How to make a TV out of a monitor?

Nowadays, electronics and household appliances stores offer the widest assortment of a wide variety of TV equipment. Not every consumer can afford to buy a new TV, so many DIYers try to use a monitor from an old PC to broadcast TV broadcasts. We will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of such a solution and methods of connection in our article.

Some believe that it is impossible to build a full-fledged TV from a monitor with your own hands at home.

The advantages of this option for using unnecessary monitors include substantial savings, since such a redesign will cost much less than purchasing a new TV receiver.

Unfortunately, this solution has many more disadvantages.

• Viewing angle the LCD monitor is much smaller than the TV, so you can watch it only by sitting directly next to the screen. Thus, the number of potential users is potentially reduced.
• The parameters of old monitors usually range from 15-19 inches, they are suitable only for small rooms... Even for the kitchen, it will be easier and more profitable to buy a budget TV for 24-32 inches.
• The image quality of LCD monitors is worse than that of a repeater... And if the device already has an impressive operational period, most likely, its matrix has lost some of its characteristics, so the image will be transmitted with some interference.
• Almost all computer monitors lack built-in speakers... This means you have to connect additional external speakers.
• To connect a monitor, you will need certain electronics skills. In the absence of such knowledge and skills, you will have to turn to the services of a professional master.
• You will most likely have to buy additional parts. But in fairness, we note that in the end, the total costs will still be lower than buying a new TV.

Experts did a lot of research and found that the solution to this problem is most often associated with LCD models. But you can also take a CRT monitor if you plan to rework by inserting special boards - the design will allow you to freely place all the necessary additional elements inside.

The best option is considered to be 17-inch monitors, it is preferable to use products from Sony, as well as Samsung or LG - this is the opinion expressed by both professional experts and ordinary users who have experience in converting a peripheral media device for a computer into a TV signal receiver.

The quality of the listed models is much higher than the products of other companies, and it is much easier to remake them. High definition can be obtained if you take monitors with a diagonal of 20 inches or more. However, this option is not economically viable: firstly, these monitors can always be used for their main purpose, that is, to display information from a personal computer. Secondly, this technique is not cheap, so if there is no need for a monitor, then it is better to sell it and thus compensate for part of the cost of purchasing a new television set.

One of the easiest options would be to purchase, connect and configure a set-top box.

The undoubted advantages of choosing this particular installation for transforming monitors into TV receivers are:

• low cost - the best option for the attachment can be found within 1 thousand rubles;
• ease of connection - compatibility with the most common HDMI connector, it is found on the vast majority of LCD monitors manufactured before 2010;
• the ability to support 20 or more channels, to expand this range, you can purchase special set-top boxes DVB-C (for cable TV) or DVB-S (for satellite).

If there is no such HDMI port, you can solve the problem with an adapter.

In most cases, the monitor does not have a sound reproduction option, so you definitely need to additionally buy and connect audio speakers to the set-top box.

These are the so-called "smart set-top boxes" for the TV repeater. The cost of such equipment is 1.5-2 thousand rubles. Such a set-top box allows not only broadcasting over the Internet, but also recording video files to the internal system storage. The ROM of this model is 8 GB, which is quite enough to store up to 4 standard-size movies.

In fact, almost all Smart TV set-top boxes are some mini-computers, they are designed specifically for further connection to TV.

The advantages of this connection option include:

• the ability to view both television films and programsand videos from social networks or YouTube;
• support for connection with a wide variety of applications - this mainly concerns the OS for Android, since the overwhelming majority of set-top boxes operate on this platform;
• possibility of application TV for video chats;
• availability of e-mail correspondence and some other features of gadgets on Android.

Most often, smart consoles are additionally equipped with special slots for MicroSD cards - this allows you to increase the storage capacity several times for further recording video files and other materials.

Among the disadvantages of the method, one can note the poor sounding of the speakers; to enhance the sound reproduction, it is imperative to connect speakers.

A technologically complex, but at the same time convenient to use, option to turn a monitor into a TV receiver is the installation of a built-in board, for example, Universal LCD Driver Board. The advantages of such solutions include:

• the ability to broadcast analog and digital broadcasting;
• sound output does not require any adapters;
• the gadget can be controlled using the remote control;
• all the parts used during the conversion are compact, so they can be easily hidden in the monitor case.

The disadvantages of such a device include the difficulty of installing the board inside LCD monitors. Only a qualified master can handle this task. To make a TV receiver from a monitor using this method, you need to follow these steps.

• To begin with, you should prepare everything you need for work: screwdriver, soldering iron, cable, cables, solder, as well as the purchased board.
• Next you need remove the panel from the displayby unscrewing all fasteners.
• Locate the expansion board and carefully disconnect it from the ribbon cable so as not to damage in any way. Otherwise, alteration work will be impossible, moreover, the unit will not work even in its original quality of a PC display.
• Instead of the old board install a new one by soldering.
• After attaching the new board, set a suitable voltage level - it can be found in the user manual. As a rule, 12 V is enough, this parameter is suitable for most models of modern monitors.
• Boards released in recent years are often equipped with IR receivers. This allows control using the remote control. It is very important to make sure that the sensor is working and in place before starting the assembly of the monitor, otherwise it will simply not be able to respond to the remote control option.
• At the final stage, it is necessary reassemble the monitor and run.

Another method to turn an old monitor into a TV receiver is to plug in a tuner, which is a full-fledged TV set but doesn't have its own built-in display. The price of such equipment is low, you can purchase the required model within 1.5 thousand rubles. There are 4 main variants of TV tuners on sale:

• built-in board, it is mounted directly into the PC system module;
• external board, connected via ExpressCard;
• network tuner, it is connected to the router;
• a separate console, in this case the connection is made via a wired interface.

The first 2 variants of devices become an addition to the so-called "technical stuffing" of a PC: they cannot connect to a regular screen, so when buying, you need to be extremely careful and buy only a device that offers a ready-made solution with its own motherboard. The connection diagram of such a set-top box to the display is not so complicated. All the user needs to do is simply connect both devices with the included RCA cable.

In this case, TV viewing is controlled using the remote control. We draw your attention to the fact that not all receivers have their own speaker, therefore, in some cases, the set-top box requires additional use of an external sound headset using a minijack or a special audio output. An external set-top box has very significant advantages:

• ease of connection;
• sync with monitor is performed automatically and does not need to install additional drivers;
• compact box does not take up much space, and due to reliable fasteners it can be placed in any place hidden from sight;
• the ability to work with a laptop at a time - you can always connect the device to it both via HDMI and to a TV tuner using “tulips” - in this case, after turning off the TV, the display will display the content received from the PC;
• possibility connecting a TV antenna;
• presence of audio output - even if the set-top box does not have a speaker, it can be equipped with speakers at any time.

But there are also disadvantages:

• bad speaker - the factory quality of sound reproduction is unlikely to please the owners;
• need pay extra for broadcasting digital TV;
• the device assumes support for high quality broadcasting and is quite expensive - the price of equipment starts from 3 thousand rubles;
• no USB port - to view records from removable media, you need to use an additional adapter.

Most likely, an interesting thought occurred to many users: is it possible to somehow do without purchasing an additional headset and set-top boxes if you have an old TV that is broken, as well as a working monitor?

To understand how to do this, you first need to establish how exactly the monitor differs from the TV. The difference between them lies in the characteristics of the three nodes.

• Control module - an element that allows you to configure the device in manual mode and in the future to carry out its further reconfiguration.
• Radio channel - a block responsible for receiving a signal and broadcasting it in an accessible format.
• Audio chromaticity module - adjusts all colors and shades, making the image as comfortable as possible for viewing.

The user's tasks are reduced to getting all these 3 elements from the old TV and, by soldering, fix them in the screen to the board. It is possible that you will have to additionally buy resistors to enhance the quality of the broadcast and also solder them into the board. This task is quite difficult and only those people who have experience with radio engineering and electronics can do it.

Those people who spend a lot of time at the computer sooner or later begin to lack a workspace. No matter how large the monitor is, all the same, it does not fit all the necessary windows. In addition, many households strive to tear the owner of the PC away from his affairs: one needs to play, the other needs to write a report or watch a movie. Of course, if all family members have their own computer, then this problem can be easily solved... In his absence, one has to look for another way out of the situation.

Of course, many users have appreciated the advantages of a high-quality picture that is transmitted by TV from a computer, and therefore they successfully use this technique in order to play video games on a large screen or watch feature films. Along with this, they probably found out the very dubious convenience of using the TV for everyday work at the computer. That is why some craftsmen decided to use LCD panels as additional monitors.

This is a fundamental condition that users, unfortunately, often forget about - therefore communication between media devices is not being established. Exceptions apply to those TVs that have the option to support Wi-Fi Direct. In this case, the broadcast is carried out via a wireless network. In order to connect, you just need to have free access to the Internet.

But with the laptop screen, you have to work a little to give the second device the right to access all text, audio and video files. In such a situation, the installation of an additional home device - a TV receiver in the network parameters - helps. No configuration is required to open files such as music, videos, documents, photos and other pictures. But if you need to open full access to all files in the memory of a personal computer, you must proceed as follows.

• Select the folder you are giving access to and display it.
• Click on the icon with the right mouse button, from the list that opens, select "Properties".
• Go to the "Access" tab and set the "Sharing" option.

This method will require a sufficient investment of time, since you will have to manipulate all the folders. If there are too many of them, then an easier method can be used.

• Open Windows Explorer.
• Activate the item "Network".
• Turn off Network Discovery and All File Types Sharing.

If everything is set up, then all the work will take no more than a couple of seconds. Otherwise, you will have to use a more detailed guide. Here's how to quickly and easily connect your wireless monitor.

• If DLNA is activated, open the "TV menu" tab, which is responsible for displaying the contents of the PC on the TV panel.
• For any device there is your connection type, for example, Sony Bravia equipment has a Home button.
• Then you need to select the sections music / picture / movies - the system will immediately allow you to display the desired content on a large TV screen.
• If we talk about LG products, then the instructions here will be slightly different, since you will have to go to SmartShare... The contents of all folders are located there.
• Sometimes there is a situation when it is impossible to reproduce all the recordings on the television panel. This usually happens with films if their format is not suitable for such manipulations. If broadcasting on TV is difficult, then you can go for an easy trick, for example, in the PC memory, rename files from MKV to AVI. In the overwhelming majority of cases, this is quite enough.

Few people know that a TV can be made not only from a typical PC monitor, but also from a laptop display. For this purpose, you will have to purchase a slightly different LA-type board. MV29. P as well as a suitable controller. In general, the procedure for transforming a display into a TV coincides with the alteration of a standard monitor. The differences are as follows.

• Depending on the characteristics of the device used, the nominal voltage can be 3, 3.5 or 12 W.
• During installation, the jumper on the controller can be switched, and then it is completely flashed using a flash drive.
• You will not be able to place a board inside the case, even if it is very compact.

The disadvantages of this option of turning a laptop display into a full-fledged television receiver are its dimensions. Typically, laptop sizes range from 14 to 15 inches. In addition, in order for the structure to fit for comfortable viewing, it will need a new case - it should be made additionally.

How to make a TV out of a monitor, see below.