VGA TO HDMI

[bahnawk]

HI,
I JUST GOT A VGA TO HDMI CABLE TO CONNECT MY LAPTOP TO MY TV BUT WHEN I PLUGGED IT IN NOTHING HAPPENS. DO I NEED A DRIVER?
IM RUNNING A WIN7PRO DELL LATITUDE D520

 

[mavroxur]

You may need to press "Fn + F8" on the laptop to enable video on the VGA port. Some older laptops, even when running Win 7, will not automatically detect when a projector / external monitor is connected. Also, make sure you have the proper video drivers installed, since if you don't, the external port may not work properly.

 

[Guest]

right click on the desktop - screen resolution - extend these displays.

 

[i8myhippo]

The above answers are correct, but you do realize that going from VGA to HDMI is a terrible conversion, right? You will be bottlenecked by the capacity of VGA.

 

[mavroxur]

The above answers are correct, but you do realize that going from VGA to HDMI is a terrible conversion, right? You will be bottlenecked by the capacity of VGA.

Not entirely true. The VGA standard theoretically doesn't have a resolution maximum. Cards with a 400MHz DAC can do 2048x1536, which is higher than 1080P by a good margin. Now, the quality may not be great at that resolution, but using a good card, good (short) cables, and a good monitor, it's actually quite good. I've used VGA for 1080P several times, and the results were good. Then again, I wasn't using junk hardware either. High quality cables, and coming from a native VGA port going straight to a projector with VGA in. No conversions in between. On "average" hardware, of course, digital will look better. But don't write off VGA as being a being terrible.

 

[unksol]

All of the above answers are incorrect. VGA is analog. HDMI is digital. They are completely and totally incompatible and you cannot use a cable to output from a VGA port to an HDMI input. To put it nicely, you got scammed.

Also just FYI typing in caps is considered yelling.

 

[mavroxur]

All of the above answers are incorrect. VGA is analog. HDMI is digital. They are completely and totally incompatible and you cannot use a cable to output from a VGA port to an HDMI input. To put it nicely, you got scammed.

Also just FYI typing in caps is considered yelling.

You are aware that they make adapters to do this right? If you want, I can shine some light under that rock you've been under.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812119395&name=Adapters-Gender-Changers

Takes VGA in, putputs HDMI



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA0U008M6395&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleMKP&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleMKP-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA

Takes HDMI in, outputs VGA and L/R analog audio.


These are just two examples of thousands of adapters that do it. And while there's some companies selling $5 cables that don't work, the adapters that do work are active (require power, either from USB or an AC adapter) and do actual Analog -> digital conversion.




The more you know!

 

[bahnawk]

These are all good answers guys but I've tried Fn-F8 and extending to external monitor and my driver is up to date, but still does nothing..

 

[mavroxur]

When you right click the desktop and go to Properties (Win XP) or Scree Resolution (Win Vista / 7) does it show more than one monitor picture (and one possibly greyed out) ?

 

[bahnawk]

it show two, when i try to identify the second one, it cant detect anything

 

[mavroxur]

On Windows 7, press the "Detect" button, and it'll show the second output on your laptop, and will probably show "another display not detected". Select the "Another display not detected" box. Down below, select "Try to connect anyway on : VGA" under "Multiple Displays". Apply settings. That will force the laptop to output secondary video even if it can't detect the secondary monitor. Try that and get back to us.

 

[bahnawk]

tried that, and nothing

 

[bahnawk]

I even downloaded a catalyst software which I found on another forum and that didn't work either

 

[mavroxur]

Do you get those options, or by nothing, do you mean the options aren't there?

 

[roni_1]

HI,
I JUST GOT A VGA TO HDMI CABLE TO CONNECT MY LAPTOP TO MY TV BUT WHEN I PLUGGED IT IN NOTHING HAPPENS. DO I NEED A DRIVER?
IM RUNNING A WIN7PRO DELL LATITUDE D520