With the increasing popularity of Hulu and other websites that stream online videos, there has been a large public interest in wanting to hook their computers up to their TVs. Believe it or not it is really easy if your computer and TV both have the correct connections.
The most common connections that TVs and desktops/laptops have is VGA. A cable like the one below on the left would connect from the backside of your computer to the backside of the TV and costs around $5, depending on the length. Another major connection type is HDMI. These connections are normally on higher end computers and are pretty common on flat screen TVs now. HDMI is used to transfer more visual information and supports higher resolutions than VGA which mean images will be finer or more visible. The high end graphics cards normally come with a DVI output connection, but come with an adapter that converts to VGA standard. If not, there are DVI to VGA adapters for around $5 as well. 
After you connect the computer into the TV there should be a “PC” or “AUX” or “Input” setting on the TV or TV remote controller to switch to that input. It varies from TV to TV. This will get your TV ready to receive a signal from the computer. If you have a Microsoft Window’s-based system, you want to right-click on the desktop and click on “display settings”. This will bring up a menu that will allow you to choose to have the TV mirror the computer screen or allow your TV to act as a secondary screen. It is easiest to click on the box that has the number 2 in it, then check the box below “extend the desktop onto this monitor” which will force the TV to mirror the computer. Until you have a better understanding of the menu and how it reacts to your TV, this will be the easiest setting.
This screen can also be used to adjust your resolution. The higher the resolution, the more clear the image will be. The choice of resolutions is based on the graphics card your computer has. Here is a list of wide screen resolutions that would look best on a flat paneled widescreen TV:
852×480—–16:9
1280×720—–16:9
1365×768—–16:9
1600×900—–16:9
1920×1080—–16:9
I hope this has helped. If you need further guidance, post a question and I or others will respond 🙂
LB Computers 
