Using notebook computer as a DVD deck
 

Sometimes when I travel, I just want to watch a DVD. Many times the TV in the hotel or wherever has accessible audio and video jacks, but my notebook doesn't have a video jack, or s-video outlet, or anything like that. I've used it a few times for presentations with a projector, so I assume I have to use the same port.

Anyone have any tips, or should I be talking to the Radio Shack guy?

Thanks.

if your notebook doesn't have it.. then you are stuck watching it on your notebook.

I just bought a nice little portable DVD player, got an 8" and the wife insisted to "we can go bigger" and I went back for the 10" (any bigger and then it's like carrying yet another laptop) the portables have the right connectors to connect to most TVs even in hotels.

your laptop only has the VGA out apparently so you are SOL.

Actually, not true. Adapters aren't too hard to find (I just did a quick Google search), although I don't know what the quality is like on them. But if you're determined to do it, I imagine it's not that big a deal to drop $5 on one of these things and see how it works.

as a person who works in TV....blurry is not acceptable to me. RCA, SVideo, Composite outs are the only acceptable solution for me.

That's generally speaking to the appearance of details on a TV screen vs a computer monitor, whatever the source signal. If you've connected your computer to the average TV via composite or S-Video you know what it means. Blea. The SVGA connector has much more potential than either but at $5.50 this thing might suck horribly. Then again, what's to lose?

Thanks. For $5.50, I'll risk it.

I've got a golf weekend planned, and I was thinking I'd have some DVDs going for background during the poker game. Caddyshack, Porky's, and "Flesh Gordon" should provide the proper ambiance for what we have planned.

Update:

I did some forum searches, and there were two things I took away:

1. SVGA and RCA are incompatible.
2. Therefore, the cable mentioned won't work unless your video card has a "TV Out" capability.

There are converters on the market that profess to handle the incompatibility for you. They range from $99 to $219 from what I saw. Radio Shack was the $99 one.

Although there seem to be plenty of people who had the same question I did, I was not able to find a converter for cheap on eBay.

FWIW.

Quite the man's night you've got going there. Poker and skin flicks. Throw in some stogies and a case of beer and I don't think it could get any better.

Sorry the adapter didn't work out. It's still possible, but for $100 I don't know if you want to try it. You could get a small portable dvd player for cheaper, although that would mean one more thing to lug around. Figure either way you take a bit of a risk in terms of quality, or you could just watch them on your laptop.

Hammer ----> Nail.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/MikeFer/1.jpg

As you can see, beautiful weather. Breakfast consisted of coffee, rum cake, and stogies after we hit the course.

I tried the converter, and it worked well. It had adjustments to center the picture in the TV screen, plus other bells and whistles. About the size of a pack of cigarettes, so it's easier to lug around than one of the stand alone DVD players.

One point that may already be common knowledge: The video cable that came with it was quite thin and crappy. There was noise on the screen.

I happened to have an old RCA monster cable lying around, and I plugged it in. TREMENDOUS increase in quality.