How To: Connect Your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to Your TV
Recently, I found myself watching an entire TV series on my iPad. It was annoying. Especially considering I was in my living room right across from a 60” Plasma HDTV. This is one of the many reasons people hook their iPads up to their TVs. It’s not that difficult to do, and you will love watching videos, TV shows, slideshows, and movies while lounging on the couch instead of huddled over you iPad (or even iPhone). Here are four ways to connect your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch to your TV:
1) 
HDMI: Apple’s Digital AV Adapter (which costs about $40) will transfer both HD-quality video and sound and is compatible with all iPad generations, iPhone 4, and iPad Touch. If you have an iPad 2 or iPad 3, this cable will support 1080p and will mirror everything you see and hear on your iPad, even games. For the other Apple devices, only music, photos and video-enabled apps, such as Netflix or YouTube, can be displayed on your TV.
2) Component Cables: These cables (which cost about $25) won’t mirror like the AV Adapter, but it will still play your music, photos and video-enabled apps on your TV. It is also compatible with all iPhones, iPod Touches and both iPads. Plus, you can also connect with the third generation iPod Nano and the iPod Classic.
3) Composite Cables: This cable (which will run you around $20) also won’t mirror like the AV Adaptor, but it will also play all your music, photos and video-enabled apps on your TV.
4) 
Apple TV: If you have an Apple TV ($100), you can use AirPlay and avoid cables (plus you will always get the optimal video quality). It will stream photos, videos or music to your TV. Just connect your Apple device to the same Wi-Fi connection as your Apple TV, select the video you want to watch from your device, and press the AirPlay button. Select “Apple TV,” and your content will begin streaming.
If you do buy any of these cables, make sure the one you get is compatible with the version of the iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch you are using. For example, older versions of the Digital AV Adapter don’t support the third-generation iPad. Happy video watching!