Q: XPS1210 Dual Screen/LCD Tv hook up

[Spankolot]

I currently have a XPS1210 laptop
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/xpsnb_m1210?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
I have two question regarding video options.

1. Is my laptop able to have dual screens, am i able to hook it up to 2 monitors?

2. Can i hook my laptop up to any lcd hdtv or is it only compatible to certain specs(size,ratio,etc)?

if somone could help me that would be great

thanks,
Frank

[patio]

I've never seen a laptop that will run 2 screens at once....someone else here might have though.

patio.  8-)

[Calum]

If it has 2 outputs this is possible.
I've never seen one that has though.
You will be able to run one external monitor and use the laptop screen too, like I do.
If you really wanted to use 2 external screens you could use something like Matrox DualHead or a similar adapter, but they tend to be expensive.
You'd be able to hook it up to anything that could connect to it, but your results may vary.
Hope this helps.

[Spankolot]

this is why i think it might be able to dual screen
 http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/9607/untitledwp5.jpg
http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/9273/untitled2fm7.jpg

[Calum]

That's what I meant when I said about using the laptop screen and an external monitor, your post gave the impression you wanted to use 2 external displays.
It's a good thing to do, I find an extra monitor really useful.

[Spankolot]

That's what I meant when I said about using the laptop screen and an external monitor, your post gave the impression you wanted to use 2 external displays.
It's a good thing to do, I find an extra monitor really useful.

could i use an lcd tv as an external screen?

[Calum]

You could indeed.
Edit: as long as it has the right connection.

[Spankolot]

You could indeed.
Edit: as long as it has the right connection.

uhh cna you check on the first post for me, i beleive the xps1210 has both the blue hook up and then something that looks like a video.

edit: which connection would i need to run an external screen outa a lcd tv?

[patio]

One or the other...not both.

But again i could be mistaken.

[Calum]

It depends what the tv or monitor has for an input.
So you need VGA for VGA, DVI for DVI, and so on.
And you can get converters to switch between them, which is what I use because my laptop doesn't have VGA and the monitor is VGA.
Your blue port, does it look like the one here?
That's VGA.
DVI looks like this.

[Spankolot]

It depends what the tv or monitor has for an input.
So you need VGA for VGA, DVI for DVI, and so on.
And you can get converters to switch between them, which is what I use because my laptop doesn't have VGA and the monitor is VGA.
Your blue port, does it look like the one here?
That's VGA.
DVI looks like this.

ok a few more things sprung up, yes my vga does look like that but when i got the tv (32inch lcd hdtv) the picture was hard to read.

Is there a difference between using a s-video & VGA picture quality wise?

What factors play in picture quality?  contrast/resolution/aspect ratio?

Display properties show my second monitor with a max of 1024 by 768 pixels

[Calum]

Sounds like you may need a driver for the TV, although the TV's picture quality will never be as good as a monitor.
S-Video vs VGA - not really a difference.
Picture quality - the things you mentioned do affect it, also the quality of the cabling plays some part and the brightness of the screen.
If your TV is shown as a max of 1024x768, I'd be inclined to check the manual to see what the actual max resolution is.

[Spankolot]

Sounds like you may need a driver for the TV, although the TV's picture quality will never be as good as a monitor.
S-Video vs VGA - not really a difference.
Picture quality - the things you mentioned do affect it, also the quality of the cabling plays some part and the brightness of the screen.
If your TV is shown as a max of 1024x768, I'd be inclined to check the manual to see what the actual max resolution is.

http://samsung.com/Products/TV/LCDTV/LNS2338WXXAA.asp?page=Specifications

this is what i got, its still a bit ffuzzy

im thinking of finding differennt ways to cable them

[Calum]

Looks to me like you need to use a Component cable to connect it properly.

[haslamjd]

Not knowing about your system and its capabilities and setup, I would call Dell sales and ask them. They have helped me determine several options for my system that I had never even considered. They know what their systems can and can't do, and they were quick to tell me both. Just act like you are thinking of buying another monitor from them to use for this (and maybe you are), they will be quite helpful to give you all the information you need to make an informed choice.

Good Luck!