Want to connect a computer to TV monitors? With the growing popularity of streaming video, many people want to connect computers to televisions in order to watch programming online. The exact specifics depend on your setup, but it’s surprisingly easy in most cases.

Match your computer output to your TV input.
The first step to connect a computer to TV monitors is matching computer outputs with TV inputs. Some computers output S-video, for example, but your TV may have only HDMI inputs. Figure out what type of outputs your computer has, and what type of inputs your TV has, and match them up to form the best connection type.

Lucky flat-screen owners have a minimum of fuss.
If you own an LCD or plasma TV, you might have a PC input with all your other TV inputs. Most newer televisions have a PC input right alongside HDMI and component inputs. If you do have a PC input, simply get the right cable, typically a monitor cable, and plug it into the output on your computer or laptop and the PC TV input.

Newer upgraded computers offer HDMI output.
Many newer upgraded computers offer HDMI out alongside other video formats which makes it easier to cnnect your computer to TV. If you’ve got an HDMI output and an open HDMI slot on your television, all you need is an HDMI cable to connect your computer to your TV. This is the optimal way to configure computers to TV connections, as it’s the highest-quality signal source, but not all computers offer HDMI out, so you might not have this option.

With the right video card, you can connect via S-video.
Some video cards designed for use with TV offer an S-video output. If your video card offers S-video out, simply buy S-video cables and connect your computer’s output to your TV’s S-video input. Typically, you don’t have to do anything special to configure your computer to TV; simply select the right video input, and you’re good to go.

Upgrade your video card, if necessary.
If your video card doesn’t support an output to a TV video format, you might need to upgrade your video card. Many modern video cards offer a variety of video outputs, so you should be able to find something that matches your TV inputs. You can get a good video card with TV video outputs for less than $100. In some cases, you can get these cards for under $50, depending on your computer and the video cards it supports.

Configure your computer to display nicely on your TV.
Once you connect a computer to TV monitors, you need to configure it for the best viewing experience. The default resolution may not be a good match for your television, so you may need to go into your Display settings and adjust your resolution. Experiment with different resolutions until you find something that looks good on your TV.

Troubleshooting computer to TV connections.
If you connect your computer to your TV and there’s no display, make sure the TV video input is set for the correct source. Cycle through your TV video inputs until you’ve checked all the video sources. If your computer still doesn’t display video on your TV, try restarting your computer. Some connection types require a computer reboot to recognize the new connection.