Techies - Is there a simple way to use my tv as a computer monitor?

Other than webtv.

Is there some attachment that will simply hook into the monitor slot on my computer and hook into some slot on the back of my tv? Is it that simple?

(I could look this up, but I get lost in the tech stuff after a while, just looking for some simple english)

thanx

ooops

Check to see if your TV has an S-video input. If it does, you're in luck, as many modern video cards have an S-video output connector.

Of course, you'd then need to have a video card with the S-video output.

I'm sure there are other options -- maybe an older ATI All-in-Wonder card from 1996 or so -- if you have an older television with no S-video connector.

Good luck.

you could go completely old-school and check out an RF modulator, which you can find at Radio shack. I remember asking a similar question in 1985 - I wanted color for my Apple IIe damn it- so my pops went out and bought an RF modulator and lo and behold! Basically though, the idea sounds like horses!it. Flat screens are affordable now, so do yourself a favor and don't do this.

but not much use for text or OS use.

you have to make the text REAL BIG SO IT WONT "THROB".....

We have people who bring in powerpoint files they want to incorporat into their videos, and we have to give them pointers or caution them that they're gonna be dissappointed.

This can be done with the use of a scan converter. A scan converter can take different kinds of video input and convert it into different output. Therefore, yes, it is possible to display computer signal on a television. One of these devices will take your VGA cable in and send output along a coax or RCA cable.

First of all, regular television is an analog signal about 320x200 pels, whereas basic VGA is a digital signal which starts at 640x480. This means that if you use your television as a computer monitor you will not get good resolution, meaning everything will be fuzzy and unclear. You could set your computer's video resolution down to 320x200 but this makes it hard to use some programs.

Standard TVs have horrible resolution, something like 350x500 at best, and that's fixed, so you can't get it any better.

I don't think video cards can go below 640x480 any more, and even that's pretty bad on a monitor-- on a TV it's totally unreadable.

(I did try this many years ago with a Radio Shack RF converter. Even with DOS text, 640x200 resolution was unreable on the TV)

on edit--

There are PCI cards that will output NTSC or S-video from the computer to the TV, but they aren't really good for general use.