WS73837 as a monitor question

I'm trying to hook up my Mitsu WS73837 to my laptop with little success. I see from other posts on the forum that it can be done but need some info.

I have a 25' cable that has the 15 pin D-sub connector plugged into the laptop VGA output and it has component (RBG) leads plugged into the side inputs of the Television. The TV recognizes the input and goes into set up mode to name the input. I have the laptop set up for dual monitors but I get either a black screen or a blue (no signal) screen.

I have an HP and a Toshiba laptop and I get the same results with both.

I know there are VGA analog to digital converters on the market but other posts I've read on this forum don't mention any converters. I'm thinking the TV should be able to convert the signal but maybe I'm wrong.

Any ideas how I can get the display to show up?

Thanks in advance.

Thanks for the info GEP. I appreciate it.