Laptop to TV

[Pete Nice]

I've done exactly that using other PCs and such but the TVersity and the media center on the 360 is so easy and the quality is really good. Less moving parts.

Plus it seems to be more torrent friendly.

How do you do it on your 360? Plug a thumb drive in? The link you posted on TVersity for hte 360 didnt work.

[Pete Nice]

This is really starting to get frustrating. I tried again, plug in the VGA, turned on the second monitor and now it is saying "invalid format".

There is suppported Display Specifications in the TV manuel that show Horizontal Frequesncy (KHz) and Vertical Frequesncy (Hz) but there is not option on the TV or my laptop to adjust these.

I am lost and have no idea what to do.

All this stuff you guys are posting is way over my head, I thought it would be as simple at plugging in the cable and starting it up, but it obvioulsy needs so much more. :Flaming:

[LeNeve]

I hooked up a flat screen to a desk top and it worked great. Plug and play type of deal.
You are not nerdy enough pete.

[LeNeve]

I hooked up a flat screen to a desk top and it worked great. Plug and play type of deal.
You are not nerdy enough pete.

[Pete Nice]

Double poster!!!!!

[Pete Nice]

You would think plug and play would work.

I have looked all over and it says plug and play should work. But it doesn't.

It does sway to have the TV and laptop off when plugging in the cable, I wonder if that matters.

[Chip]

What I've done is, I've put all my DVD's, and downloaded movies on a 1.5TB hard drive, dedicated to movies. I have about 150 movies on it now, thinking I should get another hard drive to back them up. And I have that shared over my network. Then at my LCD and plasma, I have an older, cheaper computers hooked up and use Windows Media Center to play the movies.

It's pretty sweet. XBMC is another option, and it's free if your version of Windows doesn't have MC. I have U-verse and there's a network port on the back of all the cable boxes, so I can just hook the computer up right through that. But even wireless is fast enough to play the movies.

Question: How did you put your DVD's on the external? What program did you use? DVD into CDROM, then what?

DVDShrink, it's free, and great for coping movies (if you have nero too)
It let's you copy movies to audio_TS and video_TS folders. Windows Media Center can read those. Create a folder with the movie name, put those TS folders inside the movie folder with a picture of the DVD cover named folder.jpg and WMC will recognize it.
And it can also create an ISO file.

[Chip]

You would think plug and play would work.

I have looked all over and it says plug and play should work. But it doesn't.

It does sway to have the TV and laptop off when plugging in the cable, I wonder if that matters.

I don't think that matters.
What version of Windows do you have?
Do you know if you have NVIDIA or ATI graphics?

From your laptop or PC, try adjusting the screen resolution of your 2nd monitor (the TV)

[Pete Nice]

What I've done is, I've put all my DVD's, and downloaded movies on a 1.5TB hard drive, dedicated to movies. I have about 150 movies on it now, thinking I should get another hard drive to back them up. And I have that shared over my network. Then at my LCD and plasma, I have an older, cheaper computers hooked up and use Windows Media Center to play the movies.

It's pretty sweet. XBMC is another option, and it's free if your version of Windows doesn't have MC. I have U-verse and there's a network port on the back of all the cable boxes, so I can just hook the computer up right through that. But even wireless is fast enough to play the movies.

Question: How did you put your DVD's on the external? What program did you use? DVD into CDROM, then what?

DVDShrink, it's free, and great for coping movies (if you have nero too)
It let's you copy movies to audio_TS and video_TS folders. Windows Media Center can read those. Create a folder with the movie name, put those TS folders inside the movie folder with a picture of the DVD cover named folder.jpg and WMC will recognize it.
And it can also create an ISO file.

OK I use DVDshrink also, but I am on windows XP and don't have WMC. For some reason I don't think you can use WMC on XP. When I want to watch the movies now, I have no menu and I have to open them through DVDshrink to watch them.

Maybe I can create a folder with the movie name, put those two files in it, and get it to work on WMP. I don't understand what you mean by a picture of the DVD cover names folder.jpg. I understand putting a picture of the DVD cover, but does it have to be named folder.jpg? By folder do you mean the name of the movie?

[Pete Nice]

You would think plug and play would work.

I have looked all over and it says plug and play should work. But it doesn't.

It does sway to have the TV and laptop off when plugging in the cable, I wonder if that matters.

I don't think that matters.
What version of Windows do you have?
Do you know if you have NVIDIA or ATI graphics?

From your laptop or PC, try adjusting the screen resolution of your 2nd monitor (the TV)

I have XP. I can't upgrade due to biometrics on the PC. I do not have Windows Media Center.

I do not know what NVIDIA or ATI means or where I would find that information. Any help on that?

I have adjusted the screen resolution on the 2nd monitor, but I am not sure exactly what I need to set it at, I am assuming somethingx1080.

[Joe]

What are you trying to accomplish? I didn't really read through this thread so you'll have to get me up to speed.

[DaveP]

Pete, I doubt this will help, but worth a try. There is a quick select monitor key on most laptops. Mine is above the F4 button. I have a "Fn" button on the bottom of the keyboard, just hold that down and press F4 and it will switch to the external display.
It just sounds like your shit isn't compatible for some reason, perhaps a really weak video card that can not handle it.

[Pete Nice]

What are you trying to accomplish? I didn't really read through this thread so you'll have to get me up to speed.

I want to attach my laptop to my TV to watch movies. The laptop, not a thumb drive, not a file sharing program on 360, the laptop.

[Joe]

What are you trying to accomplish? I didn't really read through this thread so you'll have to get me up to speed.

I want to attach my laptop to my TV to watch movies. The laptop, not a thumb drive, not a file sharing program on 360, the laptop.

And you have a VGA connector on your TV?

[Pete Nice]

I don't know how to look and see what my video card is. I got the laptop in 2007.