Using an old monitor as a media center?

[vhx]

Hello everyone, not sure if this is the right place but, I am trying to think of a way to turn my old monitor into a sort of media center for some of my devices. Basically the big thing is looking to hook my monitor for cable TV, however it does not have any coaxial input.

First let me clarify three things, that complicate matters, which I have found trying to research this.

1) I do not want a TV tuner device, I want my computer separate, I just want it from the wall.

2) I want to hook more than just TV up to this device, such as a gaming console and/or Bluray player in the future.

3) Monitor has no built in speakers, as such I will have to use some spare PC speakers I have lying around.

The monitor supports 1080p and has scaling features, so I shouldn't have problems with the signal. My monitor has composite, component, s-video, and HDMI inputs.

That being said, I'm positive I'll need some sort of converter box to convert it into a different input. However the problem then occurs, how will I get the speakers to work? A 3.5mm to composite converter? What if I want to hook up a gaming console or two without having to constantly switch the audio cables around? What if I want to hook up HDMI and the audio is no longer composite? I currently has a PS2 I play with, but might end up getting a PS3 soon.

Or maybe if such a device exists, find a switch/converter-type device that would be able to handle coax in, video composite in, component in, or maybe hdmi in, then be able to output HDMI and/or sound composite. Then a function inside the device that is able to just switch between them all. In short, I am trying to turn one of my old monitors into a make shift media center.

Anyone know of such a device or a place to start looking? I have googled quite a bit, but most of the responses have to do with computer TV tuners. Thanks for any help.

 

[Raduque]

Get a cable box and a remote-control Component switch box. Plug everything (component video and RCA stereo audio) into the switch box, then one set of component cables out to the monitor, and run the audio out from the switch box to a 3.5mm adapter cable and plug that into your speakers. Then just switch sources using the remote.

I used to do this with my old HDTV which only had one component input, and I had an Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS2 to connect.

 

[sdifox]

Hello everyone, not sure if this is the right place but, I am trying to think of a way to turn my old monitor into a sort of media center for some of my devices. Basically the big thing is looking to hook my monitor for cable TV, however it does not have any coaxial input.

First let me clarify three things, that complicate matters, which I have found trying to research this.

1) I do not want a TV tuner device, I want my computer separate, I just want it from the wall.

2) I want to hook more than just TV up to this device, such as a gaming console and/or Bluray player in the future.

3) Monitor has no built in speakers, as such I will have to use some spare PC speakers I have lying around.

The monitor supports 1080p and has scaling features, so I shouldn't have problems with the signal. My monitor has composite, component, s-video, and HDMI inputs.

That being said, I'm positive I'll need some sort of converter box to convert it into a different input. However the problem then occurs, how will I get the speakers to work? A 3.5mm to composite converter? What if I want to hook up a gaming console or two without having to constantly switch the audio cables around? What if I want to hook up HDMI and the audio is no longer composite? I currently has a PS2 I play with, but might end up getting a PS3 soon.

Or maybe if such a device exists, find a switch/converter-type device that would be able to handle coax in, video composite in, component in, or maybe hdmi in, then be able to output HDMI and/or sound composite. Then a function inside the device that is able to just switch between them all. In short, I am trying to turn one of my old monitors into a make shift media center.

Anyone know of such a device or a place to start looking? I have googled quite a bit, but most of the responses have to do with computer TV tuners. Thanks for any help.

It's called a receiver. It drives speakers and consolidate your sources to ond display.