With the recent popularity of Video on Demand networks that allow internet users to download television programming and movies to their hard drive the idea of watching this programming on a regular TV is tempting. Sometimes a 17" monitor just doesn’t do it - in fact, if you have several people crowding around the monitor even a 30" Cinema Display might not do the job.

PC to TV Converters

Now, regardless of the availability of an analog output on your PC (which most computers don’t have) you can still project your desktop onto a television set. This requires a little understanding about what hardware you are working with on both ends. Let’s start with the PC.

Most PC’s have either a VGA or DVI output. This can get confusing - VGA is analog and DVI can either be analog or digital (although it is increasingly more common these days for DVI to be used in a digital environment).

Now look at the input available on your television set. If you have a HDTV you probably have some form of digital input. If you don’t have a high-definition TV you will probably want to find component inputs (aka RCA). These are the red, white and yellow inputs available on most television sets. Another alternative is S-Video.

VGA out to Component

This is the most popular type of PC to TV Converter. Simply plug it into your VGA output on your video card (or motherboard) and plug the other end into your TV - the image should show up within a minute. Higher quality adapters do a much better job of converting the image for TV and make a big difference. This is especially important for screens larger than 30 inches. A very similar adapter that supports HDTV is a better option for screens larger than 30 inches.

VGA out to DVI

Most DVI television sets support digital input only (though some older ones do support an analog signal). In this case you have two options - adding a digital video card or using a VGA to DVI conversion box.

A VGA to DVI conversion box is typically more expensive because it actually takes the analog signal and converts it to a pure digital signal. As a result the quality is usually very good with these adapters. Add-in cards (with DVI) produce pure digital signals, also, but the resolution depends on the quality of the card. Most DVI video cards support high-definition resolutions (and much higher), so they work well in these scenarios.

DVI out to Component

Some DVI video cards actually support video-out through the DVI port (an analog signal). If you have such a video card then a DVI to component cable should do the trick. Be careful with this one, however, since many DVI video cards only support an analog signal.

Wireless PC to TV

If you are trying to find a Wireless PC to TV Converter they are now available. This works with any television set with a component-in option and a VGA out on the PC. These run on the 2.4 GHz band, so they may interfere with some common home devices though this is rare since they hunt for open channels.

The technology to adapt your PC experience to the living room is getting better everyday. Whether you are looking to stream video to your TV from your PC or you just want to do some email on the big-screen you now have plenty of options.