Media Center Laptop in 4 Easy Steps
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Many people find it overwhelming to get started using a media center PC or other computer to enjoy their media files such as photos, music and videos from their TV. As a basic need more and more people would like to be able to view their photos from their digital camera on TV. This guide explains in 4 easy steps how to convert an old lap top as a media center laptop.
Many people have old laptops at their home which they could turn into a versatile home theater pc. The easiest way to get started is simply connecting your existing laptop to your TV and download some suitable media player software. In this article, we will first connect your laptop to your LCD TV and then find some suitable software to get you started.
1. Connect laptop to TV with a video cable
If your laptop is a bit older model, it is probably equipped with a VGA socket. Some LCD TVs allow you directly to connect your computer using VGA plug to the TV, so you should first check if you find a blue connection slot as displayed in the picture. However, when using a VGA connection, the TV converts the analog video singnal from your PC into a digital signal, which causes some loss of quality.
If you are lucky to find a white connection socket as show in the picture, you can enjoy a sharper and better image quality in your TV. This so called DVI socket on your computer can be connected to TV with a HDMI socket, but you will need to use a DVI-to-HDMI cable. Please note that only image signal is transmitted to your computer, so you will still need to make a separate audio connection to your A/V receiver.
2. Connect laptop to A/V receiver with an audio cable
In order to be able to listen to music, you need to connect your computer to your existing A/V receiver. Most of the home theater receiver will have an optical input, so I will explain here how to connect your laptop to the receiver with an optical cable. You will be surprised to know that most probably you already have this digital audio output socket, but you just have not used it. All you need is a Toslink to optical mini adapter which is shown in the picture.
You might need to switch on the digital audio output on your Windows computer, so check the settings in the Control Panel and Sound Settings to set digital out as default output.
3. Get a wireless mouse
If you do not have a wireless mouse, you should consider getting one to simplify the way you control the computer. If you are ready to invest into a better mouse for home theater usage, I would recommend getting a Logitech MX Air Mouse. Traditional mouse do not really work ideally on sofa as the surface is not suitable, so you might need to use a separate mouse pad. The MX Air Mouse is being used like a remote control in your hand which makes controlling your media center easy from the sofa.
4. Install iTunes and Picasa to your PC
I would not recommend getting a complex media center software to begin with, but start with two simple software that allows you to watch photos, play music and watch videos.
Google’s Picasa is an excellent photo management tool, which allows to organize and view photos in an easy manner. You can also view slideshows easily from TV, which makes it ideal to quickly download the pictures to the computer from a digital camera and instantly watch them from the TV.
Apple’s iTunes is a simple music and video management software that also allows you to purchase new media directly from the iTunes music store. I would recommend getting started with iTunes and see if it is suitable to your needs. Then later you can expand into more sophisticated media center softwares if needed.
With these 4 easy steps you can get started in exploring how would it feel like to have a computer in your living room.