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Send laptop screen to TV via USB?
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 12:05PM
A friend has just bought a new LED TV, which has a USB port. He's asked me whether it's possible for him to duplicate his laptop (Windows 7) screen on the TV.
In order to do this, I presume he has to tell his computer to send the video output to a USB port instead of to the VGA port. Can this be done?
The computer is a Dell Inspiron 1720. Its video card is an Nvidea Geforce 8400M GS.
Thanks for any advice.
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 12:15PM
I think you will find that you almost certainly cannot use the USB port to somehow wirelessly send the video/audio from laptop to TV.
The USB is mainly used for music/pictures... possible software update.His manual should reveal all.
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 12:19PM
I agree with Chronus, but am wondering what connections the TV has.
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 12:27PM
'a new LED TV, which has a USB port'
But does it have VGA or HDMI, which is the normal way to view a computer output on a TV.
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 1:23PM
On my TV (LG) the USB port is only for putting on firmware updates.
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 1:25PM
I can't see any way this is possible. But, as others have said - why USB when there's a myriad of other connection types that are specifically designed to get video from a PC/laptop to an external screen?
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 1:47PM
Many thanks for those replies.
The TV is a Toshiba RL933 40-inch.
Apparently the reason he wants to use USB for the pictures is because his VGA port packed up some time ago. It got bashed and now doesn't work! The computer doesn't have an HDMI port.
But from what you say it sounds as though he's out of luck with USB.
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 1:54PM
Simple solution would be to upgrade his GPU to one that has the necessary connections.This can be done quite cheaply and most come with HDMI.
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 1:55PM
Multiple connections for enhanced entertainment - The USB port allows users to watch videos and pictures on the TV screen using a USB stick or an external HDD. They can also listen to music via its stereo speakers with Dolby® Digital Plus. The integrated USB Video Recording* function means the user can access an external HDD to record favourite TV shows while the three HDMI ports easily connect devices, such as game consoles or Blu-ray™ players, to the RL933 to provide enjoyment of video games and movies in high picture quality on the big screen.
From a Review!
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Posted June 19, 2012 at 2:02PM
Thanks again, Chronus and Nontek (although you sound pretty 'tech' to me!)
Chronus, I think he's trying to get a slideshow ready for a big family party at the weekend - no time for any upgrades!
Nontek - to my uneducated brain it seems that, if you can watch videos and pictures on the TV from a USB stick, wouldn't that suggest that you should also be able to watch them from your computer's hard drive via USB? Or am I missing something?
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