If you always wanted to hook up your PC to your Television/Home Theater but you needed help, we are here for you. If you take a minute to look on the back of your PC you will see several different ports or connectors. There are basically three connectors to look for when hooking your PC to your TV. These are RCA Composite, S-VIDEO, and SVGA.

RCA Composite

S-VIDEO

SVGA

The newer your computer is, the better chance that it comes with either a RCA Composite or S-VIDEO connection. Some notebook computers also have video outputs on them. When buying a new computer always look for the words "TV out" or "video out" in the computer description.

If you only have a VGA connector and don't have an HDTV then your best choice is to buy a newer video card with an S-Video connector. There are other third party solutions out there but the quality is very poor and we do not recommend it.

The VGA port is the connector that's connected to your PC monitor (the TV like device that came with your computer). This connector is usually only usable for VGA Monitors or HDTV setups. If you have an HDTV this will give you the best image possible.

If you have an RCA Composite connector on the back of your computer, then you can use that. You may also need to power down your computer and reboot to be able to get the signal. You need an RCA Composite cable that will be long enough to reach from your computer to your PC. Connect the cable to the back of the computer to the back of your TV SET.

S-Video is superior to that of RCA Composite and will give you a clearer picture. If you have a fairly new TV you should have this connector in the back. You will need to buy an S-VIDEO cable, which you can buy just about anywhere you buy home video products. Connect the cable to your S-Video on the back of your computer and then connect it on the back of your TV.

NOTE: If your TV has many video modes you might need to select the video mode that the cable is plugged into. Read your instruction manual that came with your TV to do this.

If you have cables that are not long enough, there are some wireless solutions, but we have not yet tested them. We will post more information on this at a later date. In the meantime here are a couple of video cards for desktop computers that offer S-Video out:
 
     WinTV-PVR-350 (http://www.hauppauge.com/html/wintvpvr350_datasheet.htm)
     RADEON 9800 All-In-Wonder Video Card from ATI (http://www.ati.com)
     PNY GeForce FX 5950 Ultra (http://www.pny.com/products/verto/geForceFx/5950ultra.asp)

Most video cards with at least 64 Megabytes of memory will come with a S-Video connection and there are some with 32 Megabytes of memory that will come with the connection as well. Prices can range from $100 all the way up to $600. What you get with the price is power and speed of the video card.