Not having success in viewing computer monitor on TV

Some responders are not understanding what the OP is asking. A Smart TV has nothing to do with what the OP wants to do. The OP doesn't need a Smart TV or anything like it. The OP should be able to do what he wants with what he has.

Here are the steps I took to connect one of my PCs to my TV in my living room.

Here are the HDMI connections on the back of my TV. Note HDMI 1 & 2 are in use and HDMI 3 & 4 are unused.



Here is what I see if I press the SOURCE button on my TV remote control. Note that the connections already used are shown.



Here is the back of my TV again after I connect the HDMI cable that is connected to my PC.



Here is what I see if I press the SOURCE button on my TV remote control again. Note that HDMI 4 is now shown. However, nothing has changed. The TV is still connected to HDMI 1 the cable box.



To see the PC desktop on my TV I have to change the selection in the SOURCE menu to HDMI 4 as shown below. If you you look closely you will see the PC desktop now showing on my TV.

MisterED: Thank you for your interest in this issue. My family room TV which my spouse uses has two HDMI ports. One is in use for output from the cable box. I am attempting to utilize the other. The TV control source selector has the following from top to bottom - TV, AV, Component, DVD, HDM1, HDM2 & USB. The Windows 7 system (that I put together back in 2016) has only the 1 HDMI port on the M/B while the Windows 10 has 1 on the M/B and 1 on the video card. Whereas a day or two ago I had gotten the image of my desktop wallpaper (but none of the icons) to the TV I seem to have gone from BAD to WORSE!! Today the often seen 'NO SIGNAL' again. Have done the TV source selection but, of course, no luck. Have seen videos on the internet and it looks so simple - plug in the HDMI cable and there it is!!! The WIN+P trick also gets me nowhere! Have tried 'duplicate', 'extend', and only the TV setting to no avail. There has to be something I am missing here. Perhaps someday I'll win!!!

What we should have started with is have you list what the specs are for your computer. What is most important is your CPU, motherboard, graphics card, and monitor. Also, list the model number of the TV. Hopefully it has a resolution of 1920x1080 aka 1080p or 3840x2160 aka 4K.

1024x768 is too low for use with the TV. Ideally it should at least be 1920x1080 aka 1080p.

If you plug a laptop into a TV then yes it normally automatically switch the source. However, I have not always found that to be true especially with desktops.

You said your computer has one HDMI connector on the motherboard and one on the graphics card. The one on the motherboard only works if your CPU has integrated graphics. Otherwise, the HDMI connector on the motherboard is not used.

Assuming the HDMI connector on the graphics card is the only one you have and the TV is 1080p:

1. Set the resolution on the computer to the same as the TV, i.e 1080p
2. Plug the video cable from the computer into the free HDMI port on the TV
3. Use the TV remote to switch sources until you find the one the computer is connected to.

Note, the Win + P command is only for when you have two video outputs on the computer. For example, the 1st video output goes to the computer monitor and the 2nd goes to the TV.

If you had your wallpaper without the icons but with the taskbar (I'm not sure but it must be there in extend mode) then your tv image was in extend mode. Have you tried the hdmi port on the motherboard of windows 10 computer? The Win+P keys are useless if you only connect the tv to the computer without the monitor or I believe with the monitor on the hdmi port of the motherboard. Why are you putting 1024 x 768?

Leave the default resolution of the monitor and the win+P setting on the pc screen only, and you just have to connect only the tv either with the hdmi port of the graphics card or that of the motherboard, unplug the monitor before if you leave it plugged into the hdmi port on the motherboard. Also try only plugging the tv into the computer before turning on the computer. I believe that's the basics.

Then if it's ok, you'll have to see how to have the image of the computer on the tv connected to the hdmi port of the graphics card when the monitor remains connected to the hdmi port of the motherboard. There must be a setting in windows 10 to manage two gpus at the same time with 1 screen each, that must be your problem. A beginning https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...3-07c4ac78ccee

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With 2 gpus and each one a screen, you should, I believe, select the application which reads the videos or the direct so that it uses the gpu on which your tv is connected.

