How to get VGA picture to TV screen

It is many situations where you would like to put your PC computer screen to a big TV screen instead of your tiny monitor. PC graphics were originally designed to be attaced to TV (CGA displays around 1983) but since then the PC graphics techniques have gone it's own way far beyond normal TV specifications because of need for higher resolutions and flicker free displays.

TV with VGA input

Because of need to get VGA display to TV screen some TV manufacturers have started to make TVs which have direct input for VGA signals. Those TVs are typically high-end 100 Hz TV models. The resolutions available in TVs with VGA input connector are limited by TV technique and are typically maximum of 640x480 or 800x600. This kinds of TVs are starting to be available from Philips in their TV model selection and from Semi-Tec under Salora brand name.

Graphics card with TV output

Get a video card with a television output so you can plug it directly to a normal TV. The PC graphics cards which output also signal to normal TV have typically composite video and S-video outputs. If your TV has such input then you just plug them to your TV. If you have an older TV which has only RF input then you need also an external RF modulator. For example ATI Technologies makes quite inexpensive PC grpahics cards with TV output. Matrox makes a Rainbow Runner doughterboard for their Mystique and Millenium II graphics cards which the TV output signal available. Some more links to PC grpahics cards with TV output can be found at http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/vga2tv/commercial.html.

VGA to TV converters

VGA to TV converters take the signal from the VGA card and convert it to composite and/or S-video signal which can be then put to normal TV screen. There are very many different VGA to TV converters on the market nowadays available at very wide price range. There are typically two kind of converters on the market: stand-alone converters which you juts plug to your VGA card outputs and less expensive converters external converters which need special drivers to work.

Links to many VGA to TV converter producs can be found at http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/vga2tv/commercial.html. It is also possible to build a very simple VGA to TV converter yourself from quite inexpensive components and you can find instructions for such project at http://www.hut.fi/Misc/Electronics/circuits/vga2tv/index.html.