Monitors are essential hardware for every individual who uses a computer or laptop. Monitors show the output that is processed by the input in the CPU of the computer or laptop. This hardware is also known as Video Display Terminal(VDT) or Video Display Unit (VDU). Sometimes, you might only need to use the monitor except for the cpu or other components of a computer. But, as mentioned at first, a monitor displays the processed results, it cannot run any operation or display anything on its own.
So, If you are among the people who wonder whether you can use your monitor without a PC then you are in the right article. In this article, we will discuss whether you can use a monitor without a PC along with how you can use it.
Firstly you might want to know if you can use a monitor without a PC. Well, Yes! Of Course, you can use it perfectly. But, you have to connect some external hardware to make it work.
Can I Use A Monitor Without A PC?
As we know, the CPU or PC processes the input given by the user and cumulates the output that is viewed on the monitor. So, if you want your monitor to work without a CPU, you need to have an input source. In this way, the source will provide the monitor to display content.
Here, a source can be a phone, DVD player, gaming console, VCR, or cable box. In this way, your monitor will work as a TV, gaming monitor, or view contents from an Android phone or CCTV camera.
For instance, with the help of a DVD player, you can watch your favorite movies on the monitor. Same for VCR, you can watch the video content stored in cassettes on your monitor. Again, If you own a gaming console, you can connect the gaming console such as PS4 to the monitor and enjoy endless gaming experiences. Here, the DVD player, VCR, and the gaming console will work as the input source for the monitor to display output.
Therefore, to answer the question of whether you can use a monitor without a CPU or PC, it is affirmative. You can use a monitor without a PC or CPU. As we mentioned, a monitor works depending on its input source. It can be said that a monitor is a brainless hardware that views output from its source. So you know now, if your monitor has no connection to any input source, you might get to see a blank screen with no information.
So to overcome this situation, you need to attach some required cables such as adapters or converters that will provide input for the monitor to display as output. In such a way, you can use your monitor as a TV, gaming monitor, monitor for your laptop, or any video displaying purpose you want.
Can I Use A Monitor As A Tv?
A monitor can be used as a TV if the monitor possesses modern features. You can connect a TV decoder with the monitor, thus you can use the monitor effortlessly.
But remember to check if your monitor has a built-in sound system. Though most monitors these days come with built-in speakers to produce sound, there are few monitors that don’t have this built-in feature. So, if your monitor has no sound system, you can connect your monitor to any good quality external speakers via external ports H/P (headphones), HDMI, or DP-IN (display ports). Because, if your monitor has no sound, you won’t be able to hear anything from the video content.
To turn your monitor into a Tv, you can connect it to a cable box. You can watch movies from DVDs or cassettes with the help of a DVD player or VCR.
Besides, you can connect your monitor to a CCTV camera, so you can view the footage of your surroundings on the monitor. You can also connect your digital camera to your monitor to view pictures and videos and relive your memories.
Many monitors actually don’t have the proper ports that make it hard to connect the cable box with the monitor. For VGA monitors, you can buy video converters to connect the monitor to any video input source.
What Is The Easiest Way To Use My Monitor As A TV
The easiest way to use your monitor as a TV is to stream from a device. As mentioned above, we need something that creates an output that a monitor understands. Typically a streaming service box, like Amazon Fire Stick, or Roku product work great. With a monitor typically having good resolution, I recommend going to a 4K stick.
These sticks require an HDMI input, so if your monitor has HDMI, your set. However, if you have a DVI input you will need an HDMI to DVI adapter. Click here to view the adapter we recommend.
With the sticks you will need to have a wireless internet source to link to. If you don’t have internet and still need to make a TV out of your monitor you can get an antenna and tuner that we would recommend for ease of use and setup. Here are the ones we recommend… digital TV antenna and a digital TV tuner/ converter.
The Roku and Amazon streaming devices can be used without a monthly subscription from them. For example, Amazon, you will need an Amazon account to use the Fire Stick, but you do not need a Prime membership. Roku is a little more straight forward when it comes to using it. However, with both of them you will need to pay for subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, or Sling.
As for me, I have a Prime membership, and I use firesticks with my smart TV’s, it just seems easier. I do not really need a smart TV since I use Fire Sticks in them, just like you could just use a computer monitor with a firestick. Let me know which you do!
Can I Use A Monitor As A Computer?
As we mentioned before, Monitor is a medium to display the output processed by the CPU. You can view text, images, videos, and other graphics on the Monitor that is stored and generated by the CPU. If you are thinking of using a monitor as a computer, no, it is not possible to do that.
You cannot use a monitor as a computer. We know the CPU is the brain of the computer because it handles all operations of the computer conducted by the user. The monitor is a device that displays output produced from the operations conducted by the CPU. You can say that a monitor has no purpose if it doesn’t have an input source. Thus, as you didn’t connect the monitor with the CPU, it is impossible to use it as a computer.
Can I Connect My Android Phone To A Monitor?
Yes, you can connect your android phone to a monitor if it has the features of modern smart TVs. You can view the photos and videos stored on your phone on the monitor. This can be done by connecting the phone with the HDMI ports of the monitor.
An adapter cable will be needed to go from your android phone to and HDMI monitor input. This cable is straight forward and is well made, Check it out here
Can I Use A Monitor Without A Pc For Ps4?
You can use a monitor without a PC for gaming on the PS4. Both of the devices can be connected to each other via HDMI. You won’t be needing any adapters in this case.
If you own a VGA monitor, then you will need a VGA to HDMI adapter to use the monitor for PS4. A DVI input monitor will need one of these adapters to work.
Can I Use A Monitor to connect to a Laptop?
You can connect your monitor as a display for your laptop. In this case, if your laptop has extra ports to connect the monitor then you are good to go. You can connect the monitor to your laptop via HDMI cables.
People find laptop displays not large enough to view their work. They find working on small screens hectic and more concentration-needing. As a result, they purchase an extra monitor to connect to their laptops to see the content much larger.
If you are a multi-tasker, you might feel the necessity of additional screens. You can buy a monitor to connect to your laptop or computer, so that you can see all the tasks at once, rather than changing tabs on your screen.
Programmers need to check their code frequently. And as they work they also need to check the output of their code. If the programmer has only one display, he or she does that task by switching windows or tabs on the computer. This can get really frustrating at times. So, if you are a programmer, we understand your pain. In this case, you can buy an extra monitor, so that you don’t have to do that boring task of changing tabs. In this way, you can code and watch the update on the live server altogether.
Newer laptops may have a mini-HDMI output. Here is the adapter mini HDMI to HDMI cable for that.