Hey guys, I was looking for a device that is cheap that I can play my laptop on a tv screen. The reason is at Northwestern, they don't wire for cable in the dorms, instead giving you their NUTV, which is the TV signal digitized and put through the campus network and onto your computer. Now, I would sometimes rather just watch TV on my TV and not on the computer...I like to lay in bed and watch TV, not sit in a chair.

Now, I don't have a TV out card on my laptop and really wouldn't know how to install one. But, I do have an external monitor plug in the back (they call it video connector...it's the 3x5 pin connector), and the ability to run dual monitors (one can even be an extension of your desktop). I found something at Radio Shack, but that's out of my price range at $100 (given that I'll probably buy the baseball TV package from MLB.com).

So, does anyone know where I could purchase a connector for relatively cheap?

If it's an S-Video socket you have on your laptop (the plugs are round with a flat top) then buy a quality cable (they aren't very expensive) with about 3-5 m length. Then you have to find out if your TV accepts the S-video signal as input to use that cable with the TV, but an easier way would be to get a S-video to scart adapter (cheap).

Then you can switch to the other monitor using Window's Display properties, switch to the AV or AV2 input signal on your TV and you should see it.

The don't have cable in the dorms? That's so freaking dumb!

The don't have cable in the dorms? That's so freaking dumb!

At the Univerisity of Minnesota you have to pay for it.

At the Univerisity of Minnesota you have to pay for it.

It's true. :(

Whoa. And I used to think that UTEP nickle and dimed you.

at the university of hawaii at hilo u have to pay as well. the only thing thats free is the internet.

Well, it looks like I don't have an S-video plug, so that option is a no-go. Just USB ports and the monitor plug-in.

And yeah, we actually do have to pay for our NUTV as part of our room and board. We get something like 20 channels to our room (the good ones, like ESPN, ESPN2...no FSN or Classic though, you have to go downstairs to the lounge for full cable on the bigscreen). Worse than the not on TV part, however, is the fact that if our internet starts having hiccups, you can't watch TV, at least the way you want to. It really sucks when you really want to watch a game or something.

Whoa. And I used to think that UTEP nickle and dimed you.

Yeah, they don't nickel and dime you here, they basically pick you up and turn you upside down and then pick up whatever money they find.

You might be able to use something like this:

http://store.yahoo.com/aitech/maxview.html

It looks like it could do the job, though is rather expensive.