If you have the right cable or hardware then it's easy to watch iPlayer or any other video from your laptop on your TV. We show you how to connect your laptop to a TV.
You don't have to spend a small fortune to get all the features of the latest smart TVs. One cheap and easy way to get the internet on your TV is to connect it to your laptop. Doing this lets you stream catch-up TV from services such as BBC iPlayer, Sky Go and Netflix through your laptop onto your big TV screen, or even projector.
• Connect a laptop to TV by plugging an HDMI cable from the back of the TV to the output on your laptop
• You can alternatively use a VGA cable if your laptop or TV is too old to have an HDMI connection
• Wireless solutions for connecting a laptop to TV include Chromecast, Roku and Apple TV
What cables do I need to connect my laptop to a TV?
In order to connect your laptop to your TV you are going to need to take a look at what ports are available on both your laptop and TV. This easiest way to connect the two is with an HDMI cable. Unless your laptop is really old, or was a super-budget model, it should have an HDMI output. Virtually all TVs made in the last six years or so also have HDMI ports. (The HDMI port is highlighted in red below.)Another popular way to connect a laptop to a TV is via a VGA cable and a 3.5mm audio lead (which connects to your laptop's headphone port) - one cable each for video and sound. Only use this method if one or both of your devices doesn't have an HDMI port. The VGA port is labeled as PC IN on the image below.
If your laptop has no video output, you can connect your laptop to your TV via an adapter which plugs into your laptop's USB port and provides a VGA output. These cost from around £20.
How to connect a laptop to TV wirelessly
If you can't or don't want to have a wire between your laptop and TV, another option is to go wireless.There are various options here depending on your laptop's capabilities since a few laptops have a built-in wireless system called WiDi (Intel Wireless Display) which works with a compatible receiver such as Netgear's Push2TV.There are also wireless systems which plug into the HDMI port on your TV and laptop (possibly the USB port on your laptop), sending the video wirelessly. These aren't generally cheap, though, and most wireless video systems have a hit on video quality.
A different way to approach the problem is to use a dedicated media streamer such as Western Digital's WDTV, Google's Chromecast, Roku's Streaming Stick, or even Apple's TV. See also: How to set up and use a Google Chromecast.
The Apple TV is designed to work with your iPad or iPhone, but can also stream video from any computer or NAS running iTunes. It's quite limited as videos have to be one of only a couple of supported file formats. Plus there's no access to BBC iPlayer, Sky Go or other catch-up TV. For more on media streamers, see later in the article.
Read: Best media streamers 2016.
How to connect a laptop to TV using HDMI
Connecting a laptop to a TV via a HDMI cable is the best and easiest way, as cables are cheap and provide the best quality HD picture and sound. It only requires one lead too, as HDMI handles both video and audio.
If for some reason it does not automatically select the right setting, you simply need to go to Control Panel > Display > Adjust Resolution - from here you will see two drop down boxes. The first thing you will need to do is toggle the Display drop down to ensure that your TV is selected, next you need to ensure that the Resolution drop down box matches the settings that are correct for your TV.
1. Turn your laptop and TV on.
2. Connect your HDMI lead to both your TV and laptop (any order).
3. Select the correct HDMI input on your TV (usually by pressing the AV button).
4. If your laptop does not automatically output its screen to the TV, go to Control Panel > Display > Adjust Resolution and select the TV in the Display drop down box.
How to connect a laptop to a TV using VGA
Another straightforward way to connect your laptop to your TV is by using the VGA port on both devices. This is likely to only be an option for those of you with a laptop that is over 4/5 years old.
Using a VGA means Windows should automatically configure the settings like it would if you were using a HDMI cable. However, if you're experiencing difficulties go to Control Panel > Display > Adjust Resolutions and follow the directions above.
1. Turn your laptop and TV on.
2. Connect your VGA cable to both your TV and Laptop (any order).
3. Now do the same with your 3.5mm audio jack – use the headphone out port on the laptop and audio in on your TV or speakers.
4. Go to Control Panel > Display > Adjust Resolution and ensure that TV is selected in Display drop down box.
How to connect a laptop to a TV using USB
Strictly speaking, a USB to USB connection from a laptop to a TV shouldn't work. However, there are several companies that have developed adapters that will convert your USB port to a HDMI out. The only catch here is that you need additional software for your laptop to turn the USB port into a Video out port, so we strongly suggest you check the USB to HDMI adapter you want is compatible with your laptop before you buy.
How to connect your laptop to a TV using USB stick / external hard drive
If you've got a reasonably new TV, then there is a good chance that it will have a USB port. Depending on your TV's capabilities, you might be able to watch video content that is stored on your laptop simply by transferring it to an USB stick / external hard drive and plugging that into the TV.Providing the video format is supported by the TV (MP4 is almost universally supported), watching content should be as easy as plugging your USB stick / external hard drive into your TV, selecting the USB input and choosing the video you want to watch via the TV's file explorer software.
1. Ensure the video file format is compatible with your TV (you can check this by searching for your TV model on the manufacturers website and checking its specifications).
2. Copy the video file(s) to your USB drive.
3. Insert USB into TV.
4. Select the USB channel on your TV.
5. Use the TV's file explorer to locate and play the desired video.
How to connect your laptop to a TV wirelessly using WD TV Live media streamer
WD TV Live is a media streamer that you plug into the HDMI port of your TV and connects to your home network via its Ethernet port or Wi-Fi. This gizmo lets you play virtually any file including MKV, MP4, XVID, AVI, ISO/VOB and MOV.All you need to do is connect the WD TV Live to your network and TV and share your laptop's video folder on the network and WD TV Live will do the rest (providing you're using a Plug-and-Play router, which practically all are).
The WD TV Live also turns your telly into a semi-Smart TV as it gives you access to heaps of TV apps, including Netflix, YouTube and Vimeo.
1. Connect your WD TV Live set-top box to your home network via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
2. Hook up the WD TV Live to your TV with a HDMI Cable.
3. Share the folder – with the videos you wish to watch on your TV – to your home network.
4. Select the HDMI channel that you have plugged in your WD TV Live into.
5. Use the WD file explorer to locate your shared video folder.
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