Index of Ports (Inputs and Outputs)

Video

Digital Video

HDMI (Can carry both audio and video)

DVI

Analog Video

VGA (High Resolution Analog)

S-Video/RCA (Yellow) (Low Resolution Analog)

Audio

Digital Audio (Provides Surround Sound)

Optical

Coaxial

Analog Audio

RCA (White and Red) Stereo

3.5mm (mini-jack) Stereo

Connect RCA Laptop to Optical or Coaxial TV Audio

Your Laptop (Composite (RCA) Out - Very Unlikely)

Your TV (Optical In)

OR

Your TV (Coaxial In)

Considering this is so rare, I'm not sure why I'm even posting it, but I figured since it's a possibility I might as well list it if someone is really desperate. I recommend this method as an absolute last resort. Using this converter will not up-scale your analog stereo output (via RCA) to a clearer digital version through optical or coaxial, so this method really just seems silly. That being said, if your laptop has a composite (RCA) output you can connect it to your TV through an optical or coaxial input using the following items.

Composite (RCA) Cable

The RCA cable will carry an analog signal from your laptop to the analog-to-digital converter before getting to your TV. To use this cable, plug one end into the red and white RCA OUTPUT ports on your laptop and the other end into the red and white RCA INPUT ports on the analog-to-digital converter.

RCA to Coaxial/Optical Audio Converter

This device converts an analog RCA signal originating from your laptop and converts it to a digital coaxial or optical signal for use on your TV. Make sure the RCA cables coming from your laptop are plugged into the converter's INPUT and the coaxial or optical cables are plugged into the converter's OUTPUT.

Coaxial Cable

The coaxial cable carries a digital signal from the analog-to-digital converter to your TV. Make sure one end of your coaxial cable is plugged into the OUTPUT of your analog-to-digital converter and the other end is plugged into your TV's coaxial INPUT.

OR

Optical (Toslink) Cable

If you don't wish to use a coaxial cable with this device to connect your laptop to your TV you may elect to use an optical cable instead. The optical cable carries a digital signal from the analog-to-digital converter to your TV. Make sure one end of your optical cable is plugged into the OUTPUT of your analog-to-digital converter and the other end is plugged into your TV's optical INPUT.

Connect Optical or Coaxial Laptop to 3.5mm or RCA TV Audio

Your Laptop (Optical Out)

OR

Your Laptop (Coaxial Out)

Your TV (3.5mm In AKA "Aux In")

OR

Your TV (Composite (RCA) In)

While not the most ideal solution, sometimes you don't get to choose what ports you have to work with. In the event you have an optical or coaxial output on your laptop and a 3.5mm input or a composite (RCA) input on your TV, you'll need three of the following five items to successfully connect your laptop audio to your TV's speakers.

Optical (Toslink) Cable

The optical cable carries a digital signal from your computer to the adapter, where it gets converted to an analog signal. One end of the optical cable will go into your computer's OUTPUT and the other end will go into the digital-to-analog adapter's INPUT.

OR

Coaxial Cable

The coaxial cable carries a digital signal from your computer to the adapter, where it gets converted to an analog signal. One end of the coaxial cable will go into your computer's OUTPUT and the other end will go into the digital-to-analog adapter's INPUT.

Digital (Optical/Coaxial) to Analog (3.5mm/RCA) Converter

A digital to analog converter is required to convert the optical or coaxial cable's digital signal to that of an analog signal that may be utilized by a 3.5mm cable or two Composite (RCA) cables. This particular adapter only works one way. This means the optical or coaxial cable must leave your laptop's OUTPUT port to plug into the adapter's INPUT side, and the 3.5mm or RCA cable must leave the adapter's OUTPUT and plug into your TV's INPUT port.

3.5mm (Mini-jack) Cable

One of the most universal stereo audio cables available, the 3.5mm cable can be applied to just about everything. iPods, smart phones, laptops, and TVs are just a few devices that have the ability to utilize a 3.5mm cable in some fashion. This cable will plug into the adapter's OUTPUT port, with the other end plugging into the TV's INPUT port.

OR

Composite (RCA) Cable

Alternatively, if your TV doesn't have a 3.5mm input, chances are it has a composite input. This cable requires two ends for stereo or one for mono. For mono sound, plug one end of the white-tipped cable into the digital/analog converter's OUTPUT port and the other end into your TV's INPUT port. For stereo, do the same with the red-tipped cable. Once all the cables are properly connected to your laptop and TV through the adapter, your sound should come through perfectly!

Connect Optical Laptop to Coaxial TV Audio and Vice Versa

Your Laptop (Optical Out)

Your TV (Coaxial In)

(OR THE OTHER WAY AROUND!)

When connecting your laptop to your TV you want to try your hardest to maintain a digital signal. This allows for crystal clear audio and is the only type of signal that allows for full surround sound. However, sometimes you'll run into issues where your Laptop outputs don't necessarily match up with your TV inputs. If your laptop has an optical output and your TV has a coaxial input, you'll need these three things in order to maintain that clear digital signal.

Digital Coaxial Cable

A digital coaxial cable is required to connect your digital/analog adapter to your TV's coaxial input. While this particular cable is designed specifically for this purpose, if you have any spare RCA cables (regardless of their color) lying around, those will work too.

Optical (Toslink) Cable

An optical (Toslink) cable is required to connect your laptop or desktop's optical output to a digital/analog adapter box.

Dual Output Digital Audio Adapter

While the signal passing through each cable is ultimately sent and received in a digital format, the medium through which it is passed is significantly different. An optical cable passes the digital signal by rapidly flashing a red light from the laptop to the TV. A coaxial cable, on the other hand, uses electric pulses to transmit the digital signal. Since it would be impossible to convert light into electricity by using a simple cable, a digital audio adapter is required.

This adapter is one of the few that will allow you to convert an optical signal to a digital coaxial one and convert the other way around. This adapter, combined with the two cables listed here will successfully connect your laptop's audio to your TV. Simply plug one end of the proper cord into your laptop's audio OUTPUT and plug the other end into the adapter's INPUT side. Then, plug one end of the second cable into the adapter's OUTPUT side and the other end into your TV's INPUT. Then you're all set!

Connect Laptop to TV Audio via Optical (Toslink)

Your Laptop (Optical Output)

Your TV (Optical Input)

To experience the highest quality audio while transmitting video from your laptop to your TV, you'll need an entirely digital signal. Digital signals send over 1's and 0's from a source to a receiver. Analog signals are sent over in waves. Think of it as a light switch vs an old radio dial. The light switch can either be on or off, while the radio dial can be tweaked in any direction to produce a slightly different result. With digital audio cables, the sound either comes through at crystal clear, 100% quality or it doesn't work at all. Digital audio cables are also the only cables that can carry proper surround sound signals.

There are several ways to transmit a digital signal from your laptop to your TV. One of the earliest, designed in 1983 by Toshiba and still in use today, is the optical (Toslink) audio cable. This cable takes a beam of red light from the source and transmits it via fiber to the receiver. If you have an optical output on your laptop or desktop and an optical input on your TV (seen above), this cable is the only thing you need.

Due to the physical design of these cables they tend to be slightly rigid and sometimes difficult to maneuver. For that reason I recommend getting a cable slightly longer than you would otherwise think you'd need. If you are connecting your laptop to your TV from 5 feet away, I'd recommend going with at least a 10 foot cable instead of 6. That being said, you'll get the same crystal clear signal using an optical cable as you would over HDMI, so if this option is available to you I highly recommend it.