Computer Monitor Question

john in la · Dec 18, 2016

Went to best buy yesterday with a few questions and really could not get a answer or a answer I liked anyway.
Considering the diversity of people on this site figured I would ask here.

I know I can hook my laptop to my TV to watch a movie or such because I have done this before.
What shows on the laptop screen also shows on the TV screen.

While I do not know how to do it I also know that a computer can have more than one monitor.
With this setup you can open one window in one monitor and a different window in the other monitor.
They have this at my work place.

So this brings me to......
1) If I set up my laptop or even my desktop to have 2 monitors; can 1 of the monitors be my TV.
I am trying to get it to where my grandson can watch a U-Tube cartoon on the TV while I work on the computer.
Right now I have to stop what I am doing on the laptop to let him watch a cartoon.
This is cutting into my YT surfing time. LOL.

2) Is there such a thing as a wireless monitor?
If #1 is possible it would also be nice to hook it to my desktop and not have to run a wire across the room to my TV.

My ultimate goal is to do away with cable TV and just keep the internet.
Thanks very much for your help and please remember you are talking to a computer retard so use small words.

Charlie M · Dec 18, 2016

I'm not a computer guru by any means but I know you have to have a board designed to convert your signal from the computer to the TV. A simple fix if you have the money is to by a smart TV. If you have a wireless router in the house all you have to do is set the TV for the router and you are good to go. We have a smart TV and in the winter go searching the internet for TV shows as we only have antenna TV. Our TV is a bit slow so maybe a hook up through a computer is faster.

OldFarmTractor · Dec 18, 2016

I have a rather "dumb" TV, the smart ones were to expensive at the time. So I purchased a Samsung Blu-ray "Smart" player. Now I can watch regular antenna TV or use the Smart player or watch a DVD. Pretty much the best of all worlds. The players are under $90 at many locations.

The best thing I have purchased recently is an Amazon Fire TV stick. I have added the KODI program and with some other fun stuff, I can get 1,000s of free movies and shows. Pretty easy to do via the videos on the Internet.

As for watching a video and using the computer, I think you will find that what they are doing at work is using two monitors to view different parts of the same program.

hydro70guy · Dec 18, 2016

The easiest and best way for what you are wanting to do is buy a "smart" TV. It will connect via wifi to internet for kids to watch u-tube surf internet or whatever. But yes you can use most newer flat screens as second monitor with either laptop or desktop computer and run movies on one while surfing internet with other. Only limiting factor is internet speed.

rustyfarmall · Dec 18, 2016

(quoted from post at 05:58:05 12/18/16) Went to best buy yesterday with a few questions and really could not get a answer or a answer I liked anyway.
Considering the diversity of people on this site figured I would ask here.

I know I can hook my laptop to my TV to watch a movie or such because I have done this before.
What shows on the laptop screen also shows on the TV screen.

While I do not know how to do it I also know that a computer can have more than one monitor.
With this setup you can open one window in one monitor and a different window in the other monitor.
They have this at my work place.

So this brings me to......
1) If I set up my laptop or even my desktop to have 2 monitors; can 1 of the monitors be my TV.
I am trying to get it to where my grandson can watch a U-Tube cartoon on the TV while I work on the computer.
Right now I have to stop what I am doing on the laptop to let him watch a cartoon.
This is cutting into my YT surfing time. LOL.

2) Is there such a thing as a wireless monitor?
If #1 is possible it would also be nice to hook it to my desktop and not have to run a wire across the room to my TV.

My ultimate goal is to do away with cable TV and just keep the internet.
Thanks very much for your help and please remember you are talking to a computer retard so use small words.

Get either a Roku stick, an Amazon Fire stick, or whatever it is that Google calls theirs. Chrome stick maybe? I have the Roku. One of the many channels available is YouTube. You do need WiFi, and a FAST internet.

At this point, since my Roku has been having issues that Roku customer service will not address, I hesitate to recommend or endorse the Roku.

JF in MI · Dec 18, 2016

I have been going through something similar lately and I've found that it is a lot easier and cheaper to just go online and buy a used computer to use exclusively for the TV. I just bought a pretty powerful one with Win 10 and a dedicated HDMI video card for $68 delivered for TV in another room.

rrlund · Dec 18, 2016

I was gonna recommend a Roku device. We've never had problems with ours. The kids could watch You Tube or Netflix on that.

ss55 · Dec 18, 2016

I've found that younger people in their 20 to 40's are pretty well informed about this stuff and have helped me out. If your TV has HDMI inputs, an HDMI cable should connect your laptop to your TV. A dual output video card is needed to run two monitors simultaneously. That's usually an upgrade for most home computers, your home laptop may not have that upgrade.

I have a smart TV and another TV with a $40 Roku stick in an HDMI slot. Both are wireless, but the smart TV can also connect to an ethernet cable. I like the Roku much better. It's faster than the smart TV and it has access to many more free "channels". We ditched cable TV in 2009 and don't miss it. Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime are all great alternatives to cable and each one costs about $10 per month, most people only subscribe to one or two of these. If you need sports, Sling TV may be a good option.

kevinstuff · Dec 18, 2016

Well if u have iPhone and Apple TV u can mirror your iPhone to
The tv also if you have apple computer u can do the same

Bill VA · Dec 18, 2016

We cut the cord a few months age and it is GREAT!!!!!!

We have a smart TV from Walmart. We have Apple PC, phones and tablets so we bought Apple TV. Apple TV is just a box that cables to the smart TV; it otherwise is a wireless device. Via our Apple TV interface, we can share videos from all of of devices, as well as from Apple's iCloud. Sometimes I will have a YouTube video I'm watching and it's a button push to put it on the screen of the TV. Lots of free television apps with Apple TV too. In addition, we added Sling TV app, which has much programming, including ESPN. Sling is $20 per month.

Depending on where you live, you can augment all this with an antenna for local channels. These antennas aren't the mega monsters that were on our grandparents houses back in the day. If you are close, they are no bigger than a 8 X 11 picture frame.

I'm amazed cable and dish can still survive in their current form. We went from about $85ish to $20 per month.

Rob_Yesterday · Dec 18, 2016

You didn't say Mac or PC, but you can check your monitor settings and see if dual monitors are supported. If you see settings for monitor 1 & 2 you can work on the laptop & play a movie.

old bc · Dec 19, 2016

The short answer is yes if your computer's
video card supports two monitors. You will be able to
have two different screens at the same time.

Computer Monitor Question

john in la

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Charlie M

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OldFarmTractor

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hydro70guy

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rustyfarmall

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JF in MI

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rrlund

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ss55

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kevinstuff

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Bill VA

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Rob_Yesterday

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old bc

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