Monitor Ports on laptop

[Tester123]

I need to use my laptop screen for playing playstation 2, vcr, etc etc... So I bought one of those vga boxes! Problem is the monitor "port" on my laptop is meant for projecters and bigger monitors! It doesnt work with this cable kit, do I need some kind of usb adapter?

[cthulu23]

What type of port does the cable have and what type of port does your laptop have? It seems like a "vga box" should support vga input, so are you sure that you have a dsub (vga) out on your laptop?

What model of laptop is this?

[Tester123]

Hp Pavilion ze4500

has a "monitor" port on the back so you can plug it in and use it for a projecter and so on.

[heyal256]

I think that it sounds like you are trying to use the laptop VGA port to input video?

If this is correct, then it can't be done (as far as I know) The vga boxes are meant more for displaying stuff on a monitor or a Flat panel. Laptop's generally don't have any video-in options.

Please give more information if what I said isn't the case.

[Tester123]

Oh wellll, back to the drawing board! Any chance theres a usb adapter out there for this?

[cthulu23]

Does the vga output of the monitor fit into the vga box? What sort of outputs does the vga box have? The very purpose of a "vga box" is to accept vga and output something else...a projector and a flat panel should accept the vga output with no need for an intermediary device.

[saltfish]

You can get a USB capture card that will enable you to capture a composite signal onto your screen. Though, you will use a LOT of proc time, but still, you will be able to what you originally intended.

Now, if you have usb 2.0 on your laptop, you're golden. If not, you will need to find a PCMCIA video capture with a dongle that takes either a SVIDEO or VIDEO IN (RCA jack).

-SF