Television is a wonderful invention, which enables you to relax and unwind after a long day at work. You can just switch through the channels and enjoy colorful programming from the top TV networks, like ABC, FOX, and NBC. The fun doubles up when you happen to find the best cable providers in your area, like RCN cable TV, who deliver quality services to your doorstep and give you quick access to premium entertainment content. To enjoy watching your favorite movies and TV series, you need to have a complementing television set, which displays everything in larger-than-life picture quality.
Di you just purchase a high-ranking TV set from a flagship manufacturer? Congratulations! Next comes the process of setting it up, which means going through hefty manuals and exploring the ports, etc. Let me cut the effort short. This post will tell you all you need to know about TV ports and how to connect your TV to the cable line, even if you are not a tech-savvy individual. Here’s a beginner’s guide to the most common and the most useful TV ports, so stay tuned.
The Most Common TV Ports
If you inspect your television set in detail, you will find several slots on its control panel. These slots may be labeled differently by TV companies, but they perform similar functions. The following are the most recurrent TV ports you will see on the latest television sets:
HDMI – HDMI stands for ‘High Definition Multimedia Interface.’ This TV port is specially made for an HDMI cable. What does an HDMI cable do? This advanced cable does the job of transmitting high-quality digital signals, which can be audio or video, between your television set or a corresponding device, such as a gaming console, surround sound system, streaming media player like Roku, DVR box, and even PC to name a few. It is universally compatible and does not compress TV signals, unlike its counterparts. The HDMI TV port can support a maximum resolution of 4K UHD.
Component – Do you have a previous-generation gaming console that is not HDMI compatible? Then, you can attach it to your TV set through the component ports, which are three in total, consisting of red, blue, and green slots. These signify the component video, Y/Pb/Pr, and analog video. The component port transmits data in the form of analog signals and supports a maximum resolution of 1080p.
Optical Digital – If you have a surround sound system that isn’t HDMI-compatible, then you can link it to your television set through the optical digital audio port. Since the optical digital cable sends data in the form of a digital signal, you can expect to receive a sound quality that is crisp to the core. Keep in mind that this cable requires fragile handling and doesn’t work too well over a distance of ten meters. You can use a coaxial digital cable in its stead, which also has its port.
DVI – DVI stands for ‘Digital Visual Interface’. This port enables a connection between your TV set and your computer. Though HDMI is mostly used for establishing such a link these days, in case it’s not available, then you can use DVI instead. DVI cables come in various styles, based on a single link or dual link capabilities. The DVI cable you select should have the exact number of pins and arrangement as per the DVI port on your TV and your PC. Depending on the type of cable you choose and the generation of computer you have, a DVI port can transmit signals in either analog or digital format.
Cable/ANT – This port allows you to connect an over-the-air antenna to your TV. You can use it to catch the free broadcasted channels if you wish.
USB – Got a movie on your USB flash drive? Now, you can easily watch it on your flat-screen HDTV by plugging the drive into your TV’s USB port. Several streaming media devices also come in a Universal Serial Bus format, which makes this port quite worthwhile.
Ethernet – It is difficult to find a television set these days which doesn’t fall in the ‘smart’ category, i.e. it isn’t internet-enabled. In case you have a non-smart TV, you can connect it to your in-home network through an Ethernet cable. Simply plug one end of the cable into your modem and the other end into the Ethernet port on your TV, and voila! You can surf and play apps on your TV, now.
Connecting Your TV Set
Here are a few steps for connecting your TV to a component via an HDMI port. These can work equally well for almost all the latest devices. Give them a go:
- Turn off your television set and the component you are trying to link.
- Take an HDMI cable, plug one end of it into the ‘OUT’ HDMI port on your chosen component device, and the other end into the HDMI port on your TV set.
- Turn on your TV and the component device.
- Press the ‘Home’ button on your remote, select ‘Source’, and choose the component you wish to connect to your TV, which can be anything from a cable box to a PC.
- Start enjoying your favorite content in a go!
Wrapping Up
Learning about the television ports can help you a great deal when it comes to connecting a secondary or tertiary device to your vast display. This post not only highlights the top TV ports but also gives you some tips to make the best use of an HDMI input on your TV. Keep this close by the next time you go exploring the world of TV technology.