A Little 'Laptop to TV' Help

[Dane96]

Wait a sec. If you have an HDMI slot you should have a USB slot. If you do...spend the 30 bucks and get google chromecast. Best investment you will ever make. You can stream anything via google chrome (the browser) to your tv, without cables.

[UA'08]

Yes if you have a USB port you're better off with a google chrome cast. If you don't hdmi cables are cheap from newegg.com. Best buys and radio shacks usually over charge on those cables.

[Dane96]

Indeed...my best buy cables were 60 a pop.

[danefan]

Indeed...my best buy cables were 60 a pop.

 

Monoprice.com

 

$1 a foot for 3D HDMI.

 

Can't beat it.

[uofalbany]

Stopped by Walmart, found a cable hdmi for $12... came home by halftime, plugged it in... connected.

 

Found the video on the tv... but no sound. Watched game on the tv, listened to the laptop.

 

Once I did start getting the display on the tv... it blanks out my laptop so I can't access the desktop unless I unplug the cable.

 

Any ideas?

[Dane96]

 

Indeed...my best buy cables were 60 a pop.

 

Monoprice.com

 

$1 a foot for 3D HDMI.

 

Can't beat it.

 

 

Very good to know. My TV developed a vertical "death" line. Since it's plasma...it's kaput. In the market for a new tv...and will need cables.

Anyone hear anything good about the Samsung Curve TV's? Saw one while walking through Costco last night...and am intrigued.

[UA_MA_2000]

Make sure you get a new HDMI cable, version 1.4 or 2.0. You can get them on Amazon for 6 or 7 dollars.

[BestDaneSinceHamlet]

Curve only matters if you go 70 inches or bigger.

[uofalbany]

I made some setting changes on display and sound while looking and working on the tv display, since I couldn't see it on the laptop.

All is good now. Thanks for the help.

 

Too bad this tv doesn't have a usb slot, cause I already can see dealing cables every time is going to be a pain in the $iena

[DanesRGood]

Couple points:

 

Dane96, Friend has a curve TV paid way too much for it and doesn't do much for you unless you have a huge TV 70+ inch in a large room. My parents and my sister-in-law have had some issues with the Samsungs. I know they are good TVs but their experiences have left a bad taste in my mouth. If you have the money I highly recommend the SONY XBR series. Pricey and has speakers attached to the sides, which are a little weird to the eye but as CNET says in their review: "Sony's XBR will reward you with the best combination of audio and video quality you've ever seen (or heard)."

 

No, I don't work for Sony.

 

uofalbany, $35, get a Google Chromecast. Video, sound, no wires, can use your laptop while streaming to your TV. It's a no brainer.

[Eli]

I'm a techie (both for a living and by choice for a hobby) and I will never buy anything BUT Samsungs. Had a 22" 720p one for like 5 years that was used 6-7 hours a day (computer, TV, XBox) and it never even got a dead pixel. Thing was a MACHINE.

I then upgraded to a 40" 1080p SmartTV and haven't had any issues with that one and I'm now at like 13 months of use...same thing, hours and hours per day. I do all of my school work, TV watching, and video gaming on one screen. These things are freakin troopers.

[danefan]

 

 

 

 

Indeed...my best buy cables were 60 a pop.

Monoprice.com

 

$1 a foot for 3D HDMI.

 

Can't beat it.

Very good to know. My TV developed a vertical "death" line. Since it's plasma...it's kaput. In the market for a new tv...and will need cables.

Anyone hear anything good about the Samsung Curve TV's? Saw one while walking through Costco last night...and am intrigued.

Monoprice also has mounts. $20 gets you a high quality steel wall mount equal to the $100 units at Best Buy.

 

They also have great super slim HDMI cables. Think of the thickness of your phone charger cable. Really nice if you're running through a wall chase.

[DanesRGood]

I'm a techie (both for a living and by choice for a hobby) and I will never buy anything BUT Samsungs. Had a 22" 720p one for like 5 years that was used 6-7 hours a day (computer, TV, XBox) and it never even got a dead pixel. Thing was a MACHINE.

 

I then upgraded to a 40" 1080p SmartTV and haven't had any issues with that one and I'm now at like 13 months of use...same thing, hours and hours per day. I do all of my school work, TV watching, and video gaming on one screen. These things are freakin troopers.

 

Good to hear. My SONY Bravia XBR has been in the den for 7 years with out a hitch! fingers crossed. I guess they are both good TVs.

[Clickclack]

I'm a Samsung guy... Been doing research on 4k TVs as once more content arrives. From what I can gather, curve is a bit of a gimmic.

[Dane96]

I'm a techie (both for a living and by choice for a hobby) and I will never buy anything BUT Samsungs. Had a 22" 720p one for like 5 years that was used 6-7 hours a day (computer, TV, XBox) and it never even got a dead pixel. Thing was a MACHINE.

 

I then upgraded to a 40" 1080p SmartTV and haven't had any issues with that one and I'm now at like 13 months of use...same thing, hours and hours per day. I do all of my school work, TV watching, and video gaming on one screen. These things are freakin troopers.

 

 

Agreed. I have Samsungs...love them. And with respect to the XBR, I used to have all Sony's. They broke...regularly. Other thing to note about Sony-- they use the Samsung panel (screen). SONY is much more expensive than Samsung...so you are paying for the name of Sony. Sony is about this close (fingers barely apart) from closing up shop in the electronics business.