Step 4 - Configure this solution.

Once you have connected your laptop to a HD TV with a S-Video cable you must set your laptop to display to the TV. On many laptops if you reboot with the S-Video cable plugged in, the computer will detect the TV and output to it automatically. Otherwise every laptop will have a method of changing the display device using either a control panel or a function key combination. Consult your laptops user's guide to find the proper method.

Laptop computers give you a number of options for setting a TV to be the display. Depending on what you want to do, you can make your TV the primary display or you can use it as a secondary display to extend your desktop. Most laptops will allow you to set the TV to be used in one of three ways:

As a clone of your laptop's display
As the primary display. You laptop's display will be off.
As a secondary display. You desktop will enlarge to include the TV as a second display.

If your goal is to play games or watch movies then you will want to make the TV a clone of you laptop's display or as your primary display, many games will not play properly on a second display.

How to configure your TV as the laptop display depends on who made the video card for your laptop. Here is how you can find that out.

Windows XP

Press Start
Select Control Panel
Double click Display
Select the Settings tab

Windows Vista

Press Start
Select Control Panel
If view is set to "Control Panel Home", select "Adjust screen resolution" under "Appearance and Personalization". If view is set to "Classic View", select "Personalization", then select "Display Settings"
Select the Settings tab

Notice in Display it lists the name of the video card, in this case a Nvidia 8600GT. The manufacturer is Nvidia and the model is a 8600GT.

Here are links to the major video card maker's support web sites. Search for information on how to get your computer's video hardware to output through the S-Video cable to your TV.