Just plug the DVD player into your TV regularly, with the AV or coaxial cords, and then turn on your TV and switch to the channel the DVD player uses. Plug in your laptop using the s-video cable into the DVD player next. Then you should see a symbol that looks like a rectangle within a rectangle that is separated from another single rectangle with a "/" on one of your "F" keys, usually "F4," if you use the Fn button on your laptop and press that key then it should detect the DVD player and send the screen out to the DVD player instead of your laptop screen (your screen may go black, press it again and it should send the signal to both the TV and your computer screen, if it only will appear on one or the other then don't worry, some computers do that) And then it should work!