Using your PowerBook as a DVD player on an external monitor or TV

This trick to using a PowerBook as a DVD player on a TV could be pretty handy if you are camping or someplace where this is your only option got some of that DVD goodness that we all love so well.

If your PowerBook has a DVD-capable optical drive, you can use your PowerBook as a DVD player to watch movies on an external monitor or television.

Basic Steps

1. Shut down the PowerBook and turn off the external monitor or TV.
2. Connect a video cable from the video output port on your PowerBook to the video input port on the monitor or TV. You’ll have to find the right combination of ports on the computer and monitor or TV. For example, if your computer has an S-video output port and your TV has an S-video input, you could use that connection for the picture, then connect an audio cable from the sound output port on your computer to the sound input port on the TV.
3. Turn on the monitor or TV, then start up your PowerBook. You’ll probably also have to switch to the video input on your TV once it’s on.
4. Make sure you can see the computer’s desktop and menu bar on the monitor or TV. If not, check settings in Displays preferences (Mac OS X) or the Monitors control panel (Mac OS 8 and 9). Depending on your PowerBook model, you might have to reduce the number of colors on the screen to give enough memory to the DVD Player. Choose Thousands instead of Millions of colors.