Using video ports 'backwards'

Posted by ACarter on Super User See other posts from Super User or by ACarter
Published on 2012-11-25T15:56:50Z Indexed on 2012/11/25 17:07 UTC
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Filed under:

video

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hdmi

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vga

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video-streaming

If I want to connect my laptop, which has a VGA output, to a monitor, I plug a VGA cable into both ends. The output being my laptop, and the input the monitor

VGA output sockets are the same as VGA input sockets however, so what if I want to use my laptop as the monitor, with the video being outputted from somewhere else?

As I said, VGA's output is the same as input, so in theory, I have the hardware in my laptop to do this. But presumably I need some software.

So can I use the VGA port on a laptop as a video input?

(And also, can this be done with HDMI?)

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