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I didn't really understand your connection though.

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I didn't understand this: "Have plugged my HDMI cable into my video card and am showing three screens instead of the two normally seen when HDMI is plugged into the HDMI outlet in the M/B."

Am going to start over again with this issue. This time I am going to refrain from including the Windows 10 system into the mix!! We will be talking about Windows 7 only which is what I am really aiming for. Spouse will be viewing her Turner Classic Movies (TCM) on a flat screen HD LCD TV via an HDMI cable from the Windows 7 computer. That is, if I can ever get a 'SIGNAL' from one place to another. Will attempt to submit relevant info including TV make and model, TV screen resolution and Hz number, number of available HDMI ports on computer, current Win7 version, etc. Hopefully, I will attempt to assemble this info within the next several days and post same. THANX for your interest and assistance!!!!!!

Boppa said:

Am going to start over again with this issue. This time I am going to refrain from including the Windows 10 system into the mix!! We will be talking about Windows 7 only which is what I am really aiming for. Spouse will be viewing her Turner Classic Movies (TCM) on a flat screen HD LCD TV via an HDMI cable from the Windows 7 computer. That is, if I can ever get a 'SIGNAL' from one place to another. Will attempt to submit relevant info including TV make and model, TV screen resolution and Hz number, number of available HDMI ports on computer, current Win7 version, etc. Hopefully, I will attempt to assemble this info within the next several days and post same. THANX for your interest and assistance!!!!!!

Looking back at your posts I don't see what make and model numbers are for your computers and TV. Please post them because it might give us a clue what might be your problem.

You need to figure out the following:
Resolution and refresh rate for TV
Resolution and refresh rate capabilities for computer video output

It is important to find a common resolution and refresh rate that works for both. I expect 1024x768 @60Hz to work for both but a higher resolution will probably be better if possible. I.E., 1280x720 HD and 1920x1080 FHD.

To show that it is possible even with older computers and TVs I hooked up a 19-year old desktop computer to a 10 year old TV.
Notes:
1. The computer video capability is very good being better than average
2. The computer only has VGA and DVI outputs; I hooked up using a DVI to HDMI cable to TV
3. The computer is running Windows 7 Home
4. Unlike HDMI, DVI requires a separate audio cable but I did not hook it up because it was not relevant for these tests.
5. The Samsung LCD TV is 1080p (1920x1080) @60Hz

The computer worked at a number of resolutions with the TV but here a few of them:

800x600 (4:3) @60Hz


1024x768 (4:3) @60Hz


1280x720 (16:9) @60Hz


1920x1080 (16:9) @60Hz

First is info on the TV I am attempting to get the signal to: RCA LED 32" TV with resolution of 1366x768 @ 60 Hz (480i, 480P, 720P, 1080i). The available sources are TV, AV, Component, DVD, HDMI, HDM2 & USB. Next is a homemade computer with a Windows 7 Home Premium w/Service Pack 1 (Build 7601) OS, ASUS M/B Z87-A, Intel core i5-4670 CPU @ 3.40 GHz - 3.47 GHz, 8 GB RAM, Display Adapter: ATI Radeon HD4300/4500. The VGA HDMI outputs have a maximum resolution of 4096x2160 @ 24Hz or 2560x1600 @ 60Hz and can take up to 3 displays simultaneously. Under 'SETTINGS' there are screens 1 & 2 with additional screens not being detected. Display1 is the SAMSUNG SA300 monitor and display 2 indicates 'Display device on: Component'. The resolution is currently set at 1600x900(recommended), the orientation is 'Landscape', the multiple displays are Duplicate, Extend, Show desktop only on 1, or Show desktop only on 2. I still have had virtually no success in getting an image of any kind out to the TV and only see "NO SIGNAL" no matter which option I try. I suppose there is a possibility of a bad cable?!!

A bad cable is always possible. The computer components look like they should be able to do what you want. For testing disconnect computer monitor and just hook up video to TV.

What are the following you are using?

• Video output on computer
• Video input on TV