The Complete Guide to TV Ports: How to Hook Up Your TV (2024)

Jump to:

• In-depth port guide
• How to connect ports that don’t match
• How to hook up your DVR to a TV
• TV ports: best to worst

HDMI, or “High-Definition Media Input,” is the go-to port for all your modern devices. HDMI ports in your TV are used for both video and audio. In addition, most computers have HDMI capabilities, so you can use an HDMI cable to hook your PC up to your TV. You can even plug a streaming device like a Roku or Amazon Fire TV Stick to turn your old TV into a smart TV.

If you like to plug in one cable and be done, you’ll love how simple it is to set up your TV with HDMI.

Because HDMI transfers data digitally—without compressing or distorting the information—it delivers the highest-quality picture and sound.

However, some people prefer the familiar sound of analog audio. You can play with how you connect your sound system to find out what you like best.

The component video ports are the red, blue, and green AV ports on your TV, and before HDMI became popular, they offered the highest video quality.

If you have an older TV that isn’t HDMI compatible, you can use these video ports to hook up your DVR or media player. And even if HDMI is available on your TV, component inputs can be handy for hooking up some previous-generation game consoles like PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Wii systems.

S-video ports (the black circles with a lot of dots) were used primarily in the late 1990s and early 2000s for video input on TVs. They’re not as common as component video ports, but you might see them on your TV or computer. If you’ve got an old Nintendo 64 kicking around, it can connect to this port.

While the S-video port will display a brighter picture than composite video, it’s still not as good as component video or HDMI. Skip this port unless you don’t have better options.

What are digital audio (optical) ports?

This port, which is usually covered with a small flap, sends digital audio to your sound system. Because it uses a digital format, it’s usually more crisp than RCA Stereo, which uses analog.

Should I use the digital audio (optical) port?

HDMI is better, but if your sound system doesn’t have an HDMI hook up, this port is a great choice. However, optical cables become less effective at a distance of ten meters, and they’re more delicate than the coaxial cables used in other audio ports. Be careful not to bend your optic cable at a sharp angle, or you could damage it permanently.

What are digital audio (coaxial) ports?

Like the optical digital ports, the coaxial digital port connects to your sound system to send digital audio. The coaxial cable is sturdier than the optical port, but HDMI will still be the highest-quality option.

What are RCS stereo audio ports?

These twin red and white ports are either inputs or outputs for transmitting analog audio. Sometimes you will see them by themselves labeled as “out” to output audio. If they’re for inputting audio, you’ll usually find them next to component or composite video ports.

Should I use the RCA stereo audio ports?

Use RCA stereo audio if you don’t have a more advanced digital connection (HDMI, optical, or coaxial) or if you just like the sound of analog. Connectors for this port are often paired with composite and component video, so they’re a handy go-to if you’re using those video connectors.

What are DVI ports?

DVI ports are primarily for connecting your computer to your TV. They aren’t as high quality as HDMI, but most modern DVI are better than VGA. Which DVI cable you can use with the port depends on the number and arrangement of the pin holes in the port.

Why are there so many different types of DVI?

DVI has changed dramatically with evolving technology. The old DVI-A is an analog port no better than VGA. But DVI-D is digital, and DVI-I is compatible with both digital devices and older analog devices.

DVI-D and DVI-I are further broken down by single-link and dual-link capabilities. Dual-link connections have twice as much power, leading to an increase in speed and signal quality.

Which DVI connector is best?

Both DVI-D and DVI-I work fine. Just make sure the pin holes in your port will support the cable type you’ve chosen.

Can DVI cables carry audio too?

DVI-I-to-HDMI or DVI-D-to-HDMI cables can carry audio, but it depends on whether or not the video card inside your computer supports this transfer. Hook in the DVI end into your computer and the HDMI cable into your TV to see if your video card port is compatible with audio. If not, you’ll need a separate audio connection.

What are VGA ports?

If you want to connect your computer to your TV and you don’t have HDMI or DVI capabilities, you can go with VGA. However, the quality won’t be as good as with those other ports, and VGA doesn’t support audio, so you’ll need a separate audio connection.

What is the antenna-in port?

This port provides both video and audio input from an over-the-air (OTA) antenna. You’re probably familiar with this port from the early days of TV when it was a common type of TV input used for a wide range of devices. It’s not used for much anymore, since HDMI does a much better job, but it’s a definite plus and a TV input option if you want free OTA channels.

Learn More About OTA TV

What are USB ports for on a TV?

USB ports on a TV serve a variety of functions, including as an input type for USB flash drives and powering a TV antenna or streaming device. You could even use it to charge your smartphone if you wanted.

What are Ethernet ports?

Ethernet connections help provide faster internet speeds than Wi-Fi can. If you have a smart TV, you’ve probably seen this port, which looks like a normal phone-line port.

Should I use the Ethernet port instead of Wi-Fi?

If the shows you’re streaming spend a lot of time buffering, it may be time to switch to using the Ethernet port. It’s less convenient, since you have to run a cable from your internet modem to the TV, but it can noticeably improve your streaming speed.

What are Ex-Link ports?

The Ex-Link is a bit of an oddball port found on some Samsung TVs. Its primary function is to help Samsung technicians update your TV, but you shouldn’t attempt to do that yourself. Additionally, about ten years back, Samsung had a motorized TV mount that you could control by plugging it into the Ex-Link port, but the mount doesn’t seem to be around anymore.

But a motorized TV mount sounds really cool, and I want one!

You’re right, it does sound really cool. It’s not from Samsung, but you can pick up the VIVO motorized TV mount on Amazon. Don’t worry—you don’t need an Ex-Link or any other special port to use it.

Hooking up devices gets a little trickier if your TV doesn’t have all the right ports. New TVs might not have old ports, and old TVs might not have new ports like HDMI.

Luckily, there are solutions to get all your devices hooked up. Keep in mind, though, that converted audio and video won’t have the highest quality. If it’s time for you to upgrade your TV, check out our “TV Buying Guide”.

Input vs. output

Pay attention to the input and output. Converters will work only with matching input/output layout, so know which way the data is going before purchasing a converter.

For the most part, media players, DVRs, game consoles, and computers output audio and video to a TV input. That means you’ll attach a cable to the output port on the device and connect that to the input port on the TV or converter device. However, TVs output audio to soundbars’ inputs.

Converters for Old Output to New Input

The following are good for connecting most old devices to a new TV.

Converters for New Output to Old Input

The following are good for connecting most new devices toanold TV.

If you’re interested to learn more about the providers listed above, enter your zip code below to see which are available in your area:

The most important port on your new TV will be the HDMI port, which supports high-quality audio and video. Without this vital connection, you won’t be able to connect a streaming device to your TV.

While you can use converters to solve this problem, your picture and sound won’t be as crisp as they could be with an HDMI port. We recommend you upgrade your TV to a new smart TV—they’re not as pricey as you’d think!