help!!!(computer to television)

[GothicCandle]

I have some videos on my computer i would like to play on the T.V Halloween night in my window. So how do I do this???? I tried putting the video on a C.D, in the correct format so my D.V.D player could play it, but it pushes the picture up to the top of the screen, cuts most of it off, while having a black screen on the bottom half of the page. The picture also blinks rapidly and the sound on it don't work at all.

Help?

[Terrormaster]

I've never really had much luck getting videos to convert right for VCDs, the aspect ratio is always off (either stuff gets cut off or shifted).

Chances are since you have a DVD player you have a means to connect S-Video up to your television (it's the round connector that's kinda like the older keyboard/mouse PS2 connectors - about 1/2" in diameter and has 4 or so pins).

Next check the back of your PC to see if your video card supports it as well. If you have a halfway decent card bought in the last couple years chances are you do.

If you have both of these, grab yourself an S-Video cable and connect your PC right to your TV - this is how most Media Center PC setups work. Warning - you may want to have your monitor hooked up at the same time. Television sets were not designed to display at the resolution a PC monitor is and reading any text from your operating system is difficult at best. But once you're up and running, fire up a video and set your player to play at fullscreen - viola!

-TM

[Koumajutsu]

Meh, DVI to HDMI cable for the win.
Or just get a nice LCD HDTV with a VGA input :)

[GothicCandle]

how long is this cable? the whole point of using the tv is so i don't have to move my big ol' computer desk(and the computer) to the other room. plus of course the tv screen is bigger then the computer screen.

[Terrormaster]

LOL @ Kouma - yah, that would have been the route I would have gone to if my TV supported DVI or HDMI. I still have a 4:3 aspect ration 32" TV - going hi-def is gonna be my next big purchase probably sometime next year - shootin for 52" hehe!

However, since GC mentioned trying to burn VCD versus DVDs I'm presuming he's on a little bit older technology. And if he doesn't have Svid support on his vid card, picking up a card with it would be the cheaper and most cost economical way.

@GC, your other alternative is to replace your CDRom drive with a writable DVD-Rom drive. Again, I hadn't had much luck converting to even DVD and getting the aspect ration right though.

S-Video cables only run about 4-5 feet though.

Now if your TV supports DVI that'd be best... You could then buy a 50'-100' VGA cable and throw a VGA to DVI dongle on the end of it and plug it right in.

-TM

[GothicCandle]

LOL @ Kouma - yah, that would have been the route I would have gone to if my TV supported DVI or HDMI. I still have a 4:3 aspect ration 32" TV - going hi-def is gonna be my next big purchase probably sometime next year - shootin for 52" hehe!

However, since GC mentioned trying to burn VCD versus DVDs I'm presuming he's on a little bit older technology. And if he doesn't have Svid support on his vid card, picking up a card with it would be the cheaper and most cost economical way.

@GC, your other alternative is to replace your CDRom drive with a writable DVD-Rom drive. Again, I hadn't had much luck converting to even DVD and getting the aspect ration right though.

S-Video cables only run about 4-5 feet though.

Now if your TV supports DVI that'd be best... You could then buy a 50'-100' VGA cable and throw a VGA to DVI dongle on the end of it and plug it right in.

-TM

I have no clue if my tv supports DVI since i don't know what that is. Can you clue me in?

Edit: Looked it up on wikipedia. nope, my tv dont seem to do dvi.

[Terrormaster]

There are some VGA to S-Video products out there. But I can't speak for their quality as I've never used any.

-TM

[grim reaper]

i use an S-video cable but some tv's/dvd players dont have this and older video cards on pc's dont. or if you have a dvd re-writer use a program called nero to burn a dvd-r disc, some dvd players dont play dvd-r's though. or invest in a $60 pc to tv converter like this http://www.radioshack.com/sm-ultimate-xp-pro-pc-to-tv-converter--pi-2104194.html

[scream1973]

You could purchase a relatively inexpensive VGA - TV such as this
http://sewelldirect.com/pc-to-tv.asp?adpath=/Google/Video%3EConverters/PC%20to%20TV%20Converter&keywords=computer%20to%20tv&match=3&search=search&gclid=CIPVoa2C75MCFQGbnAodGA95Wg

Then hook this up to a VCR in the same room as your pc. From the VCR run a length of standard Coax cable to your TV and voila.. yer all set without having to move your computer or tv at all

[Lotus]

what are you using to burn the DVD what program

[Dr Morbius]

Do you have a DVD burner drive? If not, your'e options are limited to what Terrormaster said. If you do, burn a DVD. Not a CD.

[DeathTouch]

You could also invest in a video card that has TV out. That would also do it. Radon has these types of cards.

[GothicCandle]

I don't *think* my computer burns dvds, its my aunts old computer that she gave me when my old one died. It has three drives, one of which is for floppy discs and the other two for cds or dvds. I'm not sure if the burner can burn dvds, ive never tryed it.

To burn the video to cd, i just copy pasted to the correct folder and hit "Write these files to CD"

[Sickie Ickie]

will vids burn to CD?

[Terrormaster]

SI, I think GC tried that and couldn't get the aspect ratio right or the vid to fit on the full screen.

-TM

[Sickie Ickie]

I didn't think that would work.

[jabberwocky]

I would try a "video" forum and ask for some help.
Once youve learned how, youll use it more then you thought.
Besides, even if you end up buying a new video program, its alot cheaper then a new tv and probably even cheaper then the cable you would need to go from pc to tv.
Definitely, easier too.

[Phil]

GC, what is the file format of the original vids and the make/model of the DVD player you will use for playback? I have burned VCDs several times, and with the right software and a compatible player what you want to do is possible.