Technology can be a tricky business, leaving most of us unable to use all of the features and functions on our home entertainment devices simply because we don’t know how.

One of the most common problems is how to connect your laptop computer to your TV in order to play or stream video content. We know it can be done, but how?

The first thing you need to do is take a look at your laptop. Try to identify what connector ports it has, looking out for both DVI and HDMI connectors. Older laptops may be more likely to have RCA or S-Video ports, making it more difficult for you to connect it to your TV.

Now take a look at your TV, which will almost certainly have a port for an HDMI cable. Depending on what ports your laptop has, you will need the following cable configurations:

• If your TV has HDMI but your laptop only has DVI – you will need a DVI-to-HDMI cable, plus RCA analogue stereo cables for the sound.

• If both TV and laptop are HDMI enabled, all you need is one HDMI cable for both sound and video. This is by far the simplest and best arrangement.