Screen sharing between Smart TV and laptop: how it works
If you want to activate screen sharing between your laptop and Smart TV, you have two options. Either you connect the two devices using an HDMI or a VGA cable. We show you what makes sense and how it works.
Smart TV screen sharing using HDMI or VGA?
- VGA: You can only transfer the image from your laptop to your Smart TV via the VGA connection. You need to connect an audio cable for the additional transmission of the sound.
- HDMI: Both image and sound are transmitted via the HDMI connection. You only need one cable and one connection. The biggest advantage, however, is the transmission in HD quality.
- The transmission via HDMI is much more convenient and recommended. However, if you do not have an HDMI cable, you can also use the VGA cable of your computer monitor. However, only relatively few Smart TVs still have a VGA connection.
Connect laptop to Smart TV via VGA or HDMI
- Connect the VGA or HDMI cable to your laptop and Smart TV.
- Click the button labeled "Source" on your remote control.
- Select "VGA" or "PC" as the source for the connection via a VGA cable. If you are using an HDMI cable, select "HDMI". Your Smart TV may have multiple HDMI inputs. Just try them all if the first one doesn't work.
- Now you can see the laptop screen on your Smart TV.
Tips for screen sharing
- If the desktop is not displayed correctly, the screen resolution must be adjusted. To do this, right-click on the desktop and select the "Screen resolution" item. There you can now adjust the resolution as you wish.
- If you only want the desktop of your laptop to be displayed on the television, only on the laptop or on both devices, you can set this by pressing the "Windows" and "P" keys simultaneously (see picture). You can also expand the screen of the laptop with that of the TV.
This practical tip was carried out under Windows 7. The procedure is basically the same under Windows 8 and Windows Vista.