Last updated on January 23rd, 2024 at 02:31 am
Generally, you can’t connect a DVD player to a computer monitor.
DVD players are meant to be connected to TVs. DVD players come with RCA, S-Video, and component video outputs. TVs have these connections or any of them. Therefore both are compatible with each other.
Computer monitors are meant to be connected to computer CPUs. Computer monitors support VGA input, especially the older models.
Does this mean you can’t connect a DVD player to a computer monitor?
No. There’s a workaround, as you’ll see below. It depends on the type of DVD player and computer monitor you have.
With newer DVD players with HDMI out ports and newer computer monitors with HDMI in, the task is not that complicated, however.
Let’s look at the available options to connect a DVD player to a computer monitor.
Connect an Older DVD Player to an Older Computer Monitor
To connect an older DVD player (without HDMI out) to a computer monitor, you would need an RCA/S-Video to VGA connector or converter.
This connector comes with an RCA video in and an S-Video out port. At the side there’s a VGA out port which you can use to connect to your computer monitor.
No Audio In
This RCA/S-Video to VGA connector doesn’t support the transfer of audio from your DVD player.
So, what do you do for the audio? You have to make a separate connection.
You can use an RCA audio to 3.5mm audio connector to a pair of computer speakers.
Just plug in the two RCA audio male connectors to your DVD player RCA audio out (Red and White) connector and your speaker 3.5mm male connector to the 3.5 female connectors as shown above.
Connect an HDMI DVD Player to an Older Computer Monitor
With an HDMI DVD player you can connect an HDMI cable to an older computer monitor through an HDMI to VGA connector.
This connector comes with an HDMI female connector and an VGA male connector.
You plug the HDMI connector to your DVD player’s HDMI out and the VGA connector to the VGA in of your computer monitor.
Again for audio you would have to resort to the workaround mentioned above.
Connect a Non-HDMI DVD Player to an HDMI Computer Monitor
You would need an RCA/S-Video to HDMI connector.
First you jack in your RCA or S-Video cable(s) from your DVD player to the RCA/S-Video in of the connector.
Then you connect the HDMI out of the connector to the HDMI of your computer monitor as shown above.
That only takes care of the video. To get sound, you would have to connect your speakers to the 3.5mm audio out port.
If you have a HDMI computer monitor with built-in speakers then you don’t need the 3.5mm audio out port.
Just connect your RCA or composite video or S-Video cable(s) to the connector’s AV in together with your composite audio out. Then connect an HDMI cable from the connector’s HDMI out to your computer monitor’s HDMI in and you’re done.
Check out this Composite and S-Video R/L Audio to HDMI Converter Adapter.
Connecting an HDMI DVD Player to HDMI Computer Monitor with Speakers
This is by far the easiest connection you can make. Since both the devices are HDMI-compatible, you don’t need any converter.
You just need a good HDMI cable to connect your DVD player to your computer monitor if it comes with built-in speakers.
Otherwise, you would need an RCA audio to 3.5mm audio connector in addition to the HDMI connection to output sound to an external speaker system.
You’ve learned the various way to connect a DVD player to a computer monitor. Now decide which of the above fits your situation. You can then proceed to get the connector or adapter mentioned above.
