Ramanathan wants to stream video from his laptop to his HDTV. But his laptop doesnt have an HDMI port.
You can have an Internet-ready smart TV with a Roku plugged into it, and at some point youll want to watch something that neither of them support. [For me, its password-protected Vimeo streams.] Thats when you need to plug your laptop directly into your HDTV.
If your laptop lacks an HDMI port, connecting it to a TV isnt so easy. But it isnt incredibly difficult either. Its all a matter of figuring out which ports you do have and which adapters you need.
[Have a tech question? Ask PCWorld Contributing Editor Lincoln Spector. Send your query to .]
If you have a very small laptop, you may have an HDMI port and not know it. Look for a micro HDMI port: Its about the same size as a micro USB port. You can buy an adapter or a cable that will let you connect it to the standard HDMI port on your TV.
If you dont have Micro HDMI, see if your laptop has a DisplayPort, which can handle the same digital video and audio signals as HDMI. You can buy a DisplayPort/HDMI adapter or cable cheaply and easily. [This is actually how I watch those password-protected Vimeo streams.]
Dont have either of those? Maybe your laptop has a DVI port. You cant miss it; its the silliest-looking port ever designed. And once again, adapters and cables are readily available to connect this port to your HDTV.
But theres a problem: DVI is a video-only format. It doesnt carry audio. So you have to find another way to get the sound out. Your television might have an analog audio input associated with one of the HDMI ports. If it does, you can use a 3.5mm male-to-male audio cable to connect your laptops sound system to your TVs speakers. If it doesnt, youll have to use other speakers. If you have a separate receiver in the room, connect the laptops audio to that. Otherwise, consider buying some computer speakers.
If your laptop doesnt have any of these ports, it will almost certainly have good old VGA. The same goes for your HDTV. Check your TVs manual to see what resolution the laptop should be set to. And dont expect the same image quality youd get with HDMI, DisplayPort, or DVI.
VGA, like DVI, is video-only. The solutions I suggested above should work here, as well. And youre far more likely to have an audio input associated with the VGA port.