Big Picture Big Sound

Question:

HELLO, BIG PICTURE BIG SOUND,

My name is Destiny and I have a question.  Well, first off, I want to connect my HP PC to my TV.  On the back of my PC I have a DVI-I jack and a VGA output.  On the back of my LG LCD HDTV there is VGA RGB and DVI/HMDI input.  But when I try to connect a DVI to HDMI cable from PC to TV, nothing happens.  I just keep getting "No Signal."  What do you suggest?

-Destiny R.

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Answer:

 

Hi, Destiny,

Well it sounds like you're doing this right but there are a couple of things to double-check.  The best connection is generally going to be using a DVI-D to HDMI cable as you describe (assuming your HP PC does have a DVI-D output active on that DVI-I connector).  But you have to make sure to set the PC's output resolution to one that the LG TV will accept.  Your TV's user manual will tell you what your options are for PC resolution.  You can set output resolution on a Windows PC by right-clicking on the desktop background and going into the "Properties" then "Settings" menu.

Also, if this is a laptop computer, make sure your laptop's external monitor output is enabled.  On an HP laptop, I believe the keys to press to enable an external monitor are the "Function" key plus the "F5" key.  But check your manual or look closely at your laptop keyboard to see if a different key sequence is required.

If it still does not work, and you're sure the LG TV is set to the correct HDMI input and your PC resolution is set to a compatible output, then it's possible that your laptop has only DVI-A output (analog) not DVI-D (digital).  If this is the case, then try a simple VGA to VGA cable instead and select the TV's VGA input.  Again, if this is a laptop then you will need to enable the external monitor output using the correct key sequence.

Some links that might help:

• DVI-D to HDMI cable (6 foot)
• VGA cable (6 foot)

Hope that helps.

-Chris