I need help switching my PC monitor to my TV and back

Hey all! I have a gaming PC but want the big screen experience my PS4 provides. I would like to be able to switch from my monitor to my TV and back for some games.

I am aware there are a couple of wireless solutions to this and Steam is even rolling out one in November but I am prepared to do this wired.

Could I just have an HDMI switch at my PC and TV with a long HDMI cable? :confused

If so, would I need to do anything special when switching to prevent damage to my PC, monitor or TV?

Thanks!

 

Here are detailed instructions how to connect PC to TV.

http://www.wikihow.com/Connect-PC-to-TV

 

That's real good. Better than what I was looking at: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Your-TV-As-a-Computer-Monitor

However, it's the switching I need help with. I need to know if an HDMI switch would serve my purpose. Maybe using a dual monitor cable would work?

 

You could use either. Have a look at these offerings from Newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Description=hdmi switch&Submit=ENE

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Description=vga splitter dual monitor&Submit=ENE

Switching between using your TV as a monitor for your PC, and using it to receive TV broadcasts, must be done on your TV. Check the user manual.

I would opt for the HDMI cable.

 

If you have HDMI out on your computer you just run an HDMI cable (I believe the max length for HDMI is 25 feet but don't shoot me if it's longer). A lot depends on your hardware. If you have a dual monitor setup already, and want to just add the HDMI output you have to make sure that your video card supports using all 3 outs at the same time. Otherwise you have to reconfigure every time you want to use the TV via HDMI (not too hard but it's extra steps). Does your TV have enough HDMI inputs so you don't need a switch? No use buying one if you have all the extra ports.

 

Thanks for the replies. Can anyone tell by the following info which is best for my graphics card and ports?

My PC has one HDMI port, one DisplayPort,and one DVI-I at the bottom and up by my graphics card I have a VGA and a DVI-D

AMD Radeon HD 7770 1gb Graphics Processor (0x683D)
DAC type: Internal DAC(400MHz)
Display Memory: 4816 MB
Dedicated Memory: 1006 MB
Shared Memory: 3810 MB
Current Mode: 1600 x 900 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor Name: HP 2010 Series Wide LCD Monitor
Monitor Model: HP 2010
Native Mode: 1600 x 900(p) (60.000Hz)
Output Type: DVI

 

Your graphics card doesn't have a HDMI port. Therefore, connect from your PC's HDMI port to your TV's HDMI port.
There shouldn't be any issues and the picture quality will be second to none.

 

Thanks. So I will get a long HDMI cable from HDMI to TV and have VGA or DVI to my monitor.

What's the best way to switch back and forth? Using Windows 8 display setting or some software program?

 

Check the graphics program on your PC or use the Windows 8 display settings if you don't want to use both PC monitor and TV while gaming. With a dual monitor setup you could just turn off the PC monitor if the display isn't stretched across both monitors.

 

Does your motherboard support using both a graphics card and onboard graphics at the same time? If not, you'll either need to get a new card, get an adapter/cord to go from DVI to HDMI, or uninstall/deactivate the graphics card and just use the mobo's graphics. Keep in mind that the more things you add between point A and point B the more chances you have of something not working correctly.