed to replace all the other standards weвЂ™ve mentioned. You wonвЂ™t get better quality from fancy bells and whistles like gold-plated connectors, and buying a cheap one with the right spec (we bought 3x1m cables from Amazon for under a tenner) will work just as well as an expensive one.ДisplayPort (we recommend at least 1.2 or higher for best results) is the choice of graphic designers, animators and other creative types. Unfortunately, most HDMI cables donвЂ™t tell you what version they are, so if youвЂ™ve got one lying around, it may not be good enough.ДonвЂ™t spend ridiculous amounts of money either HDMI cables are digital, and so either they work or they donвЂ™t. Look for HDMI 2.0 or HDMI 2.1 for the best performance, though anything over 1.4 should work. The HDMI specification has changed over the years and older cables may not give you 4K, or even HD.

#How to extend laptop screen to tv full#

There are mini-HDMI and even micro-HDMI connectors, as well as full size, so make sure you pick the right cable.ДЄdditionally, weвЂ™d recommend getting a new HDMI cable unless youвЂ™re confident that yours is pretty new. HDMI should be familiar to most people, as itвЂ™s the standard connection used by most televisions. Using a converter from DVI to HDMI will garner better results than VGA, but itвЂ™s still not ideal. Its technical limitations are unsuited to modern connectivity, so itвЂ™s best to seek out a more modern alternative.ДVI is similar to VGA but is capable of far higher resolution.

WeвЂ™d recommend that you avoid using VGA connections if you can help it. You might be able to find a VGA to HDMI convertor but they tend to be disproportionately costly for the quality of the connection you end up with. These cables only carry image feeds - and not sound - so youвЂ™ll need to connect a separate audio connector to rig yourself up properly. Similarly, if your device doesnвЂ™t feature a VGA port at all, to which most modern, slimline notebooks can contend, this option wonвЂ™t suit you either. If you find yourself having to use VGA, itвЂ™s more likely than not your device is relatively ancient. The five main types of connectivity options in 2021 include VGA, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort and USB-C.

#How to extend laptop screen to tv how to#

You could even have a document open in full on one display, alongside your source material on another.Д«efore we talk about how to make the most using several displays through your operating system, we should first touch on the wiring youвЂ™ll need to get yourself set up. For example, you can kee your Slack or Teams window open on one display while having your inbox open on another window beside a report youвЂ™re reading.

The benefits of doing so can be immense, allowing you to organise your workflow and tasks in ways you couldnвЂ™t imagine doing so before. Thankfully, connecting your device to an external display (or even in some cases four) can give you the best of both worlds - with maximum portability and the best possible visual experience to boot.