Re: VGA, DVI, DVI-D, and HDMI

[Lukas Beeler <lukas.beeler@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 18:43,  <daparnin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I've got a laptop that I want to connect to a HD TV. ÂThe laptop has a
> 15-pin VGA port and also a firewire port. ÂThe TV has HDMI, RGB, and
> composite video ports.

You're mostly out of luck to get a good connection here. Check if
there is a docking station for your laptop that has a DVI output.
Almost all ThinkPad series have this.

> Any thoughts if the VGA to HDMI will work? ÂI'm open to other
> alternatives. ÂThanks.

Remember:
* HDMI is essentially DVI with a different pinout. Plus Audio. Plus
control channels. The video signal is the same, which is why physical
converters exist and are very cheap.

* Most DVI->VGA Adapters you can find are for DVI-I ports, which
supply both a VGA signal and a DVI signal. DVI-D to VGA adapters are
_very_ expensive and not just a little plug.

* VGA to DVI-D Adapters exist, they're very expensive - mostly because
they're a niche product. They're not just a plug converter like DVI-I
to VGA.

Look if there's a docking station for your laptop with DVI output.
Almost all ThinkPads, even really old ones like the R60/T60 lines have
a docking station with DVI. The docking station has a DVI port because
the card on the laptop has a DVI out, but it's not physically
connected on the laptop itself.