[Solved] How to use my TV as my computer monitor

Forum CPU & Components : Power Supplies, Cases & Mods [Solved] How to use my TV as my computer monitor

I have an old big screen TV. -Maybe six years old and it's not HD or plasma or fancy-
I want to use my old TV as my computer monitor. I would like to play PC games and watch movie downloads or even see my PC desktop on my regular TV. Is this Possible? What will I need to do?
My old TV has one coaxial port, one S-video port, one yellow RCA video port, and two sets of red and white RCA audio-in & audio-out ports. I'm hoping to be able to use some combination of wires and adapters, and maybe some sort of video or TV card, if necessary.
I do have a Sapphire Radeon 4670 HD 1GB graphics card with a HDMI output, DVI-I output, and a VGA output. Do any of these ports come into play with this operation? If you can help, please respond. This sounds like a fun project.
Thanks.

Reply to daveed12vas

I was curious about the Sewell PC to TV converter. Is this product any good? Will this converter work with my Dell desktop PC? Do I plug the VGA into the old monitor port or into my graphics cards VGA port? Do i have to unplug my monitor to use the one available VGA port on my graphics card? I have a lot of questions. I want to play PC games on my regular TV and maybe stream a movie or what ever. Is this this the converter I want? The price is right at around $30-$40. Any information would be welcomed. Thanks.
Here is a link to the converter: http://amzn.com/B003BVVYSM

Message edited by daveed12vas on 01-21-2011 at 07:00:42 AM

Reply to daveed12vas

Best answer

I would not recommend using those old low res televisions for a monitor, your talking something like 480i/240p resolution, absolute garbage. I tried playing the original starcraft on a 20" tv through s-video and even it was pixilated with difficult to read text that gave me a migraine.

Reply to loneninja

You can convert to s-video and composite video like the others said but you will have an extremely low resolution, 480p, half the resolution of an old monitor, it will be very unclear and it would be very pixelated just like loneninja said, I have tried it before and I say it's a no go, forget it, sorry.

Reply to mn96

Okay, I understand your point of view. And I am not interested in a blurry picture. I have done some research into the different PC to TV consoles and converter boxes -why there is even a Yahoo news story about this topic today- and I have heard now both good and bad reviews.
It seems to me that the PC to TV devices do function for movies and games but that they are not well liked for general web browsing or reading text information.
Also, from my research, I understand that while these PC to TV devices do function; they work best on a HD, LED, or high end television and that they work less than perfect on older CRT box style televisions. -but I am a noob and I could be wrong-
Perhaps I should save up for a nice HD flat screen television or buy a larger monitor. Really I am just trying to find some use for this big screen TV I have. I just use my PC and the internet for movies and television now'a days and my 60 inch big screen just sits there gathering dust with my DVD player, VCR, and stereo system. I think they are extinct or at lest endangered. Along with Cable, Satellite, and all local networks. As soon as we can inject a broadband link into our bodies we will. But I am wandering...
Anywho... your thoughts please.

Reply to daveed12vas

Best answer selected by daveed12vas.

Reply to daveed12vas

Maybe the Seawell PC to TV functions on a LCD or plasma HD TV but it does NOT function on an older CRT analog "box" TVs. I purchased a Seawell PC to TV and the picture is very blurry and takes on an almost animated appearance -like an early Playstation game with poor quality graphics-
Again, maybe these devices work correctly on "high end" TVs, but not my old big screen TV.
Thank you all for your help. I should have trusted you, and saved some dough. I fell for their YouTube advertising.
Any one want a Seawell, only used once?

Reply to daveed12vas

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