VGA to RCA Cable – Using Your Television As a Computer Monitor

 

Switching from VGA to RCA ports is something that you rarely think about doing, but sometimes the need to do so does present itself. With all kinds of different connection devices available from VGA to HDMI to RCA and so on, you never know which you will need next. You can easily use a converter to go from VGA to RCA if the need arises.

What is VGA?

The first thing you are probably wondering is what the difference is between the two. With so many types of technology, it can be a little confusing. The short answer is that VGA, and now the HDMI format, are both digital signals used to transfer video from a PC to a display device. The use of digital signal can mean the enhanced clarity with better color quality and a wider color gamut compared to analog devices.

role of VGA cables

What do you need to connect a VGA monitor to a computer? If you have a PC you will need a VGA to RCA cable. If you have a Mac you will need a VGA to HDMI cable. Some of the earlier Mac computers did not have VGA ports and thus did not support RCA connections but since version 10.4, all Macs can use RCA-compatible VGA cables.

Advantages of HDMI

HDMI is great because it can transmit a much higher quality picture than can be received with the old VGA signals, thus you may want to watch high quality movies on your HDTV even though your computer may not be capable of outputting that kind of video.

VGA cables are used less frequently than HDMI cables. Since most displays are of lower resolution, HDMI is a good choice for displayPort-equipped computers, notebooks, and LCD monitors.

The plus point is that unlike VGA, HDMI does notonic equipment, so you do not need to purchase special HDMI cables.

Converters

One of the two most important accessories you should have in your home is a converter because it will enable you to connect your laptop computer to your HDTV.

We recommend the name brand converters, however, we have run into mixed results, so we settle for shop. A provider of name brand HDMI to VGA converters reports that they have customer swear by them, and some have even said that they pay for their converter service. The company that we settle with, properly, is Crucial Systems. They have a very dependable line of HDMI to VGA converters, and also HDMI to TV converter kits.

One of the features that we especially like about Crucial is that they normally don’t require passwords to operate their products. This company also makes sure that their products are as safe as possible, because they constantly evaluate their designs and try to add features that are necessary to make sure that their products work well. Products like the Xeltek units (which are HDMI to VGA, HDMI to TV converter, HDMI to PC, and HDMI to Projector) are very nice because they enable you to stream your HDMI cable from your laptop to your HDTV without the mess, and you can hook up your projector directly to your HDTV without the need to go find a third party converter.

But they also make products like the Go Keyboard which is very portable and has a nice LCD screen, and it also has an extra function where you can use the USB port to insert a memory stick into your laptop to view photos. (The memory stick has a slot where you can insert your own photos, but we didn’t need any!)

The memory stick has a slot where you can fit your own photos, or choice from the hundreds of photos on your own hard drive.

Insert your memory stick into the memory stick so that the small lead fits in the memory port on the side of your laptop.

Put the plug on the adapter and plug the adapter into your projector’s HDMI port.

Ensure that the plug is properly connected to the projector.

Turn on the LCD monitor. Set the resolution as close to the maximum as possible.

Turn on the LCD display.

Ensure that the display is set on the right resolution.

Make sure that the display is the right size.

Ensure that the brightness level is at maximum.

Make sure that you have the right brightness/contrast.

Save your made changes.