Most modern (and even not-so modern) Personal Computers and laptops are capable of video playback, either from DVD, Blu-Ray Disc, or via Internet, using sites like YouTube or Hulu. However, many prefer watching movies on a normal TV, instead of on a computer screen. This guide will show you How To Watch Videos From Your Computer on a TV, and provide you with the right steps to set up your computer for your optimal viewing pleasure.

First, you need to check whether your computer is capable of managing two monitors at the same time. Check your computer for the type of port it supports for a secondary display.

Many computers support the round, 4 or 7 pin S-Video plug, others support VGA (with three rows of pins, 15 in total), DV-I, or HDMI. Next, check which additional ports your TV is supporting. Modern, flat-screen tv’s usually support VGA, DV-I and HDMI, older CRT ones might only support S-Video, or SCART. Find a pair of connectors that are compatible, preferably with the highest quality.

If both your TV and computer have a DV-I or HDMI connector, use those, otherwise resort to VGA, or S-Video.

Once you’ve connected your computer to your television, switch on your television, and select the correct input channel.

This allows your computer to detect your television set. Next, start up your computer. Once started, your computer might auto-detect the connected tv, and start installing the appropriate device drivers. If not don’t worry, once you set up your computer, it will detect the television connection.

This step can differ slightly based on the type of video card you own.
For nVidia cards:

Once your computer is fully started, select “Start”, “Control Panel”, “Display”. Next, select “Settings”, and “Advanced”. Select the nVidia tab, and go to nView Display Mode. Here, you can press “Detect Displays”. You should now see the television listed on your screen.

Select “Clone”. Some devices allow “Cinema”mode, which allows for video playback on your television set, while you can continue working on your computer.

Next, go to “Overlay Controls”, and set "Secondary display" on "Full Screen Device". This ensures full screen video playback on your TV.

Once your computer is fully started, select “Start”, “Control Panel”, “Display”. Next, select “Settings”, and “Advanced”.

This opens up the ATI configuration screen. Select the “Displays”. You should see a list of connected displays. If your TV is greyed out, this indicates the TV is not connected correctly. Otherwise, the TV should have a red button on the left-hand top corner.

Click the red button, which should now turn blue. Below the television icon, you see a blue box, with a white circle on it. Press this, to set your television as primary display. Optionally, select the “Overlay” tab, and click “Clone mode options”.

Select “Theater mode” to display only your movie on your television. Also select "Full Screen Video" to ensure full screen display. If required, adjust the standard sized (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) format to match your television.