Thinkpads Forum

Hi folks,

I have a question regarding connecting the T420 to a TV.

Can I just buy one cable from the T420 Displayport to the TV HDMI?
Like this


Or is there any particular reason why I ought to buy an adapter instead?
Such as this one


Than you for any advice.

Well, a direct cable is more convenient for this particular purpose, but an adapter gives you more flexibility; you can reuse the cable for something that has an HDMI output. In particular, if you already have the cable, you may want to get a smaller/cheaper adapter instead of a whole new cable.

there's no difference

I'm still not certain if the 420/420s intel nvidia can actually pass audio?

My test with my intel 420s didnt work.

Yes, it can, as I told you in your thread back then.

Great, thank you both for your help!

It may or may not work, depending on whether it has an IC built in. Some adapters function as a simple line converter and others have a logic controller inside. You want one that has the IC, often tagged as "Active" adapters etc. I've tried a number of these cheap adapters and switch cables with my T420 too.

You don't need an active adapter to get HDMI out of a DisplayPort++ port.

I bought a basic Displayport to HDMI cable for my T410. It passes video & audio to my TV just fine. My T410 has the Intel HD Graphics.