Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.

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HDTV: frequently asked questions

If you have a High Definition Television (HDTV), you can connect your computer to it for better monitor display quality.

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That depends on your television. Some HDTV sets can connect to a standard VGA cable, which is the most common connection for computers. If your television does not have a VGA input, though, you may need to use a DVI cable or component video cables. If your computer does not have these video outputs, you might be able to replace the video card in your computer with a newer, HDTV-compatible video card.

Illustration of VGA, DVI, and Component Video connectionsVGA, DVI, and Component Video connections

You need to change the resolution settings using Display in Control Panel. Because most HDTV sets use the 16:9 format, you need to choose a screen resolution that matches the wide format of the TV. If your computer's video card has been designed with HDTV in mind, it might come with its own software for setting screen resolution to match the 16:9 format.

Yes. If your computer's video card is HDTV-compatible, it will probably have two or more video outputs. Connect one to your computer monitor and another to your HDTV. Both of them should automatically display what's on your computer.

This is normal. Certain kinds of computer information, such as games and video, will only appear on the HDTV. You will see a blank screen or a blank window on the computer monitor. To see this information on the computer monitor, you must temporarily disconnect the HDTV.

Note

Note

To get the most benefit out of connecting your computer to a television, you should use Media Center, found in Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Home Premium.

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