blackcab

http://www.comparison.com.au/televisions/LG/RT-42PX11

Hi, we have moved into a unit, its fully furnished, and i don't want to buy a new TV at the moment...

The unit has a LG/RT-42PX11 42" Plasma TV, but sadly no USB port which allows you to play videos and serials...

I have all my movies, series etc on a portable hardrive, and can put them onto my laptop.

Two questions.

My laptop has a S-Video out socket and a headphone pin socket. The TV has a S-Video socket, and three pins next to it, red, white and yellow.

I know i could get a cable to connect my laptop to the TV, an S-Video cable, but where can i get one in Brisbane? I am in Ascot.

This is the cable i require..

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/131015432...84.m1423.l2649

http://www.svideo.com/4pinsvideo.html

4-Pin S-Video to 4-Pin S-Video with Audio

Would this work?

Or could i buy a digital reciever, which has a USB port and will read the movies from my plugged in portable hard drive to play back on the TV? Do they exist?

Just wondered if shops stock this kind of cable in Brisbane, also what would the quality, of sound and picture be like?

Any experiences most welcome, cheers...

EvannTel

That cable should work.
For $10 I'd give it a go.
A dig recieved will be much more and I have found much. Ore fussy about playing media

GarryP

Well my first question would be how you are watching broadcast TV (or are you ignoring the delights of Oz TV?) That TV seems to be analogue only, and analogue is dead.

Your main problem will be, no HDMI. Since that's required for most things nowadays you will have fun getting anything to extend its life - particularly digiboxes.

By all means get the cable (you will need audio as well, S-video is just video), but you are probably going to need a new TV before too long.

mikelincs

Surely a plasma TV will be digital? didn't think they made them for analogue.

EvannTel

Read his post, it's rental so the TV is what you get and he,s clearly researched and asking for confirmation. The cable suggested carries 3.5mm din to 2X RCA plus s-Vis which his PC supports.

Old tv and old laptop in this case = TV heaven

GarryP

Tuner is analogue according to the specs, and it's turned off in Brisbane.

But the point is if it's a furnished unit, then what is a TV that can't receive anything doing there? Is there an old Freeview box or something?

blackcab

http://www.comparison.com.au/digital...xes/Soniq/T201

Yep, the TV is analogue, but we have this little beauty as above, a deep down and dirty little digi box. It works fine, we can watch the delights of Ozzy consumer pawn. Oh yeh some other pre-programmed delights inbetween the commysumer pawn.

Just wondered what the quality of S-Video including sound would be like from a laptop to the tv, and no i am not buying a new TV.

If we buy the cable will the sound and vision be as good as recieving the avi file from a USB?

By the way stores near me who stock the cable, any ideas?

GarryP

OK, I thought there had to be the other shoe.

Yes an S-Video/headphone audio would work. Quality would be OK, roughly comparable with component video - with a 480p screen you aren't likely to see much difference. If Dick Smiths near you doesn't do the cable, then Jaycar will.

However, you also have the option of connecting your portable hard disk to your digibox. That box will handle MPEG2 and MPEG4 compression (MPG, MPEG, MP4, AVI, TS, VOB, etc.) and rather than faffing about with the laptop is probably a better solution.

KJCherokee

Take a photo of the connectors on the tv then go to Jaycar on Gympie Road at Aspley and ask them how to do it. They will have all the cables and connectors you need, and unlike Dick Smith they know what they're talking about.

blackcab

Gary, Thankyou very much for your help, very much appreciated, i will get one this weekend. I have tried the hard drive to digi box solution. The digi box did not pick up the hard drive, i could not get it to work. Thanks again my friend.

blackcab

KJ, thankyou for your help, i will give Jaycar a go. Thanks

blackcab

http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=WV7332

The one above is four pin to four pin. Would this be better than the four pin to red, white and yellow pin?

I just cannot find the 4 pin and sound pin (laptop) to red, white and yellow pin (TV) cable on their site?

blackcab

Which one would give the best picture? Or no difference?

Cheers

GarryP

The first, slightly, although you probably wouldn't notice particularly.

S-Video splits the video signal into the luma & chroma signals whereas composite has them combined together. Thus slightly better quality (although nothing compared to HDMI).

Basically get an S-video cable, then an audio cable (headphone to 2 phono in your case).

blackcab

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/400398216...ht_2262wt_1153

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/261130686...#ht_2764wt_928

Decided to go this route instead, might be better, thoughts